By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – January 6, 2022 In November of 2020, both the City and the County were granted by the voters the right to collect an additional one percent sales tax to be deposited in their general funds. For this generosity, the voters expected certain services, and repairs to be made by both governing representatives. In addition, each was to establish an independent oversight committee to monitor and advise how the money was to be spent. Since that time there has been very little in the way of information out of each independent committee As we have recently learned from the antics out at the school district, their oversight committee is neither independent, nor properly protecting the taxpayer. Since the early spring meetings of the City's effort to comply with having an oversight committee, there does not appear to have been any further meetings. The two that transpired for the City did not appear to be independent nor was there any training for the committee offered. Since then silence. As to the County's Oversight committee, applications were available early spring of 2021, then no reports the committee was ever formed or who were the public members Since early spring, there have been no reports offered by either committee or any evidence of regular meetings. The question then becomes, what's up? Is an annual report in the offing? Moving on, to the promises both governing representatives made to the public. Attention to police, fire, and emergency services, fix and repair roads in each jurisdiction, and for the City to repair and subsidize the City's pool. At this point it seems that the least important priority, the City's pool, is the only obvious project that has gone forward. Both the County and City's police forces remain understaffed. Neither fire departments appear to have had much more than a "go apply for grants" kind of advice and not much additional funding. Emergency services seems to be some sort of catch all for spending money that doesn't necessarily represent "vital services". Finally, road repair has as usual, slipped to the bottom of the list. Traveling on the streets of Crescent City and Del Norte County has become some sort of a challenge. It reminds one of places in the third word, where potholes vie with pavement to see which covers the most road. "A" Street in the City is an obstacle course enough to challenge the most adept driver. There are several other streets that are comparable. Places in the County where paved road is a rather loose term to describe many of the hole available for your car's tire to be swallowed up. Blame not the County or the City's road crews for this situation, look at the tightwads who represent us and use money that is available from Measure's "R" and "S" for their special priorities. In June there is an effort to place repeal measures for "S" and "R" on the June Ballot to curb this frivolous spending, because it appears that the Oversight Committee's are once again missing in action. The County Grand Jury should be involved, but they do not appear to have met since July 2021 either. Hence, the need to collect signatures to repeal both taxes. Granted that won't get roads fixed, but maybe the City can be encouraged to spend some of Beach Front's $5 million to fix the rest of Front Street instead of waiting five years or some grant funded solution. Registered voters need to find and sign the petition to get it on the June Ballot. Repeal Measures "S" and "R"…..