There has been much discussion and debate recently on how the County Supervisors have been managing our tax dollars and what they’re spending it on (San Geronimo Golf Course, Gnoss Field, etc.). As a result, I decided to begin researching Marin County’s financial reports to better understand where the tax revenue is coming from and where it is going.
Retired from the banking industry and based on the requirements we imposed on commercial borrowers, I was confident that the June 30, 2017 financial reports would be available to the public almost six months after their fiscal year end. Searching the Marin County Finance Department’s web page, the most current annual report is dated June 30, 2016.
I contacted the Finance Department to ask when the reports would be available and I was told (by email) the following,
“Last year’s CAFR /June 30, 2016 went to the Board in May 2017. This year’s CAFR/June 30, 2017 will probably go to the Board a little earlier, possibly March 2018.”
Wow! Not very reassuring.
There’s a very good chance the County’s June 2017 financial reporting won’t be available until April or May of 2018. Essentially, this means that the information we’ll finally be allowed to review will represent financial activity dating as far back as July 1, 2016 (when the 2016-17 fiscal year began). At best the information will be 10 months old.
This is not being “transparent” on the County’s part. And most importantly, how can the Supervisors manage our County’s affairs with stale information like this?