Memorandum
Date: March 3, 2026
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Mireya G. Turner, Community Development Director
Susan Parker, County Administrative Officer
Shannon Walker-Smith, Deputy Community Development Administrator
Casey Moreno, Deputy County Administrative Officer
Subject: Consideration of Request for Board Direction Regarding Community Development Department Loan Repayment Plan and Adjustments to Ongoing Operations
Executive Summary: As the Board recalls, the Community Development Department (CDD) staff provided initial findings regarding factors that led to declining Building Division revenues, and discussed General Fund loan repayment, on December 9, 2025. The Board had additional questions over which CDD and Administrative staff have collaborated to develop responses. The Board received an update on this process on January 13, 2026, with the intention of providing the Board a more thorough presentation on February 10, 2026. On February 10th, the Board continued the item to March 3, 2026 to allow Staff to develop options which pursue two goals; repay the loan approved last December and modify department operations to reduce reliance on the General Fund.
On February 10, 2026, CDD and Administrative Office staff were prepared to present information on the following topics:
• Year to Date updates of revenue expenses by Division;
• Analysis of Building Division Fees over the past 10 Fiscal Years;
• Analysis of historical Code Enforcement Division cost recovery (i.e., gaining further insight into informants of insufficient cost recovery);
• Analysis of historical Planning Division fees cost recovery;
• Analysis of CDD funding structures in similar Counties;
• Position Allocation Analysis, by Division;
• Draft Fee analysis for CDD, by divisions (i.e., recognizing any patterns where staff time is not fully covered by current fees);
• Mid-year budget updates, issues and next steps
• Next steps for FY 26/27 and beyond; and
• Long term strategies for long term monitoring and budget health
The background fiscal data and presentation slides were attached to the item, and are included here as Attachments 1 through 4. Based on that data, Community Development Staff continued analysis and prepared three options for Fiscal Year 26/27 to present to the Board. These options vary on criteria including fee increases, staff reductions, Building Reserve fund, and loan repayment, and net County cost (General Fund reliance). The presentation will include background data to show the work to support the summary of the options below, and are included as Attachments 5-7.
Options for Adjustments
Option 1
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Planning |
Building |
Code Enforcement |
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Option 2
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PlanningBuildingCode Enforcement |
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Option 3
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PlanningBuildingCode Enforcement |
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Impacts to Service
The Community Development Department is a service provision department, currently with 36 filled positions, zero position vacancy rate, and no turnover. There are four counter windows with full-time Technicians to assist the public; two for Planning and two for Building. Four staff members are fluent in Spanish. One Counter Planner is available to answer questions from the public during all business hours. Planning research of inquiries are done at no charge for up to 30 minutes each. One full-time Technician is dedicated to responding to Public Records Act (PRA) requests (468 requests received, with 450 completed since March 2025). Staff reductions would require a reduction in services in order to focus on revenue-generating projects, and mandated but non-revenue generating tasks. The following tables describe the corresponding service reductions and start with the option of least staff reductions. Option 3 is not included in the tables below due to having no change in staffing levels.
Option 2
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Staff Reductions |
Fee Increase |
Services Impacted - Planning |
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Closure of PRA Request position - delaying responses |
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Close one Planning counter window |
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Reduction of Counter Planner access to two hours/day |
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Cease monthly Planning Project Update Reports |
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Limit distribution of Project Requests for Review (RFRs) to stakeholder agencies/departments |
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Cease Complaint-based Grading and Stormwater Inspection services, with a small portion picked up by Code Enforcement (General Code Enforcement) |
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Reduce research at no charge to 15 minutes. |
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Consider reducing Planning Commission meeting frequency |
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Consider reducing Annual Compliance Monitoring Site Visits conducted |
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Services Impacted - Building |
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Cessation of digitization of Building permit records |
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Services Impacted - Code Enforcement |
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Delay in processing Notices, mailings, warrants, and citations - resulting in delay/reduction in abatements as reallocated staff begins training |
Additional internal modifications would include a strict maximum of eight hours per week per planner for non-revenue generating activity. These activities include: professional development, OpenGov system management, unfunded County projects, Public Record Act Request research, attendance at meetings not billable to active projects (including Planning Commission), and inquiries from the public not billable to active projects. These modifications would severely impact the department’s current level of service to the public, but would be necessary to cover the redistributed workload resulting from loss of currently filled positions.
Option 1
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Staff Reductions |
Fee Increase |
Additional Services Impacted - Planning |
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Closure of both Counter windows |
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Further reduction in non-revenue generating activity time allowed for Planning staff |
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Additional Services Impacted - Building |
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Closure of one Counter window |
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Reduction in Building Counter hours to four hours per day - delay in intake and processing of building permits |
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Additional Services Impacted - Code Enforcement |
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Further delay in Notices, mailings, warrants, and citations - resulting in delay/reduction in abatements |
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Cessation of General Code Enforcement activities in Lower Lake, Hidden Valley Lake, Middletown, and unincorporated Lakeport; excluding hazardous vegetation, substandard housing and cannabis complaints |
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Reduction in illegal dumping abatements, countywide |
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Services Impacted - Department wide |
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Cessation of social media outreach and website management |
CDD appreciates the patience of the Board and the public as we have worked evenings and weekends to prepare the options presented. The process has resulted in implementation of a number of internal process modifications to improve our ongoing operations and with the goal of not having to return to the Board for a similar discussion in the future. Transparency of operations, proper stewardship of the department’s budget, and maintaining the public trust remain core values of the department.
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☐ Well-being of Residents ☐ Public Safety ☐ Disaster Prevention, Preparedness, Recovery
☐ Economic Development ☐ Infrastructure ☐ County Workforce
☐ Community Collaboration ☐ Business Process Efficiency ☐ Clear Lake
Recommended Action: Staff recommends the Board provide direction regarding loan repayment and adjustment to ongoing operations.