Clear Lake council adopts 2022–23 budget, eyes $14.8 million in debt‑funded projects

Finance Director Kelsey Young presented a fiscal overview and the City of Clear Lake’s City Council unanimously adopted the 2022–23 budget on a recorded roll call.

Young said the city’s all‑funds revenue projection is "just over $37,000,000" against "just over $39,000,000" in expenses but that carryovers and one‑time items make the plan structurally balanced. She flagged a $1 million homestead program carryover and an expected $516,000 in general‑fund reserves, describing the municipal staff as "extremely lean" for the city’s size.

Why it matters: council approved the budget after a workshop that examined key revenue streams — grants (including PG&E and CDBG), ARPA funding and roughly $11 million from property and sales taxes — and identified capital projects as the largest expense driver. Young told the council the city expects to close a debt financing package on June 21 that will provide roughly $14.755 million for project work; staff said those projects and their appropriations will be discussed in follow‑up council sessions.

Major details:
- Personnel costs: Young said base salaries are about $4.5 million and that personnel services are the second‑largest budget line after capital projects. "For the size of our city, we actually are extremely lean," she said.
- Capital projects: staff highlighted the airport road project, Arrowhead Burns Valley Road rehab, the Burns Valley Sports Complex and the Lakeshore Drive corridor as priorities. Measure B and gas tax funds were cited as key sources for street and chip‑seal work.
- Appropriations limit: staff presented the statutory (Gann) appropriations limit and a curious population adjustment from the Department of Finance that affected the calculation; the council adopted the appropriations limit resolution as part of the package.

Next steps: staff will return to council with detailed appropriation items tied to the debt financing and will continue to present department‑level budgets and fee updates (for example a forthcoming staff recommendation to review licensing and other fees). The budget adoption passed unanimously on roll call.