Santa Barbara County Superior Court Executive Officer Gary Blair announced Thursday that the court is seeking volunteers for the 2011-12 Civil Grand Jury.

To be considered for service, a volunteer must be a U.S. citizen, age 18 or older, be of good character, have been a Santa Barbara County resident for at least one year and have never been convicted of a felony or malfeasance in office.

Some of the principal functions of the Civil Grand Jury include investigation and review of the departments and special districts of county and city government; involvement in fiscal or management audits; and the preparation of reports on related matters. Reports are then filed with recommendations for improvement of operations.

Service on the Grand Jury is for a period of one year, July 1 through June 30, and usually involves about 25 hours a week. There is no question that service on the Grand Jury is an enormous sacrifice of time, but it is an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of government while providing a valuable service to the community.

Applications for the 2011-12 Civil Grand Jury can be obtained from the court’s Jury Services office in Santa Barbara at 805.882-4530 or in Santa Maria at 805.614-6464, or click here to download the form.

Applications should be submitted no later than Friday, May 6 to Santa Barbara County Superior Court, Jury Services, 1108 Santa Barbara St., Santa Barbara, CA 93101.

— Angela Braun is the jury services supervisor for Santa Barbara County Superior Court.