FY 2022-23 Proposed Budget
Learn More About the City of Clearlake's Finances
A Message From City Manager Alan Flora
The overall economic picture heading into a new fiscal year is a positive one, although we expect growth to be more restrained as the impacts of widespread inflation continue to impact us locally. We have some concern that our sales tax will level off or perhaps slightly recede due to increased travel rather than local spending and less stimulus dollars circulating locally, but we remain optimistic that overall we will see small increases in most revenue streams.
The big story in this budget is what can only be described as a continuation of last years unprecedented investment in infrastructure. The proposed capital projects budget exceeds $20 million. This amount does not include the roads financing (approx. $15 million) that will be closing early in the 22-23 fiscal year and will be added into the budget at that time. These funds, and a mix of other dollars will allow projects long desired by the City to move forward over the next couple of years. These include infrastructure development at the Pearce Field retail center; a new mixed-use development on Burns Valley Road, including a housing project, a new Public Works Yard, a soccer and baseball complex, and a recreation center; corridor improvements on Lakeshore Drive; and various improvements in Austin Park. In addition, there are likely to be additional grant awards for infrastructure investment that will be received by the City within this fiscal year, but since they are pending official award notifications we have not included them in the Budget.
The City is clearly experiencing a resurgence, and the combination of infrastructure and private investment completed over the next couple of years will define a new trajectory in Clearlake’s future. Of course, many challenges remain. Our exceptional Code Enforcement team is continually cleaning up properties, ensuring neighborhoods are free of weeds and blight, towing abandoned vehicles, and generally ensuring the City is cleaner and safer. All of this is even more difficult with the additional challenge of such a high percentage of properties with tax delinquencies. We look forward to having a new County Tax Collector in 2023, which we expect will result in a more collaborative approach in problem solving around this issue. There is still more work to do in cleaning up several sections of the City and we expect each budget in the near future to include significant one-time money for the towing and crushing of abandoned vehicles and the abatement of various problem properties. However, we must not let the image of past blight cloud the vision of our future.
Roads are always a hot community issue, particulalry here in Clearlake as we try to catch up from decades of little to no investment. While the investment in the next two years will continue our unprecedented efforts, there is much more to do. Thanks to Measure V revenues and various grants, the funding exists for dramatic improvements to our local streets.
Our Finance Director, Kelcey Young has been with the City nearly a year now and has done a fantastic job of setting the organization on a more structured and predictable footing for the future. Her efforts are remarkable in preparing both a responsible and forward thinking budget to guide the City's growth over the next year.
While the list of challenges we face is long, I believe the opportunity in front of us is enormous. Investment interest in our community is high and I believe the change coming in the next few years will overshadow the challenges of the past. Its going to be another great year!
This year we are again exclusively using our OpenGov transparency budget platform for production and sharing of the FY 2022-23 Clearlake Budget. Please, explore the Proposed Budget with the links below.
Sincerely,
Alan Flora
City Manager
FY 22-23 BUDGET DETAIL BY DEPARTMENT
Click links below to access more detail on each department.
- City Manager
- Non-Departmental
- Series A Bonds (Infrastructure)
- Series B Bonds (Low & Moderate Income Housing)
- RDA Successor Agency
- RDA Housing Successor Agency
Administrative Services/City Clerk
- Administrative Services/City Clerk
- Building Maintenance
- Low/Moderate Income Housing
- CDBG - Housing Rehab
- CDBG - First Time Home Buyers
- Public Works
- Measure V
- Gas Tax/SB 1
- Parks
- Senior Community Center