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Clear Lake accepts closeout of $500,000 CDBG wildfire-mitigation grant after expanded code enforcement
Summary
Council accepted a CDBG mitigation grant closeout showing the city used $500,000 plus program income to fund three code-enforcement officers and a technician focused on vegetation management, illegal cultivation sites and other fire risks; cleanup costs were paid by property owners or other sources.
The Clear Lake City Council formally accepted the closeout of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) mitigation award the city used to expand code enforcement and wildfire prevention activities after the 2017 Sulphur fire.
Lieutenant Janet Peterson presented the closeout on behalf of code enforcement and described the scope and results. The program used approximately $500,000 in CDBG mitigation funding, supplemented with program income, to staff three CDBG-funded code-enforcement officers and one code-enforcement technician; a fourth code-enforcement officer continued to be funded by the city’s general fund. ‘‘Through the 2017 CDBG mitigation grant, Clear Lake was able to expand its code enforcement bureau,’’ Lieutenant Peterson said.
Peterson said the program’s objectives were to increase compliance with vegetation-management and land-use regulations in identified high-risk areas, reduce hazardous conditions that amplify wildfire risk, and address unsafe conditions tied to illegal marijuana cultivation sites — citing unpermitted electrical wiring, concentrated heat-producing lighting and hazardous chemicals as specific risks. The city’s enforcement was organized into three zones: Zone 1 (east of State Route 53), Zone 2 (the city ‘triangle’ and Olympic corridor) and Zone 3 (Clear Lake Park area). Zones 1 and 2 were covered by the three CDBG-funded officers; Zone 3 was covered by the general-fund officer.
Petersen said enforcement led to more vegetation-abatement cases, increased property compliance and administrative citations, vehicle abatements and enforcement against illegal dumps and hazardous structures. She noted an important distinction: the grant funded enforcement activities (investigation, citations, case tracking) but did not fund the physical cleanup or abatement, which property owners or separate funding sources covered. That distinction was repeatedly emphasized in the presentation: enforcement actions were paid with CDBG mitigation funds, while cleanups were funded elsewhere.
The council closed the public hearing and approved a resolution accepting the grant closeout (Resolution 2025-06). Vice Mayor Slotin moved to approve the resolution; Councilmember Wilson seconded. The motion passed unanimously.
Ending: Council accepted the closeout report and authorized the city to record completion of the mitigation program; staff noted continued emphasis on vegetation enforcement and community education to maintain the compliance gains.
