From: Clayton Watch
Subject: Clayton Finances – Real Progress, Real Leadership
Clayton’s finances have always been fundamentally sound. What’s different this past year is the presence of leadership that understands the numbers, manages them with discipline, and makes decisions grounded in facts.
June and July should have been an opportunity to celebrate that progress. Instead, the moment was overshadowed by an outside report, fueled by negative stories from the now-defunct town paper, a self-serving City Council member, and others engaging in political gamesmanship. While those efforts captured headlines, they did nothing to change the reality: Clayton now has a clear grasp of its finances, is managing them responsibly, and is planning for long-term stability.
Balanced Budget, Better Process
Just a year ago, residents were warned of a projected $629,000 deficit for the current fiscal year. That projection didn’t hold; the actual shortfall was less than $80,000. Under the focused leadership of City Manager Kris Loftus, with the support of engaged staff and an energized Budget & Audit Committee, the City adopted a balanced, bottom-up budget on time and without theatrics.
In June 2025, Clayton also passed its first-ever two-year budget, a milestone that shows real fiscal discipline and planning.
Stability Through Leadership
Clayton’s financial position is now stronger than it has been in years:
• The General Fund surplus is approximately $7 million, providing a healthy cushion.
• Capital improvement funds are directed toward high-priority needs based on data and public input, not political pageantry.
• The Budget & Audit Committee now meets regularly to scrutinize spending, review investments, and safeguard reserves.
Execution Over Excuses
The City is delivering results:
• Housing Element – Adopted locally in January 2023, delayed by State review and staffing changes, and now on track for approval in late September 2025.
• Climatec Infrastructure Program – Includes LED lighting conversions, new HVAC systems, smart irrigation, a solar array, and EV charging stations.
City staff are engaging the community while staying on top of core responsibilities. The old refrain of “too overworked to deliver” has been replaced with results.
Revenue, Fees, and Long-Term Sustainability
The City has implemented multiple policy-driven revenue measures, including:
• Updated Investment Policy – Partnered with a third-party manager for stronger investment performance.
• Master Fee Schedule Update – Adjusted fees to reflect actual service costs, including a new large-event fee for significant City resource use.
• Business License Compliance – Partnered with HDL to improve renewals and identify unlicensed businesses.
• Waste Management Contract – Renegotiated with Republic Services to meet recycling mandates and improve cost efficiency.
• Professional Investment Oversight – Partnered with UBS for improved portfolio growth.
A Revenue Enhancement Session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19, 2025, to explore additional strategies for long-term financial sustainability. The discussion will cover potential new revenue sources as well as the steps required to put them into action.
Reducing Expenses and Increasing Efficiency
The City has also taken decisive steps to decrease expenses without compromising service quality:
• Staffing Consolidation – Streamlining positions to improve efficiency.
• Service Contract Reviews – Renegotiating agreements to reduce ongoing expenses.
• Lowering Energy Costs and Water Consumption – Implementing conservation strategies and efficiency upgrades.
• Temporary Contract Employees – Using short-term contract workers where appropriate, avoiding long-term staffing costs.
What’s Different Now
Past years saw political distractions and leadership turnover, particularly under prior council members Carl Wolfe, Peter Cloven, and Holly Tillman, and during the extended tenure of career politician Julie Pierce. City priorities often skewed toward ceremonies, proclamations, and parades instead of core services.
Poor leadership from past city managers worsened the situation:
• Reina Schwartz (2020) frequently worked remotely from Sacramento, was rarely present, and left the City with declining services.
• Bret Prebula ignored hiring protocols, skipped background checks, failed to post openings, and withheld financial and project information, forcing residents to file Public Records Act requests for basic answers.
Today, that approach is gone, replaced with competent, engaged leadership that focuses on execution, accountability, and planning.
The Bottom Line
Clayton has turned the corner. Real management has replaced past mismanagement, and the City is operating with discipline, transparency, and momentum.
In closing, we extend our sincere appreciation to City Manager Kris Loftus and the entire City staff for their dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to serving our community. We also wish to thank Mayor Kim Trupiano, Vice Mayor Jeff Wan, and Council Members Jim Diaz and Rich Enea for their steady leadership and for keeping the City’s priorities at the forefront.
Clayton Watch will continue to monitor the numbers, the projects, and the promises, ensuring that progress isn’t just announced, but delivered.
Best regards,
Clayton Watch Team
Subject: Clayton Finances – Real Progress, Real Leadership
Clayton’s finances have always been fundamentally sound. What’s different this past year is the presence of leadership that understands the numbers, manages them with discipline, and makes decisions grounded in facts.
June and July should have been an opportunity to celebrate that progress. Instead, the moment was overshadowed by an outside report, fueled by negative stories from the now-defunct town paper, a self-serving City Council member, and others engaging in political gamesmanship. While those efforts captured headlines, they did nothing to change the reality: Clayton now has a clear grasp of its finances, is managing them responsibly, and is planning for long-term stability.
Balanced Budget, Better Process
Just a year ago, residents were warned of a projected $629,000 deficit for the current fiscal year. That projection didn’t hold; the actual shortfall was less than $80,000. Under the focused leadership of City Manager Kris Loftus, with the support of engaged staff and an energized Budget & Audit Committee, the City adopted a balanced, bottom-up budget on time and without theatrics.
In June 2025, Clayton also passed its first-ever two-year budget, a milestone that shows real fiscal discipline and planning.
Stability Through Leadership
Clayton’s financial position is now stronger than it has been in years:
• The General Fund surplus is approximately $7 million, providing a healthy cushion.
• Capital improvement funds are directed toward high-priority needs based on data and public input, not political pageantry.
• The Budget & Audit Committee now meets regularly to scrutinize spending, review investments, and safeguard reserves.
Execution Over Excuses
The City is delivering results:
• Housing Element – Adopted locally in January 2023, delayed by State review and staffing changes, and now on track for approval in late September 2025.
• Climatec Infrastructure Program – Includes LED lighting conversions, new HVAC systems, smart irrigation, a solar array, and EV charging stations.
City staff are engaging the community while staying on top of core responsibilities. The old refrain of “too overworked to deliver” has been replaced with results.
Revenue, Fees, and Long-Term Sustainability
The City has implemented multiple policy-driven revenue measures, including:
• Updated Investment Policy – Partnered with a third-party manager for stronger investment performance.
• Master Fee Schedule Update – Adjusted fees to reflect actual service costs, including a new large-event fee for significant City resource use.
• Business License Compliance – Partnered with HDL to improve renewals and identify unlicensed businesses.
• Waste Management Contract – Renegotiated with Republic Services to meet recycling mandates and improve cost efficiency.
• Professional Investment Oversight – Partnered with UBS for improved portfolio growth.
A Revenue Enhancement Session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 19, 2025, to explore additional strategies for long-term financial sustainability. The discussion will cover potential new revenue sources as well as the steps required to put them into action.
Reducing Expenses and Increasing Efficiency
The City has also taken decisive steps to decrease expenses without compromising service quality:
• Staffing Consolidation – Streamlining positions to improve efficiency.
• Service Contract Reviews – Renegotiating agreements to reduce ongoing expenses.
• Lowering Energy Costs and Water Consumption – Implementing conservation strategies and efficiency upgrades.
• Temporary Contract Employees – Using short-term contract workers where appropriate, avoiding long-term staffing costs.
What’s Different Now
Past years saw political distractions and leadership turnover, particularly under prior council members Carl Wolfe, Peter Cloven, and Holly Tillman, and during the extended tenure of career politician Julie Pierce. City priorities often skewed toward ceremonies, proclamations, and parades instead of core services.
Poor leadership from past city managers worsened the situation:
• Reina Schwartz (2020) frequently worked remotely from Sacramento, was rarely present, and left the City with declining services.
• Bret Prebula ignored hiring protocols, skipped background checks, failed to post openings, and withheld financial and project information, forcing residents to file Public Records Act requests for basic answers.
Today, that approach is gone, replaced with competent, engaged leadership that focuses on execution, accountability, and planning.
The Bottom Line
Clayton has turned the corner. Real management has replaced past mismanagement, and the City is operating with discipline, transparency, and momentum.
In closing, we extend our sincere appreciation to City Manager Kris Loftus and the entire City staff for their dedication, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to serving our community. We also wish to thank Mayor Kim Trupiano, Vice Mayor Jeff Wan, and Council Members Jim Diaz and Rich Enea for their steady leadership and for keeping the City’s priorities at the forefront.
Clayton Watch will continue to monitor the numbers, the projects, and the promises, ensuring that progress isn’t just announced, but delivered.
Best regards,
Clayton Watch Team
Observing genuine work and real progress being made, rather than the usual political grandstanding and empty rhetoric, has been a breath of fresh air. Our council is collaborating thoughtfully and diligently to ensure Clayton shines. However, one member, Tillman, consistently undermines our efforts with her complaints and negativity about the community, without ever proposing any constructive solutions. Tillman is solely focused on her own agenda rather than what’s best for Clayton. If she had any ethical standards or sense of integrity, she would acknowledge her shortcomings, apologize to the community, and step down. Instead, Tillman displays a blatant narcissism, believing she is infallible and refusing to confront her failures. It’s time for her and her followers to fall silent. Every time Tillman speaks, she spreads misinformation, and it’s disappointing that her supporters lack the courage to hold her accountable.
ReplyDeleteAmen! Just read that garbage guest editorial in the now-defunct Pioneer. Tillman is Clayton’s problem.
DeleteA very sad article from Holly Tillman. All the article really conveys is what a bitter and miserable person she is. Nothing is her fault! She is perfect! It's the other 4 and everyone else in government who are bad. What is Holly actually for? She is against all of the good work that is being done. Her comment on the Good Governance training she demanded shows she isn't satisfied even when she gets what she asks for. That's the sign of a miserable person.
DeleteShe should have addressed the situation if Tillman was unhappy during the good governance training. Waiting for an editorial to create controversy again was not the right approach. I'm really tired of her tired rhetoric; it feels like she's a constipated camel in heat.
DeleteTransparency she says. She wants to know the exact reason her colleagues vote for everything. She wants meetings to go on for hours with rhetoric. It’s about the campaign for her, not doing the job. According to her everyone else has an agenda. But she doesn’t. Yet every day her agenda becomes more clear, she wants attention so she can run for higher office. What better way than to make every vote a controversy?
DeleteYou guys rock, and don't miss a beat! Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJust a minor quibble - I read where the LED lighting program is on track whatever that is. I wonder if anyone ever got the blessing of those in the Oakhurst or Easley Estates Developments (a matter where they campaigned for and won) as part of the required Development Plan stipulations and the associated Environmental Plan/Approvals where there is the restriction to have only only amber lights. (However they they do make amber in LED style). Maybe someone could correct but then again who in our Council really cares about stuff like that - they just do what they want.
ReplyDeleteNo need to talk about any of these people anymore. Can we turn the page now and focus on the great council members we have? For sure we have 4 that care a lot about our city. Let's forget about all the people mentioned in this article who let our city down. The newspaper that made those people out to be heroes is gone. If you really want to see the truth, go to the meetings yourself or watch the videos. You will see which 4 council members are doing work and which one isn't.
ReplyDeleteThank you CW for letting us know about all the progress taking place in Clayton. What a contrast to Holly’s self serving editorial in the now defunct local paper. Holly just cannot stop trying to destroy our little town with misinformation and lies. Glad to see her mouthpiece, the Pioneer, riding off into the sunset. It is time for Holly to jump onto a horse and ride off with it.
ReplyDeleteRidding off on a jackass is more accurate.
DeleteAgree
DeleteAgree x2
DeleteClayton’s Finances - A Community Win
ReplyDeleteI'm encouraged by the latest update from Clayton Watch outlining the City’s real financial progress. Disciplined leadership, engaged staff, and a commitment to facts are delivering results. I'm so glad the Pioneer is gone. Tamara Steiner made her own bed.
Clayton Watch’s latest update makes one thing crystal clear: progress happens when leaders focus on the numbers and the work, not on political games or self-promotion. While some have spent years stirring up drama, pushing false narratives, and derailing real progress, City leadership under Kris Loftus and the current council majority has delivered a balanced two-year budget, rebuilt reserves, and invested in core infrastructure. That’s what competence looks like. The difference is night and day. Clayton has moved from excuses and photo-ops to execution and results. And no amount of noise from the sidelines can change that fact.
ReplyDeleteIt's time to address the issue of stalled progress. Has anyone actually reviewed the applicants for the trails and landscaping committee? It's striking to see that many of them list Holly and/or Matt Tillman as references. This raises serious questions about fairness and transparency. It's frustrating that Holly consistently voices complaints without contributing positively to the process. We need to ensure our committees are filled with individuals who are genuinely committed to progress, not just those who have connections.
ReplyDeleteCan we talk about that proposal to build condos in front of the Golf Course? Why do I feel like the public has zero say in this? Does Clayton really need more smaller housing??
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely not. I'm writing to the council about this. I am actually passionate about keeping Clayton the way it is without the WC feel. I am with you though.....their minds are made up already. Those condos will be built.
DeleteAnother win for the people of Clayton. It’d be great if new residents could leave their politics at the door and just appreciate what makes this community special.
DeleteHey Clayton Watch, I’m really liking the new circular logo! Any idea when we’ll get a look at the new T-shirt design, if one is planned? I'm in for two. You should think about it.
DeleteWe’re in Tennessee and following along. Great job Clayton Watch.
DeleteWe're in Oklahoma following along. We’re glad to see someone is actually pushing back on the nonsense that has been taking place in Clayton for far too long.
DeleteIt’s funny how smoothly things have been running since the CBCA is out of the picture and most of the political manipulation has faded, except for Tillman. After reading the article on this site about why Clayton is so divided, I see things differently now. That nonprofit should stick to its mission and stay out of City Hall’s business.
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeleteResidents and CW have been saying it for years: poor leadership and bad hires held us back. Now, with real professionals ("the adults") at City Hall, we’re finally moving forward.
ReplyDeleteReina Schwartz (2020) — Worked remotely from Sacramento, rarely present, and city services declined.
Bret Prebula — Ignored hiring rules, skipped background checks, hid key info from the public. Residents had to file Public Records Act requests just to get answers.
Leadership matters. Accountability matters. #CityHall #Leadership #Transparency #Progress
I just read Holly’s Guest Editorial in the now defunct Pioneer. What a miserable self-serving person. Can anyone list just one positive thing Holly has done for Clayton in the last 41/2 years she has been on the council.
ReplyDeleteI can’t list anything positive, but she has done a lot of damage. Just watch the videos.
DeleteRead the mayor's column, it is so positive. But Holly Tillman says it's a facade! Her supporters continue to spin the lie the city is going broke. The city is making progress but according to Holly and her supporters things have never been worse. Fortunately, we can see with our own eyes that Holly's version of things is false.
DeletePlease sell your new logo on shirts on your site. I'm sure many people would proudly buy and wear them!
ReplyDeleteI am very pleased that Clayton Watch supports and prints the truth about what is going on in Clayton. The negativity from the few and vocal people, attending council meetings will hopefully change since the Pioneer isn't going to be around to encourage and support their misrepresentations of the facts. This website is for all residents, and I encourage everyone to write Clayton Watch to express their opinions. Unlike the Pioneer they will be published because they understand people have different views and opinions.
ReplyDeleteYou said it, Dave Roberts. All views are expressed here. Residents of Clayton did not have that option with the Pioneer. Tamara only printed a false narrative and the opinions of her friends
DeleteWhen Jeff Wan was mayor, Tammy refused to publish his column because she didn’t like the content. I believe Jeff never wrote another piece after that refusal. Why waste his time with that biased and unethical person.
DeleteIt’s inspiring to witness our city advancing positively, even with Tillman and her supporters attempting to undermine Clayton at every opportunity. I’m grateful that four council members demonstrate true common sense and intelligence. The fourth member, who consistently stirs up conflict, should consider keeping her misleading remarks to herself or even relocating if she dislikes Clayton so intensely.
ReplyDeleteAgree
DeletePlease watch city council meeting from 8/19. For all those who keep saying the city is in decline, including Holly Tillman, the staff disagrees. Holly's recent "guest editorial" was a slap in the face for the staff. If ever there was a time for Holly to resign, it's now. What an insult to the staff, the other 4 council members, everyone who volunteers on commissions and committees. Here is the link to the recent city council meeting: https://claytonca.granicus.com/player/clip/136?view_id=1&redirect=true. See for yourself that the lies told by Holly and her supporters about the finances are nothing more than an attempt to scare everyone into voting for her friends from the CBCA back onto the council.
ReplyDeleteShe can’t be trusted.
ReplyDeleteHolly and Tamara were NEVER to be trusted! Those who do trust them are fools!
DeleteTamara and Tillman called for a grand jury investigation, but all they got was indigestion. They had a goal to destroy the town but in the end they look like clowns.
ReplyDeleteNow the paper is gone because it was wrong, but the city remains strong even though it was wronged.
We hope Tamara and Tillman have seen the light, but we know they really aren’t too bright.
So nows the time for the clown to resign so the city can realign, but she can’t resist another chance to malign.
What is the difference between the current recognition of a structural deficit and a look at increasing revenue, mostly via various tax initiatives, and that which was brought to light by previous staff?
ReplyDeletePrevious staff didn’t check the numbers at all.
DeleteI have a tax proposal - Tax the CBCA out of existence.
ReplyDelete