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Bill Mandates Online Portals for Special Districts

Marin’s state senator has cleared a key hurdle on legislation to increase online transparency at the state’s more than 2,000 independent special districts. Last year, the Little Hoover Commission, which serves as the state’s independent oversight agency, released a report recommending that the Legislature pass just such a law.

Marin’s state senator has cleared a key hurdle on legislation to increase online transparency at the state’s more than 2,000 independent special districts.

Sen. Mike McGuire's Senate Bill 929 was approved by the Senate Committee on Governance and Finance and now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee next.

“There are millions of Californians who receive a vital service from a special district, yet they have no idea how their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent because financial reports aren’t online,” McGuire, D-Healdsburg, said in a statement. “They don’t know what the district’s board is doing because the agenda isn’t posted online or how to contact their district on a call for service.”

In addition to requiring independent special districts to maintain a website, the bill would require that each website include meeting agendas, clear information on the district’s budget and expenditures, compensation reports and information on how to contact representatives of the district.

Last year, the Little Hoover Commission, which serves as the state’s independent oversight agency, released a report recommending that the Legislature pass just such a law.

The state’s special districts operate a variety of essential local services including fire protection, transit, parks, utilities and many others. The special districts come in two forms: independent and dependent. Dependent special districts are overseen by an existing legislative body, such as a board of supervisors or a city council. Independent special districts have their own board of directors who are either elected or appointed. McGuire’s bill would apply only to independent districts. 

The Brown Act requires all local agencies to post the agenda for any regular meeting 72 hours in advance in a location accessible to the public. And a state law was passed in 2011 requiring local agencies that have a website to post meeting agendas on the website. However, there is no requirement that special districts maintain a website.

No estimate has been prepared yet on the cost of implementing McGuire’s bill should it be enacted into law. The bill would exempt districts if their governing body adopts a resolution declaring that complying with the law would be a hardship. Acceptable hardships would include a lack of funding, insufficient staffing or inadequate access to broadband communications. Even though the law would impose new duties on local agencies, the state would not reimburse local governments’ compliance costs.

©2018 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.