Grand jury: Fresno Co. should do more to prevent conflicts of interest when awarding contracts

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- An investigation by the Fresno County civil grand jury determined the county should do more to prevent conflicts of interest when awarding certain contracts.

The grand jury report shows a citizen complaint was filed over the handling of the new sheriff's substation that broke ground in 2020 near Armstrong and Harvey.

The person claimed a contract was awarded to a firm with a leader who is closely connected to the county official who recommended the award.

As a result of the investigation, the civil grand jury found the county charter does not explicitly state what constitutes a conflict of interest for county employees.

It also noted the lack of a designated person to address potential conflicts of interest and insufficient training.

"And so what we are working on right now is to make sure our employees at all levels here at the agency are fully aware of what those conflict laws are so we don't have issues as we work through projects here at the county," said Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.

The grand jury recommended steps to revise and update policies and procedures.

Supervisor Magsig said the county currently has a hotline set up for people to make complaints about potential conflicts of interest.

Officials say they will also continue to work on the areas identified by the grand jury.