How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Lakeport Police logs: Saturday, Jan. 10
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
00:00 EXTRA PATROL 2601100001
Occurred at Lake County Law Library on 3D....
Clearlake City Council adopts 2016-17 budget, votes to put sales tax measure on ballot
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council took care of a lengthy list of agenda items during its three-hour meeting Thursday night – from the annual budget, to a new sales tax measure for roads and a new city logo.
One of the main items on the council's to-do list was adoption of the new fiscal year budget.
The document includes $8.6 million in non-fiduciary revenues, plus $1.2 million in fiduciary funds from the city's redevelopment successor agency. Total operating expenses for the city is just over $10 million, with another $1.2 million from the successor agency.
The council held a previous budget workshop on May 26, with Finance Director Chris Becnel referring to some of that previous work in his overview of the “fairly long process” to create the 130-page budget document, posted below.
Becnel said the budget is balanced with a contribution to city reserves. It also includes what he called a “modest” 2-percent raise for employees.
“Most of the employees in the city have not had a wage increase in 10 years,” he said.
He called the budget “transitional,” reflecting the city's work to overcome its inertia and gain momentum. It specifically and strategically spends money to move the city forward.
On the operational side, Becnel said the budget has $6.43 million, of which $5.3 million is personnel with the rest going to materials and supplies, capital outlay and debt service.
Aside from the city's bond payment, Becnel said the city has virtually no debt at this time.
The budget has approximately 58.86 employees, counting the five council members. The largest department is the Clearlake Police Department, with 30.5 positions, including 23.5 sworn officers, Becnel said.
As part of the budget, the council also considered the city's 2016-17 fee schedule, which Becnel said involved a comprehensive review of the city's fees in order to calculate the city's time, materials and overhead.
“It was a fairly involved process,” he said, explaining the staff time and effort that went into reviewing the city's fees, which included everything from building permits to the costs to adopt a dog from the city's animal shelter.
The council made only minor changes to the budget, and in doing so respected Becnel's request to redistribute funds from another source if they wanted to raise an allocation.
Councilman Bruno Sabatier wanted some minor fund redistributions, including $5,000 that he proposed be taken from an equipment fund for city hall and used instead to cover park maintenance. He also wanted to add a full-time Public Works maintenance worker, but Public Works Director Doug Herren said it wasn't a good time to add that full-time staffer.
The council agreed to moving the $5,000 to maintaining park amenities such as the tennis and basketball courts, and the skate park, and put aside $25,000 for two part-time park workers.
The council approved the budget 5-0, and followed up by also unanimously approving the appropriations – or Gann – limit for the new fiscal year. That limit – just over $8 million – is based on the increase in population and personal income, Becnel said.
Based on California Department of Finance numbers, the city's population is now back over 15,000 after having fallen below that number previously, Becnel said.
Sales tax measure approved for fall ballot
In another key item on the Thursday agenda, the council held the second reading of an ordinance to place a one-cent sales tax measure for road improvements and maintenance on the November ballot, approving it unanimously.
The tax – which would sunset after 20 years – is estimated to raise $1.6 million annually to help address the condition of the city's 112 miles of roads, of which 63 miles are paved, according to City Manager Greg Folsom.
Folsom noted that, just on the paved roads, the city has $15.2 million in deferred maintenance costs.
The measure calls for establishing an oversight committee to annually review expenditures and make recommendations to the council. It also limits expenditures to costs directly related to road maintenance and expenditures, and will be administered and collected by the State Board of Equalization.
Folsom said the sales tax measure will go on the Nov. 8 ballot as “Measure V,” adding, “V for victory.”
In order to pass and be devoted specifically to road maintenance and repairs, Measure V must get a supermajority of 66.7 percent.
As part of approving Measure V's placement on the ballot this fall, the council voted to call for a general municipal election in which three council seats also will be up for reelection.
That municipal election also will ask voters to decide on two other measures, X and W, Folsom said.
Measure X will ask if the city treasurer should be appointed, while Measure W will ask if the city clerk's spot should be appointed. A simple majority vote will approve both, Folsom said.
The current elected term for City Clerk Melissa Swanson ends in 2018. There is no city treasurer currently, with Folsom appointed to fill that position.
In other business, the council considered five top suggestions for a new city logo put forward by an ad hoc committee that looked at a total of 21 entries in the city's logo contest, according to Swanson.
The council agreed that they preferred the colorful and modern logo designed by Rhonda Biehl, shown below, but asked Folsom to follow up on some proposed modifications, including the addition of a boat and a letter “C” around the outside edge, a feature they liked in another logo.
The council on Thursday also presented proclamations to four students – the salutatorians and valedictorians for Lower Lake High School and Konocti Education Center – and a proclamation declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Supervisors approve deferred repayment plan with Hoberg's Resort for fire cleanup dump fees
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday to approve a request from Hoberg's Resort for a deferred payment plan for dump fees as a result of the plans to clean up the property, which burned in last year's Valley fire.
However, board members also indicated they wanted the agreement to include at least a low rate of interest, and not be interest-free as the resort management had requested.
The cleanup of the resort has been an issue of increasing concern for neighbors and Cobb residents in general.
In the months after the fire, which destroyed the historic main lodge at Hoberg's and numerous other buildings, resort management had intended to set up a saw mill operation, which the county later shut down after too many logs were stored at the site.
In addition, in March the county served the resort with a 48-hour cleanup notice after runoff from its damaged wastewater system was found running into nearby waterways, as Lake County News has reported.
County officials also had believed the state's cleanup efforts in the fire area would extend to Hoberg's, but state officials ultimately said at around the start of the year that they wouldn't provide that service.
Board of Supervisors Chair Rob Brown told Lake County News that much of the recent delay on the cleanup had to do with waiting for testing of the materials at the resort that need to be abated.
He said altogether 67 different buildings and sites on the 55-acre resort grounds had to be tested in order to know if they could safely be disposed of at the Eastlake Landfill or needed to be taken to a special out-of-county facility for hazardous materials.
“It's a big job,” said Brown.
While those test results were pending, Brown said the resort management couldn't move forward with cleanup. Also, they needed to know if they could secure the repayment deferral from the county.
Public Services Director Lars Ewing went to the supervisors on Tuesday morning with the Hoberg's request for deferred fees at the Eastlake Landfill.
He said it's normal for the landfill to set up charge accounts with customers. However, those accounts usually are due within 30 days and include a 1.5-percent interest charge.
What is different about the Hoberg's request, Ewing explained, is that it is for a deferred payment plan on an estimated $250,000 in disposal fees.
The resort management is asking for a six-month grace period before repayment would start, and four years to pay off the account balance, Ewing said.
Such a request exceeded Ewing's ability to approve it, he said, thus his appearance before the board.
At 5:30 a.m. Tuesday Public Services received the Hoberg's application for the credit account from Lake County Partners, which owns the resort, Ewing said. By the time of the meeting, county officials hadn't been able to run the usual credit checks.
Brown wanted to know if the county can lien the property if necessary to get the bill paid. He said he supported the deferral. “The main thing is to get that property cleaned up.”
He was concerned that if the county has to intervene and take over the cleanup, it could be a far more expensive process, as it would require prevailing wage.
Brown said Pacific States Environmental Contractors, the firm working with CalRecycle on the fire cleanup, has an account and is making payments, although it is paying interest.
Brown wanted to charge interest and also have the opportunity to lien the property.
Supervisor Jim Comstock said it would be vital to collateralize the property, and wanted to know what position the county would be in if it had to lien the land.
County Counsel Anita Grant said the agreement would be secured by a promissory note, and that normally government would have a priority place, but probably not in this case.
“Whatever position we're going to be in, we need to do it anyway, no matter what,” said Supervisor Jeff Smith.
Grant said it would be a good idea for the board to have some mechanism for security, as Lake County Partners is a limited liability corporation. “There's very little protection for your board.”
Ewing said the resort's owners hinted that the costs ultimately would be passed on to subsequent property owners, leading him to believe the property may be sold. “Those are the issues we'll need to work out.”
He also pointed out that the requested six-month grace period – with no payments made for six months after the last dump load is delivered – is unique.
Brown said he was OK with that request, but he and Comstock both suggested that repayment should start 30 days after the final load arrives at the dump, with Comstock adding that it could be six months from the time the cleanup starts. The board agreed.
Supervisor Jim Steele asked about how much interest would be earned on the dump fees. Ewing said it would be a small amount, between $3,700 and $4,000, which wasn't a compound interest calculation.
Smith said if they added interest it shouldn't be at the 1.5 percent per month rate, as that would total 18 percent a year. “That's a chunk of change.”
Brown noted that, no matter what people thought about the resort now, it was a victim of the fire, too. “Our job here is to be corrective, not punitive,” he said, explaining that the resort wasn't able to take advantage of the state cleanup as others – including businesses – were able to do.
Grant said the board can go forward with a standard agreement and later find a public purpose for forgiving parts of the agreement.
The board ultimately voted 4-0 – with Supervisor Anthony Farrington absent for the discussion – to approve the agreement with the addition of interest.
The supervisors directed Ewing to check with Auditor-Controller Cathy Saderlund on an acceptable interest amount compared to what interest the county already is getting on its reserve accounts.
With the board's decision made, “Now we're off and running and they should be performing some cleanup this next week or so,” Brown told Lake County News in a followup interview.
Also aiding the effort, Brown said, is that the resort is getting some assistance with cleanup costs through a special program with the state.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
Lakeport City Council approves new fiscal year budget
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport City Council held a budget hearing and approved the final budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year at its Tuesday evening meeting.
The city will go into the new fiscal year with a budget that includes $13.89 million in revenue and $20.85 million in expenditures.
The document places strong focus on public safety, human capital, completing projects and keeping costs under control, with increased emphasis on economic development, according to city Finance Director Dan Buffalo.
In creating the budget document, Buffalo said city staff asked the council earlier this year to score priorities for the city.
The council's top three areas, Buffalo reported, were a focus on personnel, with recruitment and retention strategies; exploring new revenue sources; and completion of the lakefront strategic plan.
Other top goals included a sidewalk policy; new funding for new, specific purposes such as community policing and a school resource officer; improvements to the city Web site; solar installations; and the Giselman Street water main project, Buffalo said.
Buffalo said the $20.85 million in expenditures breaks down as follows: personnel, $5.03 million; operations (materials, supplies, professional services, etc.), $3.43 million); debt service, $6.42 million; and capital improvement projects, $5.69 million.
On the personnel side, Buffalo said key changes in the coming fiscal year include the addition of a full-time administrative services specialist, the city engineer and Public Works director positions being combined, and police staffing at 12 officers plus a new school resource officer position. One maintenance worker position won't be funded.
Buffalo said there is an estimated budget surplus of $388,000 from fiscal year 2015-16 based on savings from unfilled positions, operations and capital projects.
In the new fiscal year, about $243,000 of those reserves will be used for planning and legal fees for the South Main Street annexation, a hotel feasibility study, lakefront planning marketing, a city mural, roof and ceiling repairs at the Carnegie Library, employee training, labor group signing bonuses, legal fees for the marijuana ordinance and related work, and the funding for a 12th police officer for one year, based on Buffalo's report.
Looking ahead, Buffalo said regular revenues are forecast to be relatively flat, while the city is facing increasing costs for personnel, pensions and health benefits.
Measure I, the city's half-cent sales tax, is anticipated to generate approximately $735,674 in the new fiscal year, Buffalo said.
Those funds are recommended to be spent on the following, according to Buffalo's report: Main Street revitalization, $29,330; Carnegie Library, $6,617; patch truck lease, $2,011; general road maintenance and rebuild, $60,863; parks, buildings and grounds, $85,690; Westshore Pool, $20,090; public safety – police, $531,073.
Expenditures by use in the 2016-17 general fund include 65 percent for salaries and benefits, 32 percent for operations and 3 percent for capital projects, based on the report. Citywide, expenditures in the new fiscal year include 30.8 percent to debt service; 27.3 percent for capital projects; 24.1 percent for salaries and benefits; 16.5 percent for operations; and 1.3 percent for loans/grants.
Citywide, revenues primarily come from charges for services, 35 percent, and taxes, 26.57 percent, along with 19.92 percent from federal funding, 7.08 percent from state funding, 5.36 percent from “other,” and many other much smaller sources such as licenses, permits, franchise fees, other agencies, use of money and property, and fines, forfeitures and penalties.
No community members gave input on the budget, which was accepted by a unanimous council vote.
The 2016-17 fiscal year budget is the last that Buffalo will prepare for the city of Lakeport. He has accepted a job with the city of Ukiah, where he will soon start work.
In other business, the council adopted ordinances regarding delinquent water and sewer charges; adopted a resolution to delay by a year the last increase in monthly sewer bills; approved a new classification for a Public Works director/city engineer with a salary range Exempt 5 earning $7,542 to $9,167 per month; received the new annual report; and received and filed the 2016 Illegal Fireworks Police Operation Plan.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
062116 Lakeport City Council budget workshop presentation by LakeCoNews
Clearlake City Council to consider accepting new budget, select winner of logo contest
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council this week is planning to hold its annual budget hearing in order to have the new budget in place by the start of the fiscal year, and also will consider numerous entries in the city logo contest.
The council will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 23, for a closed session to discuss labor and property negotiations, two potential cases of litigation and a performance evaluation of City Manager Greg Folsom before the public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.
On Thursday the council will hold a public hearing to consider the adoption of the fiscal year 2016-17 budget and fee schedule.
In addition, the council will discuss adoption the new fiscal year's appropriations limit and the formula that will be used to calculate it.
Also on Tuesday, the council will consider adopting a resolution calling for the general municipal election in November and hold the second hearing of an ordinance to place a transactions and use tax on the November ballot.
Council members also will consider 21 creative entries in the city's new logo contest, and decide whether to select a winner.
In other business, the council will present certificates of recognition to salutatorians and valedictorians for Lower Lake High School and Konocti Education Center and the recipient of the Spring 2016 Yuba Medal and the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College; and present a proclamation declaring June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
On the meeting's consent agenda – items considered noncontroversial and usually accepted as a slate on one vote – are warrant registers; minutes of the June 9 council meeting; minutes of the May 11 Lake County Vector Control District Board meeting; consideration of changes to the city engineer job description; and consideration of adopting a resolution appropriating funds from the Series A Bonds issued by the former redevelopment agency for various city improvement projects.
Email Elizabeth Larson at