CLEARLAKE — Roughly 75 people of divided opinions gathered Wednesday for a town hall meeting to inform and address peoples” questions regarding measure H, which would implement a 1-percent tax to raise funds for new roads, if passed.
City Manager Joan Phillipe and City Engineer Bob Galusha were present at the meeting at the Lake County Youth Center in Clearlake, where they answered dozens of questions from concerned citizens. Though the meeting stayed orderly throughout, many people showed their dissatisfaction with the measure or the unwillingness of people to support its implementation.
Measure H, which is set to be on the November ballot, would implement a 1-percent sales tax at the city of Clearlake, and would raise roughly $1.4 million a year, according to information presented during the meeting.
The funds would be used for road maintenance and code enforcement, according to the Road Maintenance and Code Enforcement Transactions and Use Tax Expenditure Plan (RMCETUTEP). According to the plan, 75-percent of the funds would be used for road maintenance and 25-percent of the money would be used for code enforcement.
During the meeting, many questions, especially from members of the No on Measure H campaign, were asked about the specific use of the funds gathered if the measure passes. A recurring theme in many of the questions also revolved around the idea of coming up with different ways to raise the funds.
Residents also asked questions regarding current funds and how those are being used.
Galusha said that current improvements to roads in the city are being funded by federal grants specific to those projects. He also stated repeatedly that without additional funds, the city will not likely be able to improve the roads.
There was also a great concern among residents as to what roads will be fixed and what streets will be fixed first.
Galusha said that part of the plan is to keep up roads that are in decent condition and keeping them from deteriorating. Maintaining the roads would save the city money in the long-run by keeping the city from having to do complete re-paving.
Roads that are not paved would be graded and kept leveled, but there is no plan in place for paving new roads.
Though many people disagreed on how to fund the road work, it was generally agreed that the roads need fixing.
According to the RMCETUTEP, Clearlake has about 112 miles or roadway, 63 of those miles of paved road and 49 miles unpaved.
The Pavement Management Program Final Report (PMPFR), which was presented to the City of Clearlake by Nichols Consulting Engineers in March of 2012 and serves as a base for Measure H, the city”s overall Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is at 38 out of 100, putting it in the poor rating.
Carl Webb, of the Yes on Measure H campaign, said the road conditions raise a lot of concerns in the area, even safety issues.
Many roads are so bad that it slows down emergency and police vehicles, Webb said.
“When you”re talking about seconds that can save a life, emergency services play a great part,” Webb said.
Phillipe and Galusha explained, after being questioned about funding, that the city simply does not have the funds to fix the roads.
“The money we have in tax cuts is not enough,” Galusha said. He later added, “You have to have money every year in order to fix the roads. If not, they will turn into gravel.”
According to the RMCETUTEP, Measure H could improve the PCI from 38 to about 60.
Phillipe and Galusha did not explain a back-up plan in case Measure H does not pass. After being asked about salaries, Phillipe said cancelation of wage increases, among many other factors, would be on the table to relieve the budget, but no actual plans were discussed.
Isaac Brambila is an associate editor for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636 ext. 37 or at ibrambila@record-bee.com.
