LAKEPORT >> The City of Lakeport approved their 2018-2019 Fiscal Year Budget for an estimated amount of $16.5 million and a surplus of $15,000 in the General Fund. This is about $4 million more than their last year budget. Around $5 million is for personnel, $4 million for operations, $1.6 million in debt services and almost $6 million in Capital Improvement Projects. Major projects the city is looking at having in this Fiscal Year are replacing two police cars, having public safety cameras in Library Park, road striping, road and sidewalk reconstruction and others. Lakeport Finance Director Nick Walker said a full list of these projects could be found in the Annual Budget. Goals that the city is looking at completing that have carried over from previous years are the Annexations of South Main Street, 2017 Winter Storm Damage Projects, increase traffic enforcement and getting Wifi for downtown areas and Library Park. “The budget also includes historical data, the ‘17- ‘18 original budget, amended budget, ‘18- ‘19 proposed budget and then other projections,” Walker said. Key pages to note inside of the budget report, Walker said, are the City Manager Message on Page 1, the City Wide Summary on Page 16, General Fund Summary on Page 17, Measure I and Measure Z details and the Capital Improvement Program. The Fiscal Year Budget has $740,000 from Measure I Funds and $797,500 from Measure Z. Lakeport City Manager Margaret Silveira said for this coming Fiscal Year she wanted to focus on project completion, enhancing public safety, street improvements and strengthening the city’s capital. “I again want to thank the entire staff of the City of Lakeport for the hard work and endurance they’ve demonstrated over the last few years. They continue to impress me by what they’ve achieved with such limited resources,” Silveira said. With the businesses that have come into the city and the roads continually being repaired Silveira said she is excited to see the new energy come into downtown Lakeport. “My hat goes off to all the of our hardworking Lakeport entrepreneurs that are the life of our community,” Silveira said.
