Frank Brumfield, a former City Council member from the 1980s who also previously served as the city's public works superintendent, and Bill Shields have spearheaded the effort during the past few months.
Brumfield and Shields said they’ve collected 1,027 signatures of registered voters who live in the city – which has a total estimated population of 15,000 – who are interested in seeing the city disincorporated.
On the basis of that, Brumfield and Shields asked for time on the council agenda to discuss the merits of disincorporation after 27 years, a discussion that filled the council’s chambers.
Brumfield had asked the council to respond to certain points of concern, which were first addressed by City Administrator Dale Neiman and then commented upon by the council.
Neiman said he looked back at the original Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) application for incorporation, and noted that the city was never intended to be “full service,” which would have meant also controlling fire, sewer and water services.
Brumfield asked the city to consider thorough study of a citywide improvement bond to address the city’s crumbling streets, and build storm drains and street lighting.
Neiman said the city has undertaken 10 assessment district projects before, meant to improve streets, and spent considerable money to design three of them, only to have the city's property owners vote them down. He said, however, that the city plans to form a revolving loan fund to assist in improving streets, and has the funding for three demonstration projects.
In his questions to the council, Brumfield asked the council to request the Department of Justice investigate the Clearlake Police Department’s possible involvement in illegal drug trafficking.
“It’s really not possible to respond to allegations without facts,” said Neiman.
He said private citizens themselves can file such complaints with state and federal officials.
Neiman said he reviewed claims against the city’s police department going back to the 1990s, and found that only three of 42 were considered valid.
City Attorney Thomas Gibson said if the city believed it had such a problem it would deal with it.
Councilman Chuck Leonard suggested that whoever had evidence about such activities should immediately bring it to the council so they could take care of it.
Brumfield asked the council about reorganizing the Code Enforcement Department and hire a professional director, citing citizens’ complaints about harassment from Code Enforcement officers.
Neiman said they have complaints that Code Enforcement isn’t aggressive enough, as well as complaints about them being too aggressive. “It’s damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”
During the last decade the city has undergone a great deal of clean up, said Neiman, who said he visited Clearlake in 1996 and, when he came back in 2005 for a visit, he saw a big difference.
Earlier this year Neiman and interim Police Chief Larry Todd reorganized Code Enforcement and put it under the police department in order to better manage it.
Neiman said he believes that the three things the city’s residents want are better police protection, streets and a better community.
Councilman Roy Simons said he felt Code Enforcement didn’t always react quickly enough, pointing to one example in his own neighborhood that has continued for six years.
Addressing Brumfield’s request that the city consider reestablishing its own animal control services, Neiman said the city contracts with the county for such services. From 2005 to 2006, costs for services have grown by 110 percent, and he said another increase, this time as high as 270 percent, could be coming.
During this year’s budget process, Neiman said he suggested the city do just what Brumfield suggested – take over providing their own services. “We should be saving money wherever we can, and be providing better services.”
On Brumfield’s request that the city reestablish its own weed abatement program, Neiman again agreed the idea was a good one. “We hope to do it. I think it’s an important thing to do.”
Brumfield also asked the city to discuss its fiscal responsibility to constituents and “the possibility of the necessity” in returning the city back to county governance.
There was a previous proposal to disincorporate the city in 1990, said Neiman. LAFCO turned it down because the applicants failed to show the county could provide better services.
“If the city disincorporated I think there would be less money and less services in the future,” said Neiman.
He suggested taking suggestions from the city’s recent Vision Task Force report and use those as a basis to move forward and improve the city.
Gibson said he works for many LAFCOs throughout the state and sees many cities forming because they want more local control, and want more representation than just one supervisor on a county board.
Brumfield states his case
Brumfield was allowed to make a presentation to the council, which lasted 40 minutes and recounted many of the city’s failings over the last 27 years.
He emphasized that the council should take seriously the petition effort, which he said was based on problems citizens had brought to him.
As he collected signatures, Brumfield said he was shocked at some of the things he heard, especially relating to police harassment. “I thought I knew everything in this town. I know nothing.”
Because of fears over police retaliation, Brumfield said many people would not sign the petition.
Brumfield said of the city, “It’s getting worse and worse and worse every year.”
The city’s roads, said Brumfield, are the most important issue.
Another concern for Brumfield is what he said is a lack of response by Code Enforcement. Cleanup of a property in his neighborhood with 15 cars parked on it has been dragging on for years, he said.
If the goal, as Neiman said, was to offer better services, Brumfield suggested, “Let’s get on with it.”
Brumfield said the city should sell bonds to improve the roads. Neiman asked what would secure the bonds; Brumfield said he didn’t know. In order to have the security to sell the bonds, Neiman responded that they needed an assessment district.
First, however, Neiman said the city would need to complete an engineer’s report to do cost estimates. If the city were to try to pave all of its roads, at $1 million per mile, it could cost as much as $150 million, said Neiman. That would require a $6 million engineer’s report, a number based on a set percentage.
“Based on past history, I don’t think they’re going to pass,” Neiman said, pointing to the nine out of 10 road improvement districts that were voted down in the past.
Brumfield asked if state and federal funds were available; Neiman responded that they weren’t.
Tomorrow, what community members had to say about the matter of disincorporation.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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