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SLO council approves $10 million plan to restore Laguna Lake

July 16, 2014

Laguna LakeThe San Luis Obipso City Council unanimously approved a 10-year, more than $10 million plan Tuesday to restore the city’s rapidly drying lake.

The plan to save Laguna Lake will involve restoring eroding creek banks and shorelines and removing sediment from portions of the lake. A full scale dredging operation may occur, but it would have to clear financial and regulatory hurdles.

Funding for the lake restoration will come only in part from the city’s general fund. The city plans to obtain grant funding for the project and to create an assessment district in the Laguna Lake neighborhood.

The proposed assessment district would include as many as 759 parcels. Lakefront property owners would pay $958 annually, while others in the area would pay $389 in  assessments.

As part of the restoration effort, city staff also plan to create a loop trail around the lake, as well as a boardwalk and viewing platforms.

Many residents from the Laguna Lake area showed up to city hall Tuesday in support of the restoration plan. Some opposed the assessment district, though, saying they should not bare the tax burden for a public resource.


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I, like others believe that when and if ever completed, this project will cost much more than $10 million.The environmental work alone a small fortune.It will no doubt include surveys( plant and animal, T&E species, cultural resources) monitoring, habitat restoration, public meetings, analytical reports to include but not limited to economic impact, environmental impact, and all the other regulatory issues covered by CEQA. All of this costs $$$$$$$$$$$


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I live in SLO, but not Laguna. I would like to see the lake in better shape. But I don’t want to spend 10 million from the city general fund to do it. I think this is what the majority of SLO residents believe.


So if you live by the lake and you really want the lake to be fixed, you are going to have to put some money in the game.Otherwise, it is a political non-starter.


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Then the property owners can change you a fee to use the lake. We can put a volunteer like the block=to=block ambassadors that the City is going to train to maintain the activities in the downtown core by the homeless at the entrance of the park (one on the walkway and one in the driveway). $5.00 day pass, thank you very much, put this on the dash!


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This City is plan crazy in their logic. They want its citizens to pay for any increase in Sales Tax. Then in May 2014 they give the homeless shelter $250,000 taxpayer donation. They in June 2014 they approve the City Budget that clearly states another $366,999 in donations PLUS staff time.


The City uses its Police Dept, Volunteer Program in trainly, Administrative Services, Legal Services and I suspect the large increase in CONTRACT SERVICES in the current budget is for legal services because we all know that our City Attorney, Assistant City Attorney and Paralegal are not capable of handling the homeless issues inspite of their raises.


Now they are going to build the homeless shelter down the road from Laguna Lake and build platform so they can scope out your homes, walk the boardwalk, and let’s build a walking bridge into the neighborhood and make it more convenient for all. .


Yep, stupid is as stupid does. Keep voting for these bozos and their magic kingdom plans! How those roads working for everyone!


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SLOBIRD says: “Now they are going to build the homeless shelter down the road from Laguna Lake and build platform so they can scope out your homes, walk the boardwalk”


What? Please stop posting False information, it lowers the level of discorse for everyone.


“walking bridge into the neighborhood ” No, waste of money.


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I would love to see the lake restored but $10 mill? AAahahahahahahaa that should get the environmental fencing in place. Then after a decade or so and $20 million is spent the powers that be will decide it’s too pristine and delicate to allow human access. Someone will find a Plover or something and the orange fencing will go back up. If you really want the Lake restored take it out of the wasteful hands of government.


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I would point out that this is also the windiest part of the city so maybe everyone here should get a tax credit equal to the assessment for “environmental degradation.” All the trees lean because of the wind! The streets and sidewalks are a mess because the city does not care about this residential neighborhood, as it is not a tourist destination.


This tax-by-another-name will open the floodgates to special assessments everywhere in town. Live hear any park? Let’s charge you a fee for it. Live near downtown? Let’s charge you a fee. Live on a cul-de-sac/dead-end street? How about a luxury fee for that? Live on any street, period? Well let’s charge a fee for that.


The Laguna Lake area is the most affordable family-oriented neighborhood in town. Children can walk/bike to school through eighth grade. Many other residents are senior citizens who bought these homes when they were first built. This is so unfair to raise their taxes – excuse me FEES – because the city wants more money.


Anyone who votes YES on Measure Y AKA Measure G knowing these additional fees are coming is an idiot.


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Is it windy enough to support a wind generation farm? that would be a possible revenue source offsetting new fees.


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Good idea, unless of course it is within eye shot of Christine Mulholland, if so she will call one of her friends in high places and start the wheels of government to stop it, she’s done it before.


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The Laguna Lake area is probably the most AFFORDABLE family neighborhood in the city. So now you want to raise our taxes? Maybe we should get a tax break equivalent becasue e live in the


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“The proposed assessment district would include as many as 759 parcels. Lakefront property owners would pay $958 annually, while others in the area would receive $389 assessments.”

Yeah right! So who would assemble this “assessment district” body of personnel? You can bet your ass that it wouldn’t be the folks that have to pony up the cash for what others propose!


I will NOT support any assessment district to abscond with $9,580.00 of my money to create walking trails, viewing platforms and restoring creek banks. What’s needed is MORE WATER as well as the lake needs to be dredged……..all the other stuff is fodder to entice support to assess the crap out of the locals that live by the lake. Let me ask this; what about the rest of the population of SLO? How much are they going to be assessed?


I’ve got to say that there’s not a shortage of city or county government officials that want to let a good drought go unfunded!


Folks, this is another way that the City Council will push the measure “Y” tax on all of us!

Citizens need to pay attention to all of the taxes and fees that this city is levying upon us. They continue to receive raises and retirement increases that we in the real world have not seen for some time.


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But this is how many in the country have been lead down the class envy road. Typical Gov. let’s have a certain class (small group) pony up extra money so that everyone else can enjoy. And we have people that stand and say………….yea right on………..yea make them pay.


People need to wake up and put there local, state and federal Gov. on a cash diet.


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Oh yea, add that assessment to the following:


*Continuance of sales tax (have not seen in notable changes to the City except for 22 new City positions and salary increases)

*SLO Coastal School District Bond (see what your dollars are paying for: new pool, relocate offices, etc.)

*Cuesta College Bond (see what your dollars are paying for)

*California Carbon Tax of $.15 per gallon of gas (Train to nowhere)

*25% increase in cost of food

*Increase in insurance and medical costs (have not seen my $2,500 deduction as promised by our President, still waiting)

*Increase in cost of gas (increases the sales tax at the pump)

*Increase in property tax, utilities, gasoline, auto and home repairs and maintenance, clothing, travel, etc. etc.


How is this all working for everyone. Great, because there is more coming!


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I have no problem with spending money to restore Laguna Lake. It really is an underutilized resource. I don’t think an assessment district is necessary. But for $10 million, they ought to be able to dredge the lake! I want to see $10 million spent on doing something, not on padding the pockets of public employees!


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How about all this extra sales tax money they take in.


Taking 3rd qrt figures (on-line data unaccesible for some qtrs. but was able to access 3rd from 2006-07 thru 2013-14 off City website). The 3rd qrt of 2006-07 (July 1, 2007) reflects the start of the .05% increase.


(3rd Qrt time period: 01/01 thru 03/30 annually – slowest period):

2007 $3,129,215

2008 $2,982,498

2009 $2,592,661

2010 $2,869,724

2011 $3,039,576

2012 $3,271,646

2013 $3,349,764

2014 $3,459.970


This increase is for ONE OF FOUR QUARTERS in the slowest time period of the year, January thru March. This does not include the County General Pool Sales Tax Revenue which is about $250,000 a quarter for the 3rd quarter.


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