CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council took care of a lengthy list of agenda items during its three-hour meeting Thursday night – from the annual budget, to a new sales tax measure for roads and a new city logo.
One of the main items on the council's to-do list was adoption of the new fiscal year budget.
The document includes $8.6 million in non-fiduciary revenues, plus $1.2 million in fiduciary funds from the city's redevelopment successor agency. Total operating expenses for the city is just over $10 million, with another $1.2 million from the successor agency.
The council held a previous budget workshop on May 26, with Finance Director Chris Becnel referring to some of that previous work in his overview of the “fairly long process” to create the 130-page budget document, posted below.
Becnel said the budget is balanced with a contribution to city reserves. It also includes what he called a “modest” 2-percent raise for employees.
“Most of the employees in the city have not had a wage increase in 10 years,” he said.
He called the budget “transitional,” reflecting the city's work to overcome its inertia and gain momentum. It specifically and strategically spends money to move the city forward.
On the operational side, Becnel said the budget has $6.43 million, of which $5.3 million is personnel with the rest going to materials and supplies, capital outlay and debt service.
Aside from the city's bond payment, Becnel said the city has virtually no debt at this time.
The budget has approximately 58.86 employees, counting the five council members. The largest department is the Clearlake Police Department, with 30.5 positions, including 23.5 sworn officers, Becnel said.
As part of the budget, the council also considered the city's 2016-17 fee schedule, which Becnel said involved a comprehensive review of the city's fees in order to calculate the city's time, materials and overhead.
“It was a fairly involved process,” he said, explaining the staff time and effort that went into reviewing the city's fees, which included everything from building permits to the costs to adopt a dog from the city's animal shelter.
The council made only minor changes to the budget, and in doing so respected Becnel's request to redistribute funds from another source if they wanted to raise an allocation.
Councilman Bruno Sabatier wanted some minor fund redistributions, including $5,000 that he proposed be taken from an equipment fund for city hall and used instead to cover park maintenance. He also wanted to add a full-time Public Works maintenance worker, but Public Works Director Doug Herren said it wasn't a good time to add that full-time staffer.
The council agreed to moving the $5,000 to maintaining park amenities such as the tennis and basketball courts, and the skate park, and put aside $25,000 for two part-time park workers.
The council approved the budget 5-0, and followed up by also unanimously approving the appropriations – or Gann – limit for the new fiscal year. That limit – just over $8 million – is based on the increase in population and personal income, Becnel said.
Based on California Department of Finance numbers, the city's population is now back over 15,000 after having fallen below that number previously, Becnel said.
Sales tax measure approved for fall ballot
In another key item on the Thursday agenda, the council held the second reading of an ordinance to place a one-cent sales tax measure for road improvements and maintenance on the November ballot, approving it unanimously.
The tax – which would sunset after 20 years – is estimated to raise $1.6 million annually to help address the condition of the city's 112 miles of roads, of which 63 miles are paved, according to City Manager Greg Folsom.
Folsom noted that, just on the paved roads, the city has $15.2 million in deferred maintenance costs.
The measure calls for establishing an oversight committee to annually review expenditures and make recommendations to the council. It also limits expenditures to costs directly related to road maintenance and expenditures, and will be administered and collected by the State Board of Equalization.
Folsom said the sales tax measure will go on the Nov. 8 ballot as “Measure V,” adding, “V for victory.”
In order to pass and be devoted specifically to road maintenance and repairs, Measure V must get a supermajority of 66.7 percent.
As part of approving Measure V's placement on the ballot this fall, the council voted to call for a general municipal election in which three council seats also will be up for reelection.
That municipal election also will ask voters to decide on two other measures, X and W, Folsom said.
Measure X will ask if the city treasurer should be appointed, while Measure W will ask if the city clerk's spot should be appointed. A simple majority vote will approve both, Folsom said.
The current elected term for City Clerk Melissa Swanson ends in 2018. There is no city treasurer currently, with Folsom appointed to fill that position.
In other business, the council considered five top suggestions for a new city logo put forward by an ad hoc committee that looked at a total of 21 entries in the city's logo contest, according to Swanson.
The council agreed that they preferred the colorful and modern logo designed by Rhonda Biehl, shown below, but asked Folsom to follow up on some proposed modifications, including the addition of a boat and a letter “C” around the outside edge, a feature they liked in another logo.
The council on Thursday also presented proclamations to four students – the salutatorians and valedictorians for Lower Lake High School and Konocti Education Center – and a proclamation declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
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