Pete MacRae, a Measure I/J Committee member, made the report to the Lakeport City Council during its Tuesday meeting.
Lakeport voters approved Measure I, a half-cent sales tax, in November of 2004. At the same time, voters supported the nonbinding advisory Measure J, which suggested uses for the funds – including, according to its original language, “repair and maintenance of city streets, park and community service facilities, and expand public services and programs.”
Measure I funds currently make up the bulk of the city's general fund. Since it began, the measure has brought in about $2.6 million through the end of the 2008-09 fiscal year.
How the funds are used has been an ongoing source of debate on the council, with Councilman Jim Irwin promoting the use of the funds for road work primarily. City staff has urged the use of the funds to maintain service levels during the economic crisis.
In April, MacRae, Robert Chestnut, Harold Vickers, Marc Spillman, Christi Groff, Stacey Mattina and Annette Hopkins were appointed to the committee, which Council Member Suzanne Lyons chairs.
Interim City Manager Kevin Burke guaranteed the council earlier this year that the committee's suggestions would carry serious weight in the city's budget process.
On Tuesday, MacRae summed up the committee's recommendations and spending priorities for the new fiscal year.
He said it was pretty clear to the committee that the general fund needs to use Measure I funds for general budget purposes – “which, under the measure, is legal,” he noted.
While forming its priorities list, MacRae said the committee tried to keep in mind the suggestion that a large segment of the voting population thought they were voting for public works improvements and didn't understand that, legally, the funds can be used for general purpose projects.
For this new fiscal year, the committee focused on maintenance and upkeep of existing facilities, with total expenses set at $427,618, said MacRae. In the future, the group suggests the money should be directed more at capital improvements.
Because of serious concerns about the invasive quagga mussel, MacRae said the committee suggested using some of the sales tax proceeds to hire a part-time park ranger to monitor the city's launch ramps for quagga sticker compliance during the busiest boating times.
“We fully recognize that the city of Lakeport cannot solve the quagga mussel problem on its own,” but hiring its own ranger would be a step in the right direction, and would set an example for the county and the city of Clearlake, said MacRae.
The written priorities the committee submitted suggest taking $30,000 that previously had been targeted for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements – which it was determined can be covered by the city's redevelopment agency – and using a portion of it for a part-time ranger position. The ranger program, the report suggested, should be capped at $20,000.
In the past, Measure I funds have been used for projects subject to state grants, with the idea that the grants would repay the sales tax funds, said MacRae.
That's worked so far, but given the state's budget situation, MacRae said the committee is concerned that there is a chance that, at some point, the state won't reimburse the money. So they suggested that Measure I funds only be used on projects that would have been financed by the sales tax revenue anyway.
For the purposes of clarity and transparency, the committee also proposed that the city use separate accounts for Measure I revenue and the general fund, MacRae said.
Measure I will be used to fund some city needs in this new fiscal year – such as a new fleet of Lakeport Police cars – that are a source of disagreement over whether or not they're an appropriate use.
That debate had flared up earlier in the evening before MacRae's presentation and during a budget workshop the council held with staff. Irwin had asked if more than an initial lease payment of $73,000 on the new car fleet would come from Measure I. Burke said it's all a question of revenue.
Councilman Bob Rumfelt said he felt the police cars are an appropriate Measure I expenditure. “I would absolutely disagree with you, Bob,” said Irwin, adding that police cars are a necessity, not an “extra special thing” that he believes Measure I is meant to support.
The committee isn't offering an opinion in that debate, which MacRae said they're leaving up to the council.
However, MacRae suggested that, in future years, if there is a proposed expenditure for a controversial project, the amount funded from Measure I should be limited to no more than 15 percent of the total Measure I funds available.
MacRae said public safety and tourists are of great importance to the city, and so the committee believes it's appropriate for Lakeport to develop a comprehensive bicycle lane plan.
They also suggested that the city consider bonding Measure I revenues. The committee's written report notes that, with the city's favorable credit rating, selling revenue bonds backed by Measure I revenues could bring a favorable interest rate and could be used to leverage expanded capital improvements.
MacRae thanked the committee members for their hard work. He said the information the committee had to work with was “sketchy” and kept changing at first.
“It wasn't an easy task but I'd like to think we put together a pretty good set of recommendations for you,” he said.
Lyons said she understood that the committee's recommendation was to not bond 100 percent of the Measure I funds. MacRae said the committee didn't suggest a specific amount, only urged the city to explore it.
City Attorney Steve Brookes said the city looked at bonding the proceeds in 2005-06.
Proposed Measure I expenditures
The committee's spending recommendation list for 2009-10 follows:
Aquatic weed abatement – $4,956;
Westshore Pool, operating expenses only: $30,520;
School resource officer program – $4,000;
Street sweeper payment – $50,000;
Asphalt – $50,000;
Police cars payment – $73,000;
Street materials – $19,100;
ADA improvements ($20,000 suggested for ranger program, $10,000 to remain in ADA account) – $30,000;
Public Works salaries/benefits for road maintenance and repair – $58,755;
Parks, operating expenses only – $107,287.
Total amount: $427,618.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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