What next for Tahoe now that Sandoval has signed SB 471 and 462?

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval signed dozens of new bills last week, including two that affect improvement districts on the Douglas County side of Lake Tahoe, and both will become law on July 1, 2017.

SB 471 abolishes the Douglas County Sewer District No. 1, which was established in 1953, and converts it into the Douglas County Lake Tahoe Sewer Authority and changes its governing structure. The Authority will furnish residents with an adequate system of sewage collection and treatment and disposal of wastewater.

SB 462 will allow the Douglas County Commissioners to form a committee to review existing General Improvement Districts (GIDs).

The Tahoe Citizen's Committee is holding a public meeting on June 13 to help everyone understand what these mean for their community. It will be held in the board room at the Visitor's Center Building at 169 Highway 50 at 6:00 p.m.

Douglas County Sen. James Settelmeyer, R-Minden authored both bills and will serve on the review committee should commissioners go in that direction.

Local representation on the Authority will be appointed from three of the districts it will serve: Kingsbury, Tahoe-Douglas and Round Hill.

The Tahoe Citizen's Committee became active again in recent years with concern about where the pumped effluent from the Lake Tahoe basin was headed. For over 50 years it has gone over Kingsbury Grade and to retention ponds they share in the Pine Nut Mountains. Tahoe proposed building a new retention pond on 1,001 acres of land, and to pay for it by selling gravel from the area, but met opposition from East Valley residents.