Clear Lake officials warn county proposal to remove low‑value parcels from tax roll could worsen absentee‑land and fire hazards

City staff told the council that the County Board of Supervisors’ proposed 'low‑value' ordinance — initially advanced at a first reading in January — would remove parcels valued under $5,000 from the tax roll, a change staff warned could reduce code‑compliance incentives for absentee owners and worsen fire hazards in certain neighborhoods.

City Manager Flora said Clear Lake contains about 3,398 parcels valued at $5,000 or less — more than 23% of the city’s parcels — and that many are 'paper lots' on steep slopes without infrastructure. "A lot of these are in tax default, but not all of them," Flora said, noting roughly a third of those parcels are in tax default and could otherwise be sold at tax auction.

Flora described discussions at the county level, and said the county identified an alternative in state revenue and taxation code that could give the tax collector and auditor‑controller the ability to waive some historic delinquencies and avoid wholesale removal from the roll. The Board did not adopt the ordinance that week, providing breathing room for alternative solutions.

Councilmembers and residents expressed concern about concentrations of overgrown, undevelopable lots in the avenues and near the city’s eastern edge that contribute to fuel loading and fire risk. Several council members favored exploring city acquisition of clusters of parcels at nominal cost to consolidate and reduce hazard, while staff said any acquisition strategy would require negotiation and further study.

There was no formal council action requested at the meeting; staff characterized the update as informational and ongoing.