CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday discussed the formation of an ad hoc committee to explore possible sources of revenue for road improvements.
The council reached consensus to move forward with the proposal, with each of the five council members will provide City Manager Greg Folsom with the names of three citizens for possible appointment to the committee.
The discussion was brought to the table at the request of Vice Mayor Gina Fortino Dickson, who said she gained the idea through her attendance at a recent League of California Cities conference in Monterey.
The idea is to form a standing committee of citizens, which would meet on a regular basis and be ready for appointment to serve the city in different capacities.
Fortino Dickson said there are many citizens ready and primed to get on board and help the city.
Also, she said, those citizens are entrenched in their community and their neighborhoods and may be able to gain ideas from the public that the council may not otherwise hear.
She said the committee should be large enough to be diverse, yet the size also should be manageable.
“We need to get that input front-loaded from the community and then bring that back to council,” Fortino Dickson said.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton said, ideally, the council would like to seek volunteers with experience in grant writing and research who could assist other volunteers in those areas. “You have to have a leader,” she said.
Councilman Russ Perdock said public education and dispelling misinformation and negativity will be essential in gaining support of any initiative brought forth, which he said should be focused on the 2016 election.
He said that in a recent meeting of the Lake County/City Area Planning Council, he heard from a Caltrans representative who spoke of the success of such efforts.
“They've seen a very successful program implemented in our neighboring county, Mendocino County, where this very thing was taken to the voters and passed in four to five cities in Mendocino County,” Perdock said. “They've already started to see the road index improve in those four cities and Ukiah is looking forward to having (an initiative) on the 2016 ballot through a tax measure.”
Perdock said those who spearheaded the effort in Mendocino County are willing to share those resources that gained them success.
Any citizen with grant writing expertise is encouraged to contact any member of the council or call Folsom at 707-994-8201, Extension 120.
Email reporter Denise Rockenstein at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
City of Clearlake to form committee to explore road improvement funding sources
- Denise Rockenstein
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