Burbank to create oversight board for Measure P funds
Burbank has taken its first steps to create an oversight board designed to ensure the funds generated by Measure P, passed by local voters late last year, are properly allocated for infrastructure needs.
The City Council unanimously voted during a meeting last week to approve the first reading of an ordinance that would establish the Infrastructure Oversight Board, which would oversee how and where the funds generated by Burbank’s new sales tax should be used.
This past November, Burbank voters approved Measure P, a three-quarter-cent sales tax that is geared to help the city address its systemic budget deficit.
The sales tax, which went into effect on Monday, is expected to generate roughly $20 million annually, of which no less than half will go toward overdue infrastructure projects.
Erika De Leon, an administrative analyst for Burbank, told council members the city has about $470 million in infrastructure projects that are unfunded.
So, it will be the responsibility of the Infrastructure Oversight Board, which would be made up of seven appointed members, to advise the City Council on which projects need to be addressed first, how much of the sales tax funds should go to each project and make sure the funds are being used appropriately.
If the ordinance is approved by the City Council during its second reading, which is scheduled for April 16, De Leon said those interested in applying could do so in May when the city clerk’s office will start accepting applications for all vacant seats on the city’s boards and commissions.
City officials are looking for applicants who are knowledgeable about city infrastructure projects, De Leon said.
She added that the term lengths for the first members appointed to the new board would vary initially to stagger the rotation of seats. There will be four four-year positions and three two-year positions for the initial appointees.
When those terms expire, members appointed to the board afterward will serve four-year terms, De Leon said.
The Infrastructure Oversight Board is expected to be up and running by Aug. 1, according to city officials.
Along with creating a new board, the City Council also voted to eliminate the Traffic Commission by July 31 and have its duties allocated to the city’s Public Works and Community Development departments.
READ MORE: Measure P gains endorsements from these voters »
When council members discussed the formation of the Infrastructure Oversight Board in September, they considered consolidating the Traffic and Transportation commissions and having them be new board members.
However, members of the Transportation Commission told council members the city would be losing a valuable asset if their commission was consolidated into another group.
Mark Ehrhardt, chair of the Transportation Commission, said his board is integral to helping the City Council determine what transportation projects and policies are important for Burbank.
“If there is ever a time when you need focused, dedicated people focusing on the transportation needs presently and in the future for the city of Burbank, it’s now,” Ehrhardt said.
“Our duties, our discussions, our recommendations, such as you get after they go through gate-keeping and editing by staff, will be taken away and subsumed in a broad overarching umbrella organization, which cannot dedicate the time, resources or agenda opportunities to develop the information in depth that you need to make a decision,” he added.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
