Lake County board approves CDBG application to fund small-business loans and Southeast sewer inspections

The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted to approve a resolution to submit a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application that seeks to fund a Business Assistance Loan Program and diagnostic and cleaning work on the Southeast collection (wastewater) system.

Ben Rickelman, deputy county administrative officer, told the board staff are seeking $1.5 million for continued low-interest small-business lending and facade improvements and are adding a $2.1 million request for inspection and cleaning work on the Southeast collection system after a Robin Lane sewage spillage on 01/11/2026 prompted a reassessment of needs.

The Special Districts director (unnamed in the transcript) described the technical scope: CCTV (video) inspections and line cleaning covering about 90 miles of gravity pipeline and roughly 10 miles of force main. The director cautioned force mains are more difficult to inspect fully and said the program would inspect manholes and gravity lines to identify pipes that need replacement, slip-lining or other corrective work and to detect any unlicensed or illegal connections.

Clear Lake City Manager Alan Florrick, speaking during public comment, said he supports seeking grant funds but urged the county to ensure inspection footage leads to maintenance action. "Southeast system needs a lot of help," Florrick said, noting a 2019 CCTV effort that, in his view, was not followed by sufficient operation and maintenance. He also cited multiple 2024 notices of violation issued by the state water board and urged that new footage be paired with a process that leads to repairs.

The director responded that CCTV from the proposed program would be uploaded and color-coded to show problem areas and that the county's CMOM has been operational for about a year, but added that using the existing camera van to cover the entire system "he would be doing nothing but cameraing the lines for the next probably 3 years," an argument staff used to justify outsourcing or supplementing inspection capacity.

Supervisor Crandall pressed staff on how the county would prioritize work if it received a partial award rather than the full $3.6 million maximum a jurisdiction can obtain. Staff said they would break the system into geographic areas and start with known problem areas; the economic development loan and facade portion could be scaled back if necessary. Ben Rickelman and application support staff noted Jeff Lucas with Community Development Services helped prepare the application and that the grant round will be competitive.

Supervisor Crandall offered the resolution. Supervisors Owen, Crandall and Rasmussen each voted "Aye," and the resolution to apply for CDBG funds was approved. The board concluded the item after thanking staff and the public commenter.

The board did not provide a detailed timetable for inspection work pending grant award; staff said prioritization and exact scope would be determined if the county receives partial funding.