LAKEPORT — Finding more funding became the theme during Tuesday night”s nearly four-hour Lakeport City Council meeting, which featured talks about water and sewer rates, potential sales tax measures and a pass-through fee to benefit public access television.
The lengthiest discussion, lasting nearly an hour and a half at Lakeport City Hall, focused on proposed increases for city utility rates.
The proposals supported unanimously by the council Tuesday would see many of the current monthly water rates nearly double by January 2016 and some sewer rates more than double by that time.
The utilities continue to face insufficient revenues to fund operations and capital improvement projects as well as inflation, limited resources and aging infrastructure, Public Works Director Mark Brannigan told the council.
“A lot of our infrastructure is from around World War II,” he said.
Council members also heard about a consultant”s recent analysis of the city”s utility rates, potential projects and possible other funding sources, including long-term, low-interest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) financing.
The proposed water rate increases would fund operations, maintenance and debt-service requirements, provide money for capital projects, and secure revenue needed to qualify for USDA funding and potential grants, according to Brannigan.
The sewer rate increases would fund operations, maintenance and debt-service requirements as well as secure the revenue necessary to qualify for the federal financing, he added.
The council voted to authorize staff to mail special notices detailing the proposed new rates and advising of a Sept. 18 public hearing on the topic. If approved at that time, the increases would be phased in over four years.
The notices will be sent to customers and property owners during the next seven to 10 days, Finance Director Dan Buffalo said. A full summary of the proposed increases could also be available online within that time.
Later, the council considered whether to support separate proposals for countywide sales tax measures going on the November ballot: one to finance road improvements and one for Clear Lake programs.
The discussion lasted more than an hour.
A 0.5-percent sales tax to fund lake-related activities would provide ongoing funding for efforts currently supported by soon-to-be-depleted one-time monies, Lake County Supervisor Anthony Farrington told the council.
“If passed, we would be able to go after weeds in a more aggressive fashion. We would be able to deal with algae … we would be able to ramp up our zebra quagga program,” Farrington said.
All council members indicated support for the lake-funding proposal but a majority disapproved of the concept for a countywide 0.5-percent sales tax measure to fund transportation.
“Contrary to some people, I don”t think it”s roads that bring tourists to Lake County. I think it”s that lake, and if we don”t take care of it, all these businesses around here are just going to dry up and go away,” Councilman Tom Engstrom said.
Initially, the council approved a motion addressing both taxes, with Councilman Roy Parmentier in dissent. The members then decided to revisit each proposal separately.
The council unanimously supported the sales tax proposal for lake-related activities. It then voted 4-1 to withdraw its support for a transportation sales tax, with Parmentier dissenting.
In other business, the council voted 3-2 in favor of an ordinance allowing a 1-percent pass-through fee for Mediacom cable television customers to support the county”s Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) station, Channel 8.
Parmentier and Councilman Bob Rumfelt dissented.
The Clearlake City Council and Lake County Board of Supervisors will reportedly consider the pass-through later this year. The fee would raise an estimated $55,000 per year countywide for the PEG channel.
Earlier, the council adopted an ordinance authorizing an amendment to its contract with the Board of Administration of the California Public Employees” Retirement System (CalPERS), changing the formula used for sworn police officers.
The change, which is the result of a tentative settlement agreement in a pending lawsuit and contract negotiations with the Lakeport Police Officers Association, increases the city”s annual contribution rate by almost 5 percent.
Council members voted unanimously to adopt a law amending sign ordinance rules and regulations for large individual retail buildings and commercial shopping centers in the city.
The council introduced an ordinance that would require the Lakeport Planning Commission to meet bimonthly instead of monthly. A public hearing is set for Sept. 4.
The members tabled a discussion of the Forbes Creek Neighborhood Improvement Study until next month because of a noticing issue.
