Clovis staff outlines Measure Y spending priorities; council asks for oversight structure and multi‑year plan

City Manager Andrew Housland opened an informational discussion on implementing Measure Y — a voter‑approved local sales/use tax measure that voters passed in November (about 67% in favor in the election) — and presented staff recommendations for near‑term staffing and process steps to prepare for the new revenues.

Housland reminded the council that Measure Y will start to be collected April 1, 2025, but receipts will not be reported until summer; preliminary forecasting staff presented used a working assumption of roughly $28 million annually, with the caveat that early actual receipts could be higher or lower.

Housland said the city’s goal is to maintain hiring momentum and to build administrative capacity in advance of larger multi‑year investments. For the current fiscal year, staff proposed several near‑term additions and reclassifications to be implemented as budget amendments if the council directs staff to proceed:

- Add three sworn police officers (to help the department reach full staffing given current cadet and lateral pipelines). - Add one animal services officer, one community service officer (CSO), and one police records specialist. - Reclassify a management analyst to senior management analyst and reclassify three CSOs to lead CSO positions to create supervisory capacity and support expected growth. - Add one deputy fire chief for succession and management capacity in the Fire Department.

Clovis Police Chief (transcript reference: Chief Fleming) explained several of the administrative requests are intended to create the capacity to manage more sworn officers and to reduce record‑processing backlogs that delay prosecutions. He said his records staff was already behind on case filings and that adding records specialists and supervisory CSOs would help absorb additional sworn hires.

Council feedback was substantive and mixed: several councilmembers pressed for a clear five‑year plan showing how Measure Y dollars would be allocated across public safety, roads, homelessness services and other priorities. Multiple councilmembers asked staff to produce a formal citizen oversight committee structure and an explicit, auditable line item or fund for Measure Y dollars so the public can see Measure Y revenue and expenditures separately from the general fund. Several members said they want to see program‑level estimates and vulnerability/risk analyses from Police, Fire and Public Works before committing to a specific front-loaded staffing package.

City staff acknowledged the desire for an early plan and committed to a schedule: departmental study sessions beginning in February, a five‑year forecast that incorporates Measure Y revenue and projected hires and services, and follow-up council input sessions in March. Staff said they would work with the city attorney and finance director on draft language and procedures for a citizen oversight committee and return with options for council consideration.

Why this matters: Measure Y represents a significant local revenue source that will affect hiring, capital spending and service levels; the council and staff are deciding both how quickly to use those funds and what governance and reporting mechanisms — such as oversight and a dedicated fund line — should govern their use.

What comes next: Staff will prepare department study sessions and a draft five‑year forecast, return with options for a citizen oversight committee and proposed ordinance language or administrative procedures for transparent accounting of Measure Y revenues and spending. Councilmembers signaled broad interest in front-loading public safety hires but requested more detailed, auditable plans and community oversight before large allocations are finalized.