The City of Long Beach spent nearly $1 million in oil revenue on a recommended jail-to-new-courthouse prisoner transfer tunnel the Council budgeted in October 2011, but based on an $80,000 feasibility study now recommends against pursuing.

LBReport.com discovered that the expenditure appears on the final page of items listed as funded by uplands oil revenue under “Public Works Projects.” The line item lists “Courthouse Tunnel start-up costs” budgeted at $1 million and indicates that $942,416 was spent as of August 6, 2012. Under “Status Reported by Department,” the list says “Design phase to be completed.”

Exactly what persons or firms were paid a total of roughly $860,000 and for what hasn’t been publicly disclosed at this point.

The item wasn’t included on a list of FY12 uplands oil funded items compiled as of the end of May by Financial Management and provided in late June to the Council’s Budget Oversight Committee (BOC). As of 6 a.m. today, the list isn’t visible among the BOC’s online materials.

The five-page document was provided to the members of the Committee for their Aug. 15 meeting. LBReport.com was present at the meeting (to webcast it live) and requested and was provided with the document (as required by law).

The Budget Oversight Committee members didn’t inquire about the $942,416 expenditure.

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