sales tax

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The South Lake Tahoe City Council has been working with the public, home owners, residents and vacation rental companies for years in trying to get a vacation home rental ordinance that works for everyone.

The balancing act will continue during a Vacation Rental Workshop during the next City Council meeting on July 11.

Last Friday, I delivered to the Board of Supervisors and publicly released the County’s Recommended Budget. The 422-page document deserves some context.

Roadwork stops in South Lake Tahoe at 6:00 a.m. Friday, so drivers have an easy go of it until 6:00 a.m. Wednesday as crews break for the Memorial Day holiday. Those working on the City of South Lake Tahoe roads go by the same rules as Caltrans, so both will stop for this period.

Starting Wednesday, Caltrans continues on the three-year Highway 50 project from the Y to Trout Creek. This year's work is from the Y to Tahoe Keys Boulevard. Another project is the completion of the bike trail from El Dorado Beach to Ski Run Blvd.

This past city council meeting all 5 council members agreed to have staff present us a ballot measure that would increase the city sales tax by 1/2%. This came after a survey was completed and results were presented by the outside independent company contracted by the city. The results indicated that almost 68% of the survey respondents supported the increase as long as the funds would be dedicated by law to roads.

The City of South Lake Tahoe now has a new vision statement to guide all of their decisions: "We will reflect the national treasure in which we live."

During a two-day long retreat and strategic planning session, the City Council and staff leaders met to discuss their strategies over the next two years, something they do right after every Council election.

City leaders will now get other agencies on the South Shore to join them in this mission, as well as the community. The vision will be reflected on City materials, a new logo, and be the "guiding principle in decision making."

The roads around Lake Tahoe have been hard to navigate this week after several feet of snow fell in the basin after the last series of storms over the weekend. Many streets in South Lake Tahoe remain narrow and thick with snow, making it hard to drive through neighborhoods.

Just as residents struggle with all that snow left on their roofs, driveways and walkways, City snowplows are also struggling with what seemed at times as nonstop snow.

7:00 a.m. 11/9 update: 100 percent of the precincts have been counted in Douglas County.

Douglas County School Board

Area 3
Keith Byer 13,009 65.88 %
Michael Kiger 6737 34.12 %

Area 4
Linda Gilkerson 11,760 58.19 %
Larry Lippman 8450 41.81 %

Cave Rock General Improvement District

Ralph Miller 53 43.80 %
Joanne Zerg 45 37.19 %
Michael Rooney 23 19.01 %

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District

Greg Felton 1710 27.57 %
Ann Grant 1680 27.08 %
Larry Schussel 1678 27.05 %

Many are ready for this election to be over the national level with the negativity surrounding the campaigns. On a local level there are several choices before voters.

If you have not already submitted your ballots, find your polling place here:

California
Nevada

If you live in the South Lake Tahoe City limits, you are able to vote for two of ten candidates for City Council (in alphabetical order):

Brooke Laine
Dan McLaughlin
Jason Collin
JoAnn Conner

All candidates for South Lake Tahoe City Council were given the same questions. With just one day to go to the elections, we will be featuring their answers and a video of their interview with Tahoe Regional Young Professionals through the day.

Jason Collin, 43, Administrative Director of Post-Acute Services & Owner/Race Director for Epic Tahoe Adventures, 8 years living in Tahoe.

Discuss your interest in serving on City Council. What is your prior experience in working with civic, community or governmental organizations?

As a sitting Council Member and Board Member of Lodging Association, I urge voters to vote Yes on Measure P – “P” for Play and Recreation. This would increase hotel taxes by 2% throughout the City. The Lodging Association is supporting this measure because Recreation is our economy; investing in our economy will encourage more visitors and visitors to stay longer, which in turn supports the rest of our local economy.

I've never met anyone that likes taxes, but we pay them to fund the things we need in our lives: fire protection, law enforcement, education, roads, and services, just to name a few.

In November, Measure U is before the voters of South Lake Tahoe. A "yes" vote will add an extra 1/2 percent to the sales tax on non-food items purchased in the city limits. Currently, the tax is eight percent so the increase works out to be an extra five cents on every ten dollars purchased. It is estimated the tax increase would bring in an extra $2.5 million to the City.

Unless a new source of funding comes through, the Tahoe Transportation District Board is going to cut the 21x bus line from the South Shore to Carson City starting October 2.

During the City Council meeting on Tuesday, June 21, the following items will be addressed and possibly voted on:

The approval of $627,371 to be spend on the lobby of the SLT Airport to make improvements for both appearance and aging electrical and lighting. A Verdi, Nev., company submitted the bid to add a gas fireplace, log and iron accents, stone facade, new windows, walls and ADA complaince.

Approve measures to add two new tax measures to the November ballot, one to increase Tourist Occupancy Tax (TOT) by 2 percent and the other to increase sales tax by 1/2 percent.

In just over one hour, the South Lake Tahoe City Council finished up all of their business for the day, but not all that was on the agenda.

City Council members Hal Cole and Tom Davis were both missing from the May 3 meeting, Davis due to a planned County Supervisor luncheon and Cole due to illness.

The agenda for the Lake Tahoe Unified School District Board of Education on Tuesday, March 8 is a full one. Board members will be addressing the new state law concerning immunizations, new lights for the soccer field at South Tahoe Middle School, a conditioning room and new flooring at South Tahoe High, student privacy, finances, a 4.5% raise for employees, and discuss a tuition agreement with Douglas County Schools. The meeting begins at the District Office at 5:00 p.m. with closed session, with the public portion beginning about 6:00 p.m.

Immunizations

Millions of dollars could be headed to the South Shore if the Douglas County Commissioners vote to increase gas tax by five cents and add an additional 0.25% infrastructure sales tax.

The Countywide Connectivity initiative looks at several projects both at the lake and in the valley that would address safety issues for walkers, cyclists and drivers while creating vibrate business districts that attract investment.

Cycling in South Lake Tahoe was the focus of the second Annual Cycle Celebration on Saturday. Kids both young and old were at the Heavenly Village to participate in a Bike Parade, Bike Rodeo, Bike Tune-Up station and informational booths.

The celebration wrapped up the two-week long Tahoe Bike Challenge where hundreds of people got out of their cars and biked to school, work and for play.

During Saturday's activities, the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition honored the Town of Truckee and Karen & Pete Fink for their contributions to cycling in the region.

Boulder, Colorado has one. Portland, Oregon has one. Even Roseville and Truckee, California have one. If plans go as they appeared to during a presentation at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, South Lake Tahoe will soon have one.

What is it?

"It" is a combination BMX track and mountain bike skills park which will be located at the city owned Bijou Park.

Bijou Bike Park Association (BBPA) and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) President Ben Fish laid out the proposed plan to the Council and community.

Mayor Tom Davis touched on more than a couple of dozen points during his State of the City Address which was presented to an overflowing full house at Tuesday's City Council meeting.

Among the Davis's highlighted city successes for the year:

Linear Park - Over $600,000 was spent on a paved bike path, landscaping and an additional 22 lights on a stretch from Wildwood Avenue to just before Pioneer Trail.

The budget requests submitted by state agencies on Monday come to just about the same total as the current budget, balanced by continuing several revenue shifts imposed during the last two biennia,...

Transportation projects are not always about new capacity for automobiles and trucks. Transportation projects may include improvements for, airports, railroads, mass transit, bike lanes and walking paths. These projects are often constructed to help environmental impact, provide for better safety and more economical ways for people to do there business or pleasure.

CARSON CITY — The National Retail Federation has launched a nationwide 60-day campaign to raise awareness among lawmakers and the public on how what it calls a loophole exempting online sales from sales tax is hurting local communities and job creation.
If Nevada’s five-member Congressional delegation is any indication, the group has its work cut out for it, with three members opposed and two supportive of the idea to allow states to tax online sales.