Measure U spent wisely, says half-measured audit

According to a hired consultant’s narrow evaluation, the city of Sacramento spent Measure U revenues appropriately last year.

The Sacramento-based public accounting firm Vavrinek, Trine, Day & Co., LLP considered expenditures between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, when the fiscal year ended. In a five-page report that the city’s Budget and Audit Committee received on Monday, Vavrinek says the half-cent sales tax brought in nearly $44 million last year, of which the city spent $28.2 million—or 64 percent—on 28 of 30 budgeted projects.

A caveat, however: “Our audit does not provide a legal determination on the City’s compliance with specific requirements or a determination of whether the City used Measure U revenue in an efficient or effective manner,” the report concludes.