Try to Find the Money Trail:

Grants pave way for sidewalks
SAFETY: Highland and other Inland cities will receive funds from the Safe Route to School program.

10:00 PM PDT on Saturday, July 15, 2006
By JULIE FARREN
The Press-Enterprise
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Grand Terrace applied for a grant for new sidewalks and a bicycle lane along Michigan Avenue but was turned down this year, said Richard Shields, the city's director of public works and building and safety.
The city was awarded a $50,000 grant in 2004 to build a 4-foot-wide bicycle lane on both sides of Barton Road between Mount Vernon and Michigan avenues.
Shields said he plans to go before the city council within the next few months, so they can award a bid for a contractor.
"We're hoping we'll have this done in less than a year," Shields said.
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Online at: http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanbernardino/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bgrants16.3c60e67.html

Gramps has a thought, (an IDEA), a Concern, and an ISSUE:

I am all for alternative transportation, and would be Tickled if the “Bike” Lanes were also LEV or NEV lanes for Barton Road and Mt. Vernon. You see, the Senior Citizens, and Soccer Moms could use LEV or NEV’s (that would be Light Electric Vehicles, or Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) for the running around town errands. California is or has been, in love with Auto Makers, will allow pedestrians, horses, even power riding lawn mowers to use the road ways. BUT not a LEV on Barton Road. WHY, well the law is that LEV’s and NEV’s can only be used on streets with a speed limit of 35mph or less, or in a special marked lane…

Hmm, LEV, NEV, perhaps even a Hydrogen Fuel Station and Repair Industry right here in Grand Terrace. Now that may be forward looking, you know beyond the Big Box cookie cutter overlay planning we are now adopting just as the rest of the country is waking up to the disaster of Big Box Store we persist in that general direction.

Back to the bike lane, grant was awarded in 2004 and it is now 2006. Where was the money used between the time awarded and when it will actually be “Spent”. Well, was this the source of funds for the pay off of the Air Conditioner, which had to be paid for before the loan was processed, and the money from one fund or account, had to be transferred or refunded to the account when the “Loan” came in? Were the funds not spent to do the bike lane because the city was going to combine those funds with the Jacobsen’s Road Impact Funds and do a better job of the bike lane? WHO knows, these type of things are made known to the public, and apparently not even the City Council is informed of such decisions and action or non action as the case may be.

To use grant money for anything other than the specific grant, even if it is to be “Paid” back or refunded in the future is not good governance, and it may even raise to a criminal act of fraud. Just incase some one cared to chase down the financial transaction and accounting procedures of the City to that level of detail.

More often the result of this type of behavior in regards to grants and grant funds, is the granting agency won’t provide anymore grants until the Work is Preformed for past grants. So if you don’t use a grant of 50,000.00 the way you should in the time you should you may lose a larger grant or additional available grants in the future.

IF we NEEDED a Bike Lane, it should have been put in when the money was made available. We should not be using grant money as “Float” in the Check Book. OF course I don't know IF this specific money was used to "Float" the finances of the Air Conditioner, but the Float took place and is recorded in Council Minutes.

There are alot of women bookkeepers in the Norco Women's Jail for this very type of accounting practices. Go into the City and ask them "Show Me the MONEY". You will be entertained for weeks if not months trying to piece it to gether. Accounts, and books that don't tell a clear and direct story are often intended to be a distraction, or diversion.