The San Bernardino Community College District Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) presented its annual Report to the Community to the SBCCD Board of Trustees tonight. A citizens' oversight committee is required for all general obligation bonds passed under Prop. 39 guidelines. The San Bernardino Community College District passed a $190 million bond measure in 2002 and another $500 million bond measure in 2008.
Presented by Vice-Chairman Ron Coats, the report outlines the activities of the CBOC for the last fiscal year as required by their by-laws. The committee met regularly during the year to review bond expenditures and to ensure that bond monies were only used for voter-approved projects. Coats also reported that the District has done an excellent job of leveraging bond funds with state, federal and local funds. "To date, for every 63 cents spent of Measure P funds, the District has managed to match it with 37 cents of funds from federal, state and local sources," said Coats.
Following the presentation by Coats, a district representative reported that due to the excellent work of Tilden-Coil, the District's program management firm, over 80 percent of the construction projects have been completed by local contractors. "While the District is legally bound to accept the lowest responsive and responsible bidder, local contractors are preferred and ready to compete," said David Salazar, Executive Director of Facilities. "Tilden-Coil has built strong relations with local contractors to help them understand the District's needs and goals. Because of those relationships, we're pleased to report that over $40 million has been invested in the Inland Empire through our construction projects," he continued.
Trustee Marie Alonzo commended the SBCCD staff for their diligent efforts. "You have taken very seriously the use of public tax dollars and I appreciate your work in not only bringing construction projects in under budget, but also contributing to the local economy by using local contractors whenever possible," she stated.
The San Bernardino Community College District is composed of San Bernardino Valley College, Crafton Hills College in Yucaipa, KVCR-TV/FM and the Professional Development Center. You can find complete information on Measure P and Measure M online at www.sbccd.org.
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