Turlock council votes to audit chamber records on promotional work

The Turlock City Council will take a closer look at spending on city promotional efforts by the Chamber of Commerce, after hearing a preliminary report that nearly $100,000 remains in question.

The vote was 4 to 1, with Steve Nascimento dissenting, to have an outside audit of the books. The audit will cover spending under the Turlock Convention and Visitors Bureau contract from 2009 to May 3, when the chamber ended the 24-year arrangement to promote Turlock events.

Nascimento said he supported the audit, but disagreed with a second part of the motion that created a council subcommittee to be a part of the process.

Much of the disputed amount appears to be money well spent, but contracts were not revised to reflect the changes, Councilman Bill DeHart said.

In other business, the council:

•  Got an update on street fixes. Curb cut-downs and repaving along Hawkeye Avenue will take another few weeks. Work is scheduled to finish by early June. Geer will be the next sidewalk improvement and paving target.

•  Got good news on the city economy, with strong sales tax growth for the final quarter of 2014. The city budget conservatively targets revenue growth at 4 percent to 5 percent for the next two years. The budget discussion will continue with more details at the next meeting.

•  Heard Police Department spending priorities, with Chief Robert Jackson listing return of the street crimes unit and K-9 officers, and adding a pet license clerk to Animal Control. The department also hopes to add part-time dispatch help to manage the overload of cellphone calls for high-profile emergencies.

This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 5:43 PM with the headline "Turlock council votes to audit chamber records on promotional work."