CLEARLAKE — From the time Clearlake became a city in 1980, after a narrow victory in a vote to break from the county, Clearlake has had road issues.
“For the most part, the same roads that were dirt back then are still dirt now,” City Manager Joan Phillipe said. “The city has never had sufficient money for road maintenance.”
“It”s been tough,” Public Works Director Doug Herren said. “The economy hurt us and there were layoffs. We”ve been doing the best we can with what we have. We”ve maintained everything in the past five years with federal and state grants.
“But you can”t keep relying on them — it”s dog-eat-dog, and everyone”s applying for them. And it”s still not enough to maintain what we have.”
In late spring, when the city council and staff got around to putting a new budget together, it didn”t take long for a consensus to emerge that without funds from a new tax measure, Clearlake”s road crisis will only worsen.
Last week, the council gave the go-ahead for another try at a 1-percent sales-tax initiative on the November ballot.
The city tried it last November, but Measure G, which needed a two-thirds majority of votes to win, got only 61.7 percent — and lost by 154 votes.
Like its predecessor, 75 percent of funds from the new measure would go to Clearlake”s roads. The other 25 percent would fund code enforcement — another area where Clearlake needs some help.
“I don”t think we had enough time last year to pound the streets, to talk to people and answer all their questions,” said Herren, Clearlake”s public works director since 2006. “We have more time to get the word out and explain the measure this year. It”s very important that we pass this.”
Herren knows about deteriorating street systems, and he knows that at some point, poorly maintained streets become unrepairable with “the loss of the sustainability of any pavement” — and then costs start skyrocketing, because you”re basically starting all over again.
“That”s why we have to protect what we have,” Herren said.
The city council, which has shown support for the new measure, is expected to approve it and send it on to the November ballot at its regular meeting next week.
Rich Mellott is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. He can be reached at 263-5636, ext. 14 or rmellott@record-bee.com.
