SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — The Grand Jury report alleges council members violated a portion of the City Charter, and report that the Police Department and Animal Control are operating effectively.
- Kern County Grand Jury published a report on Shafter City Council and local departments.
- According to the report, Shafter Police Department and Animal Control were found to be operating effectively.
- The report criticized City Council for unclear accountability regarding 'council norms' and breakdowns in chain of command.
- Grand Jury recommended defining 'Council norms' and improving police signage.
- Shafter City Council must respond to the report by September 15.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Earlier this week, a Kern County Grand Jury published a report titled - Welcome to the City of Shafter - "Where everything grows." I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter. The report takes a look at City Council conduct as well as aspects of the Shafter Police Department and Shafter Animal Control.
The report's findings for the Shafter Police Department and Animal Control show the two entities running as they should and with little issue, calling the Animal Control Unit a "valuable resource for the community" and during the Grand Jury's tour of the Shafter Police Department, staff showcased a "commitment to the community." The report did note that because of where the signage on the Shafter Police Department is, it could make it difficult for people who are trying to locate it.
Regarding Shafter's City Council, the Grand Jury says it found breakdowns in the chain of command by City Council members. The report states that section 4.07 of the city charter, which prohibits city council members from having any control over staff members that fall under the purview of the city manager. The report also makes note of the city council saying along with the city charter, members adhere to what they call "council norms," but council members were unable to define council norms, which the report says creates a lack of accountability.
We reached out to the city, but were unable to line up an interview by news time. For updates, be sure to check out this story on our website turn to 23 dot com for the latest.
The Grand Jury made three recommendations to Shafter City Council, asking them to review the city charter and establish accountability measures to ensure they follow them, define 'council norms' and publish them where the public will be able to review them online, and lastly, allocate funding for more visible signage for the police department. According to the report, Shafter City Council is required to respond to the report by September 15th of this year.
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