Clear Creek CSD must follow proper budgeting procedures

The public notice published on July 22 by the Clear Creek Community Services District regarding their Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Final Budget hearing raises serious concerns about local government transparency and procedural compliance.

The notice states that a final budget has been prepared by the general manager and district secretary and is moving directly to a public hearing Aug. 6.

However, a critical step in the democratic process has been entirely skipped: the board of directors never formally approved a preliminary budget.

In public agency governance, staff members do not have the legal authority to bypass the elected board and unilaterally push a budget to a final hearing. The board of directors must first review, debate, and vote to approve a preliminary budget. Only after the board authorizes that preliminary framework can a public comment period legally begin. By jumping straight from a staff draft to a final hearing, the district is cutting out the board’s required oversight.

To make matters worse, the district’s notice claims the budget proposal is “available online at clearcreekcsd.specialdistrict.org.” Yet if you go to the website, the budget file itself is completely missing — only the text of the notice is there.

Staff expects the public to blindly comment on a hidden spending plan that hasn’t even been vetted or approved by our elected board of directors. This isn’t just a procedural mistake; it is a total failure of public transparency.

Clear Creek residents should attend the hearing at the Firehall at 6 p.m. (Thursday) Aug, 6 at and demand that the board reject this staff-driven shortcut, enforce proper budgeting procedures and protect public transparency.

Respectfully,
Nicolette Moroney, Clear Creek property owner