This is the first of a two-part series on the city of Lakeport's Measures I and J.

LAKEPORT – How the city spends sales tax revenues – whether for road improvements or for other city projects – is increasingly becoming a focus of concern for the the city of Lakeport's leadership. {sidebar id=128}

Measure I is a half-cent sales tax – raising Lakeport's sales tax rate to 7.75 percent – that is meant to raise money for city projects.

The funds go directly into the city's general fund. Once in the general fund, the money can be used how the city's leaders see fit.

The current City Council appears to have ideological divisions on how the money should be spent, whether it should go specifically toward roads or other purposes.

In recent months, the city's financial situation has led to repeated discussions about how to cut costs and raise revenue, and Measure I often arises as a steady source of funding that can be used for a variety of purposes. In fact, it currently makes up most of the city's general fund.

Interim City Manager Kevin Burke told the council at a special meeting Tuesday night that the funds already are being used for general funding purposes in what is shaping up to be a challenging budget year.

A brief history of sales tax measures

Before voters approved Measure I and J in November of 2004, three sales tax measures targeting roads – two in Lakeport and one in the county – failed, according to city and county records.

First came Measure R in 1995.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said Measure R was a 1-percent sales for the city of Lakeport.

City Attorney Steve Brookes said Measure R was a targeted tax that was aimed at road repairs only. As such, it needed to receive a two-thirds majority vote, or 66 percent approval.

When voters went to the polls on Sept. 19, 1995, Measure R failed to get the needed votes, with 574 yes votes and 488 no votes, said Brookes.

The city's second attempt at a targeted sales tax measure was Measure S in 1998.

City Clerk Janel Chapman provided Lake County News with the original arguments offered to voters for Measure S, which was a three-quarter-percent sales tax that was to be used specifically for repair, construction, or reconstruction of streets and roads.

Measure S, which would have lasted for 10 years, also would have increased the city's spending limits to allow it to spend the collected sales tax revenues for the intended road repairs, Chapman said.

Because it was a targeted tax, Measure S needed a two-thirds majority vote, which it failed to get, said Chapman.

Then in November 2003, Measure C went on the ballot. Unlike Measures R and S, Measure C was aimed at the entire county, according to election records. It would have instituted a half-percent sales tax for county road repairs.

Measure C also was a targeted tax that required a super majority of 66 percent. Voting records show the measure received just over 50 percent of the vote, with 4,858 voters casting a yes vote, and 4,809 county residents voting no.

It would be the following year that Measures I and J were successful, after the city decided not to pursue a targeted tax but instead asked voters to approve a general tax. Brookes said that change required the measure to only pass with a 50-percent-plus-one margin.

Councilman Bob Rumfelt is the only remaining council member from the time when Measure I and J were passed on Nov. 2, 2004.

Rumfelt said a consultant hired by the city to look at the issue told them that a general tax measure required the simple majority vote.

However, the accompanying Measure J contained nonbinding advisory language suggesting the priority projects for which the money should be used.

Voters passed Measure I with a 59.6 percent yes vote, according to election records. At the same time, Measure J received the approval of and 81.6 percent of voters. The measures have no sunset.

City leaders had urged passage of the measures, saying that the half-cent sales tax would raise roughly half a million dollars annually.

Those estimates appear to be slightly under the actual gross revenues. Mayor Ron Bertsch reported that the sales tax measure currently brings in about $750,000 a year.

He said Measure I has brought in approximately $1,961,216.98 since 2005, of which $1,025,300.82 has been spent on roads and $249,827.37 was spent on the Westshore Pool renovation.

According to a city breakdown, for the 2004-05 fiscal 2005, Measure I brought in $73,204. The following year, for 2005-06, city records show $531,089.94. Moving forward, gross revenues were $614,174.97 for 2006-07 and $742,748.07 for 2007-08. Anticipated revenue for 2008-09 is $675,000.

The debate over the uses of Measure I

Measure I and the uses for the revenue it generates have become a subject of disagreement in the city's leadership as the city as struggled with balancing its budget.

However, because of the city's budget shortfall, Measure I funds are being looked at as a way of bringing the budget into line, at least in the short term.

City Councilman Jim Irwin has been consistently vocal about his opposition to using the money for anything but road projects.

The city of Lakeport began the fiscal year with a $400,000 gap between revenue and spending. A line of credit was proposed last summer as the manner of covering that shortfall, but city officials have stated that the line of credit was never set up. To do so now would require a vote of the council, and Irwin guaranteed he wouldn't vote for it.

City Finance Director Janet Tavernier explained to the Lakeport City Council at its Feb. 17 meeting that the line of credit would require action by the council.

Even if the council did approve the line of credit – that's if the city could even get credit given the tight credit market – Irwin said the end result would be Measure I money paying off the debt.

The council directed staff at a special meeting on Tuesday not to use the line of credit. Burke said senior city management staff agreed that using the line of credit wasn't the best way of addressing the shortfall.

Irwin told Lake County News in a recent interview that his point of view is that voters wanted the money to be spent specifically on roads, although he added, “In all fairness, the Westshore Pool was a Measure I project.”

And he said he can handle a part of the Measure I funds being spent on pool maintenance – he said he's not willing to shut down the pool – but he doesn't want to see the pool become a priority for the funds, because he believes roads and infrastructure come first.

Irwin said he's concerned that Measure I is increasingly being used to cover the day-to-day expenses of the Westshore Pool and the Department of Public Works.

For Irwin, there's a very real concern that Measure I funds could be “hijacked” and used for other purposes for which the funds weren't originally intended.

If that doesn't seem like a probability, Irwin points to the controversy over the city of Santa Rosa's Measure O, also a sales tax measure that was passed in 2004, the same year as Measures I and J. Measure O supports the city's police department.

Earlier this month, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat published several stories about the Measure O controversy, which has arisen over a $23 million budget deficit for the city of Santa Rosa. One of the proposals for addressing that deficit is the diversion of Measure O funds to filling the budget gap.

Irwin said he feels at odds with other council members about how the money should be spent. He said he wants to see the council at least agree on the city's “big picture” financial issues.
 
For Irwin, there isn't any particular project for which he wants to see Measure I funds used. However, he said it's a priority for him that Main Street, Lakeport Boulevard and 11th Street – main city arteries which also are commerce and tourism centers – are maintained because those areas are what many visitors see.

He added that the sidewalks along Main Street should be completed to make the city more walkable.

“I'd love to see sidewalks connecting all along Main Street the whole way,” he said.

At a Jan. 20 budget workshop, Irwin stated that the city already had taken from Measure I for this current budget year, and he didn't intend for it to be allowed to balance the budget for the fiscal year 2009-10.

During that same workshop, Burke, in responding to Irwin's concerns, said, "Measure I is what's been keeping this city afloat."

Burke stated his concern that the debate over Measure I and its uses ultimately was going to come down to roads on one hand and employees, police officers and equipment on the other.

He suggested that Measure I isn't such a sacred cow that it shouldn't contribute to paying the city's overall expenses, in an amount determined by the council.

Irwin reiterated his opposition to using Measure I funds to balance the budget at the Tuesday special council meeting, which was convened specifically to look at balancing the budget.

Council member Suzanne Lyons told Lake County News that she has questions about Measure I and how much of the proceeds actually are being used for roads.

"I think there is a problem with it residing in the general fund," she added.

Rumfelt, who championed the Westshore Pool renovation, said he feels the money is being used correctly, as it was originally intended to be spent.

“I guess that's where I differ from the other council members, that they seem to think it's for roads only,” he said.

In 2004, the council had said the money would be used for deferred maintenance projects, and they've held true to that, said Rumfelt.

“Those are the kind of things it was initially designed to be used for, but who would have known that the economy was going to do what it did,” he said.

The council hasn't used the money to cover salaries, although they could, since the money can legitimately be used for any general fund use, salaries included, he said.

“We still don't intend to use it that way,” Rumfelt said, explaining that salaries and regular increases could quickly eat up Measure I funds.

Other possible uses could be for police cars, said Rumfelt.

The money is not supposed to be used for sewer or water projects, which are covered by enterprise funds, said Rumfelt.

Considering the current economic climate, Rumfelt said he can't see any reasonable person in the city objecting to using Measure I funds to keep the city solvent.

Tomorrow: Exploring the legal limits for how the money can be spent, the council plans a Measure J committee and a full rundown of Measure I revenue and expenditures since 2004.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKE COUNTY – As it moves toward completing the purchase of property on Mt. Konocti, the county is planning a series of community meetings to create a master plan for the mountain. {sidebar id=127}

County Public Services Director Kim Clymire and volunteers on the Mt. Konocti project will host the meetings, which will lead to the creation of policies, procedures and resource/fire management plans.

The Fowler family, which has owned property on the mountaintop for several decades, offered the county first chance at purchasing two large parcels totaling approximately 1,689 acres in late 2007, as Lake County News has reported.

Since then, the county has purchased from the Fowlers the smaller, 176-acre property on Buckingham Peak for $1.2 million. Clymire said that land includes the site of communications towers. Lake County Community Radio/KFPZ has broadcast equipment there, as do cell phone companies, such as Edge Wireless.

The county is generating about $80,000 a year off the site, and is finalizing a new$28,000 a year contract with T-Mobile, Clymire added.

“Those funds will be used to go back into the mountain for maintenance and capital improvements,” said Clymire.

That leaves the remaining 1,513 acres, which the county is purchasing for $2.6 million, he said.

The county is working to open escrow in about three months, said Clymire, with the goal to close escrow 60 days afterward, which puts the purchase completion in the fall.

The original sale offer required the county close the purchases by the end of December 2009.

The land is meant to be conserved, Clymire said.

He explained that the Fowlers placed restrictions on the property in the sale, including stipulations against motorized vehicles – except by special authorized use of the county – and the requirement that it be day-use only unless special arrangements are made.

There are plans to allow special events on the property, said Clymire, along with making arrangements for occasional vehicle transport to make the property accessible to a wide variety of people.

“We want people who can't hike three miles to the top to be able to enjoy it,” he said.

The property will be open to the public for hiking and horseback riding on a multi-use trail. Mountain biking also is being considered, but may need a separate trail, Clymire said.

Before the land purchase is final and the property is open to the public, Clymire said the county wants to get the rules for the property's use set.

While the master plan will be dictated by the conservation requirements, the public also will be able to have a say in how it wants the mountain used, he said.

The initial meetings will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, and Wednesday, March 25, in the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes Ave., Lakeport.

“We want to makes sure we get plenty of public input and this is a totally transparent process,” Clymire said.

He's also looking at scheduling other meetings around the county to bring in more input from all of the communities around the lake.

A Web site set up and dedicated to the mountain's purchase, www.preservekonocti.org, reports that of the total $3.8 million needed to purchase both parcels, $1,238,686 has been raised.

But Clymire said the land already is fully funded thanks to a serendipitous financial windfall.

About a month after the county decided it planned to buy the land, they received a $3.5 million check for a geothermal lease, he said.

Clymire credited the Board of Supervisors with deciding to take the money and set it aside for the property purchase on the mountain.

The county is still raising money, though, partly through the Web site and also through an outreach effort that Clymire is leading with local groups.

He said he's talked to many people about the land and has heard from only one or two naysayers who are against buying the property.

The additional money raised will go entirely to additional property purchases on the mountain, said Clymire. Some of the property that's been named previously as a possible addition to the county's Mt. Konocti portfolio includes privately owned lands that would connect the county property to Clear Lake State Park.

All money raised, he added, goes for land acquisition, not administrative costs or other overhead.

He's also applying for federal grants through the offices of Congressman Mike Thompson, and US Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. “I think this it the fourth time we've submitted for the full amount of the balance,” he said, explaining that the grant applications keep changing.

The 1,513-acre parcel includes a walnut orchard that many people recognize as the “horse” shape on the side of the mountain – although Clymire thinks it looks like a whale – plus a small vineyard that produces some very good wine.

Clymire said the county is leasing the vineyard back to Mike Fowler who will continue operating it and paying the county 8 percent of the vineyard's revenue.

The Bureau of Land Management owns a significant portion of the mountain, said Clymire, including the area where the “K” for Kelseyville is located.

The mountain is the focus of numerous legends about hidden caves and passages. He said the History Channel television show “Digging for the Truth” has expressed interest in exploring the mountain, as has National Geographic.

Clymire called the property purchase, “the most exciting thing that's happened in Lake County for a long time.”

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKE COUNTY – A countywide effort to plan for community growth is getting off the ground, with a series of workshops planned to introduce the concept to county residents. {sidebar id=126}

The Lake County/City Area Planning Council, the regional transportation planning agency, is hosting the first round of five workshops in March as part of Lake County 2030, a regional blueprint planning program, according to Terri Persons, associate planner with the Lake County/City Area Planning Council.

The workshops will take place March 4, 5, 7, 11 and 14 (for full details see sidebar, “Blueprint planning program workshops set for March”).

Persons presented information on the plan to the Lakeport City Council last week, to the supervisors on Tuesday and will go to the Clearlake City Council on Thursday evening.

She explained that the goal for the Lake County 2030 is to create a comprehensive regional growth strategy for Lake County.

The plan, which Persons said would need the approval of the county and cities, will guide local government planning and policies over the next 20 years, particularly for land use and transportation.

The work is supported through a grant from Caltrans, Persons said. The planning effort just received its third and final phase of grant funding.

According to Lisa Davey-Bates, executive director of the area planning council, “A long-range vision such as Lake County 2030 is critical, mainly because transportation, jobs, housing and open space must be planned together.”

A key aspect of the plan is to facilitate regional collaboration and encourage local agencies to work together, said Persons.

Persons said Lake County's population is projected to grow by 56 percent by 2030.

That will require planning to increase local communities' economic vitality, balance jobs and housing, and provide for services, roads, sewer, water and infrastructure while protecting cultural, historical, agricultural and recreational resources, she said.

The area planning council hopes to get to a shared vision through community input, which Persons said is the purpose of the workshops.

She told the Lakeport City Council that the time frame for completing the plan is the summer of 2010.

They will use computer models that allow planners to input information and multiple scenarios in order to see how communities might grow. Persons said that model will be available at a second series of workshops planned later this year.

Persons said the plan will not have the authority to limit local decisions. That was a concern for Lakeport City Councilman Bob Rumfelt, who worried about Lakeport having to compete for growth.

Each of the two-hour community workshops will be highly interactive, Persons said. Participants will break into groups and go through activities to facilitate discussion.

She said that each workshop will be the same, and they aren't specific to the communities where they'll be held.

In the first round of Lake County 2030 workshops, participants will identify their most important values and visions for the county, the area planning council reported. In follow-up workshops to be held later this year, they will be asked to weigh in on proposed growth principles and maps of alternative 2030 land use scenarios.

The results will be incorporated into the final Lake County 2030 Blueprint, which will include a vision, guiding principles, and a map of the preferred land use scenario, according to the area planning council.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKEPORT – What can the city of Lakeport cut and what can it save in order to meet its looming budget gap? {sidebar id=125}

That question was the source of two hours of discussion during a special Lakeport City Council meeting Tuesday evening.

About 60 people filled the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall to hear the discussion. Many of those in the audience were current or retired city employees, along with Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce members who were interested in a planned discussion on the city's payment of outstanding chamber invoices.

Interim City Manager Kevin Burke said city staff – with a combined 150 years of municipal experience – spent the last few weeks looking at options for how to close a $400,000 budget shortfall. Staff brainstormed and threw out every possible option for reducing expenses and increasing revenue, and prioritized the suggestions.

They came up with a four-point recommendation: adopt/implement the golden handshake; suspend paving/street material; a citywide freeze on unreimbursed travel and training; and restructure the Safe Routes to School Project grant (for the full list of suggestions, see sidebar, “City of Lakeport proposed spending reductions, new revenue sources”).

On the revenue side, Burke noted that a $400,000 line of credit that had been included in the budget but which had never been established by the city wasn't included in staff's proposals. He said senior management staff felt it wasn't an appropriate way to close the gap.

Road projects wouldn't be abandoned altogether. Regional Surface Transportation Program funds in the amount of $220,000 could be used on some road projects, explained City Engineer Scott Harter. He noted that Mike Stevenson, his predecessor, had squirreled away the money – the city receives between $40,000 and $50,000 a year from the state for the program – in order to do larger projects.

Sale of additional city assets, a utility user tax that would need voter approval, metered parking and more parking enforcement were other options for increasing revenue, Burke explained during a 25-minute presentation.

He outlined the spending reduction possibilities, including the city employee furlough, which already reduced employee salaries 5 percent for a savings of $40,000 in the general fund and $26,000 to sewer and water accounts. Doubling the furlough to 10 percent next year was a suggestion.

The golden handshake – early retirement for employees who are over 50 – was the source of much discussion throughout the meeting, and appeared to be favored by both staff and the council. During the course of the meeting Burke said it was staff's No. 1 recommendation.

What wasn't favored was staff reductions and layoffs.

Burke said city staff was unanimous in the sentiment that layoffs should be a last resort.

He said it would take the city a long time to recover from such a measure, and would make it difficult to attract good employees. “There also would be a significant stigma associated with that,” he added.

Among the possible cuts was listed the closure of the Westshore Pool, which would save $40,000 a year. However, Burke noted that the city would have to pay back a $150,000 state grant that assisted with the pool renovation, meaning the pool would have to be closed for four years in order to recognize the savings.

In coming up with the list of suggestions, Burke said city staff had to go beyond their traditional way of thinking and focus on what's in the best interest of the city in a time when traditional spending philosophies won't work. “Any concept of turf was put aside.”

Burke told the council that city staff discovered $17,000 erroneously budgeted in one city account, so they were starting off with that money in the savings column. He said the golden handshake won't save the city any money this year, but for the first fiscal year that it's in effect it's estimated to save $71,000 and $96,000 in the second year.

In addition, there is the proposal to suspend paving for the rest of the year, which would save $55,000.

“It's a tough choice,” said Burke, adding that none of the recommendations were pleasant. “They all were made with the understanding that we would rather not do any of it.”

The Safe Routes to School Project also could be suspended. The city was awarded the grant to make street improvements to benefit Lakeport Elementary, Terrace Heights, Terrace Middle School and Clear Lake High School.

While it's supposed to be largely grant-funded, the city must pay out the entire project amount – which is estimated to cost as much as $549,000 – out of Measure I monies, which are raised from a half-cent sales tax. Those funds come out of the general fund, which is the real concern, because it will weaken the city financially.

However, Burke said they could use $215,000 in Regional Surface Transportation Program to advance the project. That will free up general fund money.

Different approaches to closing the gap

City staff noted that expenditures for this fiscal year are down by $200,000 due to the departments tightening their belts.

With reduced expenditures and the proposed cuts, Burke said they could come out with total savings of $440,000 at the end of the year, which should cover the gap.

As the council began its discussion, Councilman Bob Rumfelt said he was concerned about the council taking action Tuesday night since Councilman Roy Parmentier was not present. Councilman Jim Irwin said he didn't like the idea of putting action off.

Looking at the financial situation, Rumfelt said, “I really don't want to see anybody laid off.”

“The tougher issue is next year,” said City Attorney Steve Brookes.

Burke said once they get past the issue of this year's $400,000 budget gap, staff plans to begin work on next year's budget and coming up with a plan to balance it.

Irwin said one of his goals is a sustainable budget, and he was concerned about the use of what he felt were one-time funds to stabilize the city's financial situation.

Rumfelt didn't want to see training and travel cut, although he suggested having people use city vehicles to travel in order to save mileage money. He said he liked the rest of the staff proposals.

Mayor Ron Bertsch also said he was not in favor of using one-time money to balance the budget, and said he thinks they can save more money by choosing four eligible candidates for the golden handshake.

One option that didn't appear to get much support was cutting benefits to retirees.

“I really believe that the people who put in their time here deserve to get what we promise them,” said Bertsch.

Irwin asked how the budget will impact Measure I, and asked if the sales tax funds will be spent on anything other than roads. Burke said yes, it would be spent on other things, which the city can do since it's a general fund tax and is not exclusive to roads.

“We're already spending Measure I money,” said Burke.

City Finance Director Janet Tavernier said they've spent $146,000 in Measure I funds so far this fiscal year, with $758,000 left.

Irwin said the city's road system is near and dear to his heart, and he wanted to know how much it costs to maintain the city's roads in their current condition. Harter said about $1.2 million annually, which Irwin said is about twice the amount Measure I takes in each year.

He objected to using Measure I monies for regular city services. “I for one do not support using the Measure I monies to balance the city's general fund budget.”

Rumfelt said they should consider going for a specific road tax if he didn't want to see Measure I used for other things. Irwin said he couldn't support that, saying they're “stealing” funds from Measure I for other uses now.

Brookes said the council can dedicate a percentages of Measure I to certain uses. “That can be tried for a while so you don't lose the spirit of Measure I.”

He said if they use it to get over the hump they can track the funds, but added that they were getting hung up on being too strict about the funds.

City Public Works Director Doug Grider said the city already is spending a lot of Measure I funds on projects, and he didn't want the public to get a different idea.

City staff is trying everything to keep the road program going while keeping the city afloat during a tough time, Grider said.

Rumfelt said he was concerned about addressing the deficit on the backs of city workers, adding that some workers could be hurt irreparably by losing more days to furloughs. Council member Suzanne Lyons agreed.

Irwin said the $400,000 budget gap wasn't addressed in a permanent way in staff's recommendations, but Rumfelt disagreed.

Lyons suggested, “It looks like we will be able to do this,” when it comes to fixing the budget. She said they can get there without all of the cuts coming from any one place.

Disagreements over how to pursue the golden handshake

Parks Foreman Rich Lubecki told the council that, while the golden handshake wouldn't make a difference during the remainder of this fiscal year, he said it would help going forward. Lubecki, who was on the short list of golden handshake candidates, urged the council to make the decision Tuesday night to begin pursuing the early retirement plan.

The council appeared at one time to get mired down in disagreement about whether to pursue golden handshakes with two employees or with four.

Irwin asked if the golden handshake is offered in staffing areas where layoffs would take place. Burke said yes. “The idea is to avoid layoffs,” Burke said.

Irwin asked if the city would rehire the positions vacated with the early retirement plan. Burke said no. Grider added that the responsibilities would be taken on by current city staff. That, said Burke, would result in a reduction in some service.

The council continued to go back and forth over how many workers to offer the golden handshake to, which resulted in some frustration from audience members. The list of prospective candidates included Lubecki, as well as the public works lead worker, wastewater supervisor and Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll.

Bertsch wanted to consider four candidates but at one point said he didn't want Knoll on the list because of his concern that the position wouldn't be filled.

Rumfelt finally became exasperated. He said he wanted the best for the city, and he was willing to let city staff make recommendations.

“It's not a 'me' thing, it's an 'us' thing,” Rumfelt said, telling Bertsch that he was getting upset with his attitude toward staff's suggestions.

“Let the staff do their job,” Rumfelt said, which got a loud round of applause from the audience.

Staff has been doing a good job, he said. “I think we need to stop being so controlling.”

Eventually, Bertsch moved to consider four golden handshake candidates, with Rumfelt seconding. Irwin voted no and Lyons didn't vote at first until the motion was repeated, at which point she voted yes, so the motion passed 3-1.

“Don't get any bright ideas, Richard, you're not going anywhere,” Burke said to Knoll.

By consensus, the council also agreed to give staff direction not to use the $400,000 line of credit.

Rumfelt thanked city staff for the hard work they've done on the budget.

The council held a half-hour discussion on the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce's outstanding invoices, but put a decision on paying $5,000 for the Dickens Christmas Market and more than $13,000 for last summer's July 4 fireworks display on hold until next month. The city also didn't include in this year's budget the $75,000 that it pays the chamber for marketing services for the city.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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LAKEPORT – Despite the recent rains, Lake County is in the midst of a dry year, and the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to begin seeking voluntary water conservation measures from customers in county-run districts and to ask other water purveyors to make similar efforts.

The county's Water Resources and Special Districts departments took the water conservation resolution to the board.

Tom Smythe, a water engineer with Water Resources, said over the last two weeks the county's precipitation for the year has doubled.

“The problem is, we're still only about 50 to 60 percent of average, so we're still in a drought situation,” said Smythe.

Wells that Water Resources monitors throughout Lake County were found to be down as much as 17 feet below average for this month, said Smythe.

Wells were found 6 feet below average in Big Valley, 12 feet below in Scotts Valley, 4 feet below in Upper Lake and Cobb was found to be 4 feet below the fall average, Smythe explained.

Two weeks ago, Clear Lake was slightly above 1 foot Rumsey, the lowest lake level since 1991, said Smythe. Rumsey is a special measure used specifically for Clear Lake. A full lake is 7.56 feet Rumsey.

On Feb. 9, when Water Resources was taking readings, staff noticed the first significant flows into local creeks so far this year, said Smythe.

Smythe said the Lakeport area has had about 7 inches of rain in the last few weeks. The rain caused wells to rise 2 feet in Big Valley and 6 feet in Scotts Valley. Wells in Upper Lake also showed improvement.

“If we have a normal spring we'll be fine in our groundwater levels,” said Smythe.

However, if the storm door shuts like it did last February, “then we're going to be in some real trouble,” Smythe added.

Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District only has 26,000 acre feet of usable storage in Indian Valley Reservoir, and the district needs 80,000 to 90,000 for its irrigation needs, Smythe said.

Clear Lake itself has shown improvements, rising to 2.60 on Tuesday following the rains. Smythe said it's still a long way to the 3.22 level needed by May 1 for Yolo Flood – which holds the water rights to the lake – to be able to take its annual water allocation.

Water Resources will have a much better idea in about a month what this summer's water supply is likely to look like, said Smythe.

Board Chair Denise Rushing asked if the resolution's proposed measures were voluntary or mandatory. Smythe replied that the resolution didn't say specifically, since the board only has legal authority over customers in Special Districts.

Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger said he would be coming back to the board for mandatory measures if dry conditions continue, but they're not there yet.

He cautioned that, even if rain hits normal levels, they could still have problems due to the 3 feet of estimated evaporation that is lost from Clear Lake every summer.

After Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's drought announcement last summer, Special Districts sent out conservation notices to its customers, said Dellinger.

“We're in a much different situation now and it's just getting worse,” Dellinger said.

Rushing asked when they re-average season averages that have been used for years. “We're in very different climate times, really,” she said.

Smythe said they have about 45 years of local water records, but only have about 25 to 30 years of monthly water average information.

Rushing asked if they had seen any significant trends over the last 10 years. Smythe said no.

Supervisor Rob Brown said the resolution serves more as a reminder that it's going to be a tough year. However, if they want to pursue water conservation, he suggested they needed to do something more significant, including addressing brush control. Brush sucks up a lot of groundwater, and Brown said they needed to bring back control burns.

Supervisor Anthony Farrington added if the board is serious about water conservation, they need to begin looking at mandatory measures now and not wait until the situation worsens.

Agreeing with both Brown and Farrington was Supervisor Jim Comstock, who said the county needed to have mandatory water restrictions in the works, since the county could be in trouble if the rain doesn't continue over the next month.

“Let's have a contingency plan and let's burn some brush. Let's burn a lot of brush,” he said.

Rushing said the effort also needed education.

Dellinger said Special Districts saw between 10 and 15 percent conservation after it made its voluntary conservation request last summer.

Rushing said she believed the community would step up. “This could be dire. Even though we've had the last week of rainfall, if it doesn't turn around we could be in trouble.”

Brown said he wanted county staff to bring back a full package of options on how the county can address a water shortage.

 

Former Northshore Supervisor Louise Talley said some people are allergic to the smoke of control burns, and she urged the board to be judicious in allowing the burns.

Air Pollution Control Officer Doug Gearhart said the major problem with control burns is funding to cover them. Brown said many property owners don't expect to get funding for cleaning up their property.

Mel Aust, general manager of Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District, said there are many ways to solve the county's water issues. He said his board asked him to come and speak in favor of the conservation measures the county is considering.

Aust said they needed to recognize that not all of Lake County's water is hydrologically connected. He also supported Brown's suggestion to come up with a complete plan to approach the potential water shortage.

Many water purveyors have ordinances to deal with different stages of water supply, said Aust.

“It's a great opportunity for the purveyors to work with the county,” Aust added.

The board approved the resolution 5-0.

Dellinger added, “I want the customers to know this is serious.”

He said the county sent out conservation notices in 2006 and 2007 and has had an educational program for years.

“We're hopeful this will work but we may have to consider the next step,” Dellinger said.

Support for manufacturing facility, resolution opposing septic tank rules

In other board action on Tuesday, the board approved a letter of support for Advanced Housing Technologies LLC's application to be included in a federal appropriations bill.

The firm, headed by Kelseyville resident Clovice Lewis, has been under the radar because they're developing proprietary, patented systems.

Lewis called Advanced Housing Technologies, which seeks to build green temporary housing solutions, a “software company masquerading as a housing company.”

He told the board that the company is applying for government funds to build demonstration systems. He explained that one of the worst experiences of his life was staying in a Federal Emergency Management Agency trailer on the Gulf Coast in 2006.

The basic premise of the company's plans is to build computer-controlled temporary housing, Lewis said.

The company proposes to build a research and development facility, along with a manufacturing component, in Lake County, which could employ as many as 300 people, according to documents provided to the county. Eventually, they would build a facility in the Midwest as well.

Lewis said they're developing the “house to go,” along with the “neighborhood to go” and a “factory to go” to respond to emergency housing needs.

“All of that technology is going to be developed here in Lake County. That's the idea,” Lewis said.

Rushing asked Lewis why he chose Lake County. Besides the fact that he lives here, Lewis said Lake County is in a good position for clean industry, citing the county's dedication last week of a 2.2-megawatt solar installation.

Farrington moved to approve the letter, with the addition of a stipulation that the company's proposed facilities be located in Lake County. The board unanimously supported the letter.

The board also unanimously supported a resolution Comstock brought forward that opposed the state's proposed regulations on septic tank systems, based on AB 885.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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CLEARLAKE – The Clearlake City Council is due to continue is public hearing and discussion of the Provinsalia housing development this Thursday.

The council meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive. TV Channel 8 will broadcast the meeting live.

On Feb. 12 the council held its first hearing on Provinsalia, devoting about three hours to the project, which Lake County Resort Partners Inc. proposes to build on 292 acres along Cache Creek at 17012, 17055 and 17065 Dam Road. The project would include a nine-hole golf course, 565 single-family homes and 100 condominiums.

Before the council is the certification of the project's draft and final environmental impact report, amending the general plan land use designation from managed development-resource protection area to specific plan, adopting the draft Provinsalia Specific Plan and rezoning the property from resource protection to specific plan. The Clearlake Planning Commission voted Dec. 16 to support the council's approval of the project.

If the council approves the project, City Administrator Dale Neiman is asking them to give him authorization to execute an indemnification agreement with Lake County Resort Partners Inc., which also is on the agenda Thursday.

The agreement calls for Lake County Resort Partners to provide the defense in the event any litigation arises over Provinsalia.

In other business set for consideration on Thursday, the council will discuss assessments and administrative penalties on several abatement cases, and look at authorizing nuisance abatements on several other properties.

The council also will make a presentation to Ed Robey, retired District 1 supervisor and a former Clearlake City Council member; and hear a presentation by Terri Persons of the Lake County/City Area Planning Council on the Lake County 2030 Regional Blueprint Planning Program.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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