North Lake Tahoe Resort Association gets $1.78M from Placer County

Over the next six months the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association (NLTRA) will get $1,779,495 from Placer County after the Board of Supervisors approved the contract Tuesday.

Of the contract, $1,728,262 will fund NLTRA marketing and visitor services, with $16,104 earmarked for NLTRA’s participation in regional transportation planning efforts and $33,129 for their support in developing a capital projects partnership to complete goals in the Tourism Master Plan.

In June, the board approved a one-month, $462,199 contract with NLTRA to allow more time for the agencies to continue discussions about the future of the county and NLTRA partnership and return to the board with the six-month transitional contract outlining each agency’s responsibilities.

Foundational to the contract discussions were several key priorities identified through community engagement about the future of the partnership; including a strong desire for more geographically-diverse community representation into prioritizing infrastructure investments and ensuring transparency and accountability for taxpayer dollars.

The contract also calls for the county and NLTRA to develop a capital projects partnership to convene community conversations on priorities identified in the Tourism Master Plan approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2015.

"I think it's a good approach to engage more of the community in the process,” said District 3 Supervisor Jim Holmes.

“As we move forward I am very hopeful that we will continue to pay very close attention to the voice of the business community that has actively engaged in making sure that we are in a position to continue to fund these kinds of projects, by virtue of what we collect through our TOT,” said District 4 Supervisor Kirk Uhler. “I want to make sure that we are very finely attuned to what that business community voice is telling us in terms of our capital investments meeting their needs.”

Each year, transient occupancy tax is collected from area guests and is used to fund the marketing of North Lake Tahoe and transportation and infrastructure projects that benefit residents and visitors. Since 1996, Placer County has partnered with the resort association to market North Lake Tahoe and recommend how to prioritize transportation and infrastructure goals outlined in the county’s Tourism Master Plan.

In recent months, county staff based in North Lake Tahoe and the NLTRA hosted a number of community meetings and workshops to seek feedback on how the county and NLTRA can include broader community perspective in prioritizing infrastructure and transportation projects in the region.

The contract also calls for the organization to develop a marketing plan to outline strategies for destination marketing, visitor information, conference sales and special events, to include revised performance measures in line with the county’s efforts across all its partnerships to ensure that tax dollars continue to deliver impactful results.

“By taking the time over the next six months to thoughtfully include the communities of eastern Placer County and those individuals who have a vested stake in our tourism economy, I am optimistic that the partnership and our roles between the resort association and Placer County will further serve this region,” said Adam Wilson, chairman of the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association board of directors.

During this six-month transitional contract period, in effect from Aug. 1 through Jan. 31, 2018, the county and NLTRA will continue to engage the community about investment priorities in eastern Placer County as outlined in the Tourism Master Plan and include that feedback in a longer-term strategy for the partnership. County staff expect to return to the board in December to present that strategy and seek approval for a longer contract with NLTRA for the coming year.