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County finance update: cannabis tax allocations, ARPA claiming, and reserves

Lake County Board of Supervisors · January 28, 2026

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Summary

Deputy CAO Casey Marnow reported that secured property taxes are near prior year levels, sales tax is slightly lower through December, cannabis cultivation/business tax had about $13 million at last fiscal year end (with $4 million moved to budget stabilization), ARPA claiming must finish by Dec. 31, 2026 with roughly $1.4M remaining, and several county reserves remain in the multi‑million dollar range.

County finance staff presented a mid‑year fiscal overview during the Lake County Board of Supervisors special meeting on Jan. 27.

Deputy CAO/finance Casey Marnow said secured property tax receipts are tracking roughly in line with fiscal 2023–24 and that sales tax (Bradley Burns and Prop 172 components) was a little lower than anticipated through December. Cannabis cultivation and business tax receipts at the end of the prior fiscal year were around $13 million; the board moved $4 million of that into a budget stabilization reserve during the fiscal year. Marnow outlined the county’s "30/30/30/10" allocation framework for cannabis tax revenues (planning/code enforcement/water/environment; law enforcement; economic development/housing/risk reduction; youth programs/library) and reported small unallocated balances in each bucket.

Marnow said the county has until Dec. 31, 2026, to claim nonstandard ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds and was tracking roughly $1.4 million remaining to claim; most of the standard allowance projects are completed and claimed. He listed reserve balances reported in the presentation: general reserve approximately $16 million; parks reserve about $2.6 million; building and infrastructure reserve roughly $8.4 million; technology reserve $3 million; budget stabilization reserve just over $7 million; and a housing trust fund near $2.2 million.

The presentation included potential budget risks — MOU increases for staffing, cannabis tax adjustments, impacts from federal proposals (referred to in earlier remarks), possible recession and housing market volatility — and an explanation that some reserve movements and allocations were completed in the previous fiscal year. Supervisors asked clarifying questions about special district allocations, the cannabis reserve reporting and the status of unallocated funds.