How Clearlake is run
Who runs Clearlake, what it costs, and where your money goes
The city manager, council pay, the budget, your property tax bill and who provides each service, from Clearlake's own public documents. Every number links to its source and says which year it describes. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Who runs Clearlake
Clearlake has a council-manager government. The city manager carries out the council's policies and is responsible for running city programs and services. The five council members are directly elected to staggered terms, and each December the council picks a mayor and vice mayor from its own members.
What they are paid
- Three-year contract from April 2, 2026 to April 2, 2029
- $400 a month toward use of his own car and cell phone
- City deposits 3% of each year's base salary into a retirement account if he serves the full term
- Pays his own 7% share of the CalPERS retirement contribution
- 120 hours of executive leave a year, plus 120 hours of vacation
Clearlake city staff
The city posts its salary schedule, with monthly, yearly and hourly pay ranges by job, in council packets. We found no city list of pay by employee. We name pay only for elected officials and the city manager.
Is Clearlake in the red?
Cities must pass a balanced budget, so "profit" and "deficit" mean something different here. The useful questions: does the city's everyday money (the general fund) cover its everyday costs, how much does it keep in savings compared with its own target, and how big are its pension and debt bills.
The city's own outlook
The city manager says the FY2026-27 budget is balanced again after the FY2025-26 budget was not structurally balanced. Getting there took deeper cuts to discretionary spending, including staffing. General fund spending and revenue are both budgeted at $10,081,128. City of Clearlake · Jun 18, 2026
Savings
Unassigned general fund balance: $7M (2024-06-30). City of Clearlake · Aug 1, 2025
Why we skip the "budgeted deficit": many cities plan to dip into savings, then spend less than planned. The audited result tells you what really happened.
Where the money comes from and goes
The general fund only: the city's everyday money for FY2026-27.
Comes from
- Property and sales taxes$5.5M · 55%
- Franchise fees$1M · 10%
- Licenses and fees$437,250 · 4%
- Code enforcement$359,235 · 4%
- Grants$322,000 · 3%
- Inspection and permit fees$284,000 · 3%
- Other (including $1.6 million the budget labels 'Revenues')$2.1M · 21%
Goes to (FY2026-27)
- Personnel services$6.7M · 66%
- Contract services$893,563 · 9%
- Indirect costs$781,928 · 8%
- Supplies and materials$617,006 · 6%
- Capital equipment$460,451 · 5%
- Other$651,300 · 6%
Who provides your services
Not everything in Clearlake is run by the city. Who provides a service decides whose budget pays for it and whose election decides it.
- PoliceThe cityClearlake Police Department38 employees, including 24 sworn officers.City of Clearlake
- StreetsThe cityCity of Clearlake Public WorksCity of Clearlake
- Parks and recreation facilitiesThe cityCity of Clearlake Public WorksCity of Clearlake
- Drainage and street lightsThe cityCity of Clearlake Public WorksCity of Clearlake
Compared with similar cities
The cities in this state closest in population that we cover. Read it for scale, not as a ranking: cities provide different services.
| Per city | ClearlakeCA | MoragaCA | El SegundoCA | Laguna WoodsCA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 16,642 | 16,662 | 16,950 | 16,970 |
| Top administrator's base pay | $225,831 | $314,572 | $280,800 | $247,935 |
| Council member pay | $6,000 | Not confirmed | $10,800 | $3,600 |
| General fund per resident | $606 | $826 | $6,394 | $566 |
| Debt per resident | $792 | $244 | $7,728 | $0 |
| Unfunded pension per resident | $558 | $608 | $1,958 | $-14 |
| City staff per 1,000 residents | — | 2.5 | 23.1 | 1.1 |
Figures as shown in each city's section, divided by its population. Years differ by state, and pension figures are measured differently in each state (each city page says how). Moraga and Laguna Woods pays another agency for police or fire, so its own staff count is lower.
What Clearlake publishes
What a resident can find online today. A "no" is something you can ask the council to publish.
- No: Audited financial report filed on timeThe FY2023-24 audit is dated Aug. 1, 2025, 13 months after year end. The city finance page posts audits only through FY2021-22. City of Clearlake · Aug 1, 2025
- Yes: Adopted budget posted online City of Clearlake
- Yes: City manager's contract findable onlineThe April 2, 2026 employment agreement is in that meeting's council agenda packet. City of Clearlake · Apr 2, 2026
- Yes: Council votes recorded member by member onlineCouncil minutes list who moved, who seconded and each member voting yes. City of Clearlake · Apr 2, 2026
- Yes: Council pay stated in a public documentThe Jan. 16, 2025 packet states $500 a month now and $1,050 a month under Ordinance 278-2025. City of Clearlake · Jan 16, 2025
- Partly: Employee pay published City of Clearlake · Jul 16, 2026
Questions to ask your council
- The general fund balance fell $3,586,171 in FY2023-24, mostly because of $3.3 million of transfers out to other funds. What were those transfers for, and will they continue?
- The FY2023-24 audit was signed Aug. 1, 2025, and the city website posts audits only through FY2021-22. When will the FY2024-25 audit be finished and posted?
- CalPERS reports $9.3 million of unfunded pension liability for the city's two plans at June 30, 2025. What is the city's plan for paying it down?
- The city has no stated minimum reserve. Should the council set one, given unassigned reserves of $6,970,240 at June 30, 2024?
Help decide what comes next
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Every number here was checked by hand against the linked document. Cities publish on different schedules, so years differ between sections; each figure says which year it describes. Spotted something wrong or out of date?
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