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
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