LAKEPORT >> The Lakeport City Council plans to discuss the proposed budget for the upcoming 2016-2017 fiscal year at its regular meeting on Tuesday.
According to city manager Margaret Silveira, the $4.27 million budget’s main focus is to complete work on previously approved projects and focus on other “areas of critical need,” like recruiting/retaining staff, improving civic participation and finding revenues public safety and road projects.
“In 2016-2017, project completion will continue to be a focus, but strong emphasis will be place on our people, recruiting and retaining the best our community can afford,” she said. “In terms of total compensation, Lakeport has fallen behind its closest neighbors — including the County of Lake — and lost its [competitive] edge in recruitment and retention.”
In an effort to turn that around and relieve the “heavy load” on the Lakeport Police Department, the city will appropriate funds for a 12th police officer and another school resource officer. Yet, the funding for the former will come from the city’s one-time budget surplus, meaning that other monies will have to be identified for the position in later years.
It also plans to hire two city staff positions — a planning/building technician and an administrative specialist — but they will have to wait until January 2017.
As for the people outside of city hall, Silveira said the city will try to increase the number of neighborhoods that participate in Neighborhood Watch.
“This is one of the primary areas where residents can help their neighborhoods be safe,” she added. “No matter how many police officers any city employs the best defense for crime in a neighborhood is neighbors watching out for each other.”
These first two goals are relatively simple, however, the latter goal won’t come so easy.
Due to a state funding shortfall, general fund services for roads and infrastructure are projected to be 43 percent less than the 2015-2016 fiscal year, limiting service to emergency repair, including utilities in public rights-of way.
This forces the city to look into alternative revenue sources to fix the city’s deplorable roads. One such method is to increase sales taxes, which the city is considering to put on the November ballot.
“Regular, ongoing revenues are simply not keeping pace with current costs and prohibit the general fund from maintaining both heightened public safety and general public works expenditures beyond the 2016-2017 year.”
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at Lakeport City Hall.
