What could the disincorporation of the City of Clearlake mean to its residents? According to city officials, it could mean less money and less representation.
City officials recently addressed issues being brought forth in an effort to disincorporate the city. City Administrator Dale Neiman, along with Clearlake Chief of Police Allan McClain and Mayor Judy Thein, responded to some of the concerns that surround the petition and provided their opinions of what could possibly result if the city is disincorporated.
Mayor Thein is optimistic about the city”s future and sees a light at the end of the tunnel. “We are moving in a positive direction now because we have good leadership,” Thein said. “The administrative staff of City Hall and the police department is the best we have ever had in the history of the city. The City Council is a ?hands-on, working” City Council, which is a credit to their commitment to our community. It takes time to sort through years of past mistakes and inexperience. All of us combined are working diligently to correct the deficiencies that we have inherited.”
Neiman believes that the city has the ability to respond to and address local concerns quicker and more efficiently than county government. “Rules and regulations,” he said, “are basically tailored to our local needs ? to the residents of Clearlake ? and if you”re regulated by the county, that”s not going to be the case. Regulations are tailored to county needs.
“The best government is the one closest to the people,” said Neiman. “The city council has five representatives, so the residents clearly have influence with the council members. Assume it goes back (to county jurisdiction), we would have influence on two supervisors and no influence on the other three.”
Another important aspect to be factored in as a result of disincorporation Neiman said is the percentage of sales tax revenue that will be directed toward the Clearlake area. Currently, the city holds 22 percent of the county”s total population; Lakeport holds eight percent; and the unincorporated areas of the county host 70 percent. If the city disincorporates, the 22 percent will be added to the 70 percent for a county population of 92 percent. Sales tax revenues would then be divided among the five districts, leaving the Clearlake area with 18.4 percent of the sales tax revenue. That is a 3.6 percent loss in sales tax revenue for the residents of Clearlake, according to Neiman.
Petitioners claim that “City Pay scales are as much as 25 percent higher than Lake County employees, yet the County of Lake is responsible for five times more citizens than the City of Clearlake.” The county is responsible for 30,877 residents; the city is responsible for 14,150 ? that”s about 2.15 times more than the city.
According to Kathy Ferguson with the County of Lake, entry level for the county”s top administrator is $101,868 annually. The position tops-out at $123,828 annually excluding benefits. The City of Clearlake”s top administrator is currently contracted at $120,000 per year, plus benefits.
“To get qualified people, you have to pay,” Neiman said, adding that a high turnover rate has had an impact on filling many of the city”s top positions. “Pay scales don”t keep up with the times so you got to have incentive to fill those positions.
“Institutional knowledge is critically important,” Neiman continued. “You need qualified people who know what they”re doing to avoid litigations like that which was seen with Austin Resort, which cost the city millions.”
Petitioners claim that the “City Council refuses to have open dialogue with the citizens concerning a city-wide bond issue to build streets, storm drains and infrastructure.” In the year 2006, a sales tax ballot measure was brought to the people on two occasions; first as a special tax and then again as a general tax. Both initiatives failed.
Neiman explained that a sales tax would have less of an impact on the residents of Clearlake than a bond would. A bond would require two-thirds approval by the voters and would be secured through property tax. A sales tax, however, would capture revenue from every person — resident or visitor ? who spends money in the city. “You”re much better off doing a sales tax measure. If you do a bond issue, the people of the city pay full cost. If you do a sales tax, however, people from outside and inside the city will pay for it,” Neiman explained. “With anticipated growth, this would be beneficial to the city in a sense that the people of Clearlake itself will be paying less.”
Neiman added that disincorporation of the city would not necessarily mean that the county would take care of the city”s unpaved roads. “When Clearlake was part of the county, the county only maintained the paved roads and not the dirt roads. The city started maintaining the dirt roads over time,” he said continuing with an example of what could happen. “There would be no political implications for three of the supervisors. The county could decide not to maintain those roads and give them back to the residents.”
The City Council had an informational item on its Aug. 23 agenda on how to create funds for road improvements. Neiman”s report included information regarding assessment districts and revolving loan funds that could ideally be established for the long term and would eventually become self-funding.
Petitioners claim that “The police department”s budget takes 65 percent of the money, but you never see a patrol car in over half of Clearlake.” City finance director Michael Vivrette reported that 65 percent of all personnel costs are in the police department and that Measure P picks up 26 percent of those costs.
According to statistics provided by Chief of Police Allan McClain, Clearlake police officers average 61.7 calls for service per day with an average of 5.7 arrests per day. Traffic enforcement action averages 12.2 per day.
“If (the residents) are not seeing a patrol car in their neighborhood that probably means they aren”t having a problem in their area ? and that”s a good thing,” McClain said. “And they should probably be thankful.”
City officials identified possible solutions to other concerns listed by petitioners, such as weed abatement and animal control. Neiman said he is looking into the possibility of using inmate workers to reestablish the city”s weed abatement program. Animal control, Neiman reported, is asking up to $207,000 to $284,000 for services for the next fiscal year. The city is currently looking into the option of bringing the services in-house.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com.
Don”t forget to write!
The Clear Lake Observer*American welcomes letters responding to articles and opinions that have appeared in this newspaper, as well as on topics of general interest. Letters can be sent to letters@clearlakeobserver.com or mailed to PO Box 6200, Clearlake, CA 95422. Pleases include complete name, address and telephone number.
