Update by the Solano County Taxpayers Association

The Solano County Taxpayers Association (SCTA) is striving to fulfill its mission to
“secure by lawful means greater economy and efficiency in government; to stimulate the
public interest in civic affairs; to effect reduction in taxes”

Dixon Unified School District: The Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) and actions by the School District related to bond management have been a major disappointment. The majority of the oversight committee was handpicked by the District. Gary Riddle, SCTA’s member on the committee, has been trying to steer the committee in the direction of better serving citizen interests, but to no avail.

Click here to read the full article, published in the Dixon Tribune.

Dixon School District’s Obfuscated Oversight

By Mike Ceremello, February 7, 2019

Dixon, CA (DIV) – Once again the Dixon Unified School District is refusing to comply with the law which allowed them to obtain a $30 million bond with a 55% voter consent. On the agenda for tonight’s, Thursday February 7, 2019, Dixon Unified School Board meeting is the approval of the Bond Audit Report for Measure Q for Fiscal Year 2017-2018. The Board of Trustees is asked to approve that Report.

Click here to view and download the full article by Mike Ceremello in the Independent Voice.

Dixon Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee tours the future Dixon Middle School

Tad Smith
Special to the Tribune
Published September 17, 2018

Dixon – On Wednesday evening, September 12th, the Dixon Citizen’s Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) had the opportunity to step back in time and imagine the future, during an extensive walk-through of the future Dixon Middle School, located on A Street across from City Hall.

During the next two years, the building commonly referred to as the old High School will be transformed into a modern middle school with the proper facilities to educate our 6th through 8th graders. 

The tour was hosted by John Calise, Director of Facilities, Operations and Capital Projects for the Dixon Unified School District, after CBOC members signed liability release waivers and donned hardhats due to safety concerns in the building. If the expected timeline holds, students from C.A. Jacobs Middle School will be moved into the renovated Dixon Middle School in time for the start of the 2020-21 school year.

Click here to read the full post from the Dixon Tribune on Facebook.

SCTA Update 8/14/2018

The School Board has adopted the position of a limited “scope” of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee’s (CBOC) responsibilities regarding oversight of the Measure Q Bond funds. The Board has opined that the purpose of the Committee is to review and report on the bond expenditures. However the Committee has not received any expenditure report since their Feb. 28, 2018 meeting, although they had four meetings since then. Considering the School Board, in their role as “Trustees”, seldom, if ever discuss the expenditures of the District during their meetings, they may believe this “independent oversight committee” doesn’t need to review expenditures of the Measure Q fund in order to report to the citizens. In fact, the District expenditures are only randomly included on the “consent calendar”.

Click here to read the full update from the Solano County Taxpayers Association.

SCTA Update 7/24/2018

The Solano County Taxpayers Association (SCTA) has been busy as part of our stated purpose of “efficiency in government; stimulate the public interest in civic affairs; effect reduction in taxes; assist governments by studying and recommending regional policies.”

Last week we filed with the State Supreme Court an “amicus” letter supporting the effort to knock the scheme to dissolve California into three new states off the ballot. Just the fact that this plan might be adopted would cause political and economic chaos for the state for which the people would have to pay. Proposition 9 was not a well thought out proposition. For instance, a dozen school and community college districts would be split apart because their boundaries would cross the new state lines. The Supreme Court in a unanimous order removed Proposition 9 from the 2018 ballot stating “because significant questions have been raised regarding the proposition’s validity and because we conclude that the potential harm in permitting the measure to remain on the ballot outweighs the potential harm in delaying the proposition to a future election.” After a hearing the Court may decide to put it in the 2020 ballot.

Click here to read the full update from the Solano County Taxpayers Association.

SCTA Update 2/28/2018

It has been reported that at the recent “State of the City” event, Brian Dolan, Superintendent of the Dixon Unified School District, expressed his opinion that the role of the Measure Q Citizens Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) was only an advisory group without decision making authority. The creation of the Citizens Bond Oversight Committee is legally required by Section 1 of Article XIII A of the California Constitution. The School District wanted the passage of Measure Q to be approved with only 55% favorable local vote instead of the 2/3 vote of the people. This lesser voter approval created the CBOC. The Solano County Taxpayers Association is appalled that the Superintendent does not understand the role and nature of the Oversight Committee.

Click here to read the full update from the Solano County Taxpayers Association.

SCTA Press Release 9/12/2017

DIXON UNIFIED SHOOL DISTRICT WILL HONOR THEIR PROMISE TO THE VOTERS AND SCTA

After the threat of litigation by the Solano County Taxpayers Association (SCTA) the Dixon Unified School Board, in a closed session Thursday, decided not to proceed with the proposed “lease-leaseback” delivery method for the projects approved by the passage of Measure Q, but to honor their promise to the Voters and the SCTA. (Measure Q passed by 60% (4966 votes) of the people that voted in November. )

In November 2016 Dixon Voters approved a $30.4 mil bond to renovate the Old Dixon High School and update the Anderson Elementary School.

Click here to read the full press release from the Solano County Taxpayers Association.

School District Thumbs Nose At Public 2/18/2018

What Is Dolan Hiding and Why?

By Mike Ceremello, February 9, 2018

What happens when you vote to give the Dixon Unified School District millions of dollars to renovate their schools? Once they get our money it appears they don’t want anyone to know how they are spending it until after the funds are spent.

Measure Q was passed in November 2016 by 60% of the voters and gave the district $30.4 million to renovate the old high school and Anderson Elementary. This bond now is in addition to another $29 million which was used to build the new high school. There is also talk from the school board about going out for another bond to reconstruct Tremont Elementary which is composed of portables unlike Gretchin Higgins which is a group of permanent structures.

Click here to view and download the full article by Mike Ceremello in the Independent Voice.

Dixon School District misses deadline to form bond oversight panel 3/16/2017

By Ryan McCarthy – March 16, 2017

DIXON — The superintendent for the Dixon School District apologized to the Solano County Taxpayers Association for missing a Monday deadline to form a bond oversight committee after the Nov. 8 passage of the $30.4 million Measure Q school bond.

Click here to download and view the full article by Ryan McCarthy in the Fairfield Daily Republic.

School Board Puts Bonds on Ballot But Not Refinancing Gretchen COPS Funding 8/12/2016

Click here to download a PDF of the article.