Board to Consider Trust Fund for Police

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors next week will consider a proposal to put sales tax money raised from Proposition 172 into a trust fund for law enforcement.

Supervisor Vicky Howard said she will ask the board at its meeting on Tuesday to approve a proposal to establish a “Public Safety Augmentation Fund.”

In November, voters statewide passed the proposition to make permanent a temporary half-cent sales tax, with the stipulation that the money be earmarked for public safety purposes.

Although the supervisors have pledged several times to use the money for law enforcement, local taxpayer groups said they are fearful that the money will be diverted to other county services.

The half-cent sales tax is expected to raise about $12 million for Ventura County government between January and July this year. Overall, the county could receive between $26 million and $28 million in tax revenue annually.

In addition to setting up the trust fund, Howard is also requesting that some of the money be allocated specifically to hire more sheriff’s deputies in the county’s unincorporated areas.