Stimulus money to be divided among cities, county
| Tuesday, Mar 31 2009 07:33 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Mar 31 2009 07:33 PM
By JAMES BURGER
Californian staff writer
jburger@bakersfield.com
Board members of the Kern Council of Governments voted Tuesday night to spread Kern region's federal stimulus funds to all the county's 11 cities and the county.
The move shifts money to repairs and maintenance on existing roads.
But major new construction projects, including a segment of Highway 46 and a section of the Westside Parkway, will not be funded.
KernCOG executive Ron Brummett said the stimulus money Kern County will be able to control dropped from $27 million to $15.2 million after the Legislature acted last week.
Technically KernCOG has $31 million to spend, according to state legislative analysis, but 40 percent of that has to be divided among local cities and the county of Kern.
That would leave about $18.8 million, not $15 million, to spend.
However, the KernCOG board voted two weeks ago to put about 50 percent -- $15 million -- into the city and county formula.
Brummett has recommended the rest of the money available be flowed into that formula as well.
City of Bakersfield's Raul Rojas reminded all the cities they have to have valid projects to use the money.
Brummett went further, reminding board members that they have a hard deadline to find a project.
"These projects have to be out the door in one year," Brummett said. "If you are not making progress by the end of June we will probably be coming back to this board asking them to reallocate your money to someone who has a project ready."
Kern County Supervisor Michael Rubio went even further, adding to the motion to approve the spending a recommendation that if cities can't get their their project moving within 30 days, the money be pulled back and reallocated by KernCOG.
Rubio also added a motion that forfeited funds be reallocated on a population basis to cities that do have projects.
The compiled motion passed the board unanimously.
