agenda

Election season can be an exciting time of year with anticipation of the possibilities, but this year in South Lake Tahoe election season is full of negativity that has pitted neighbor against neighbor. One year ago I wrote an editorial "Use the election to create a community of collaboration and teamwork," and today I urge continuance of community, collaboration and teamwork.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a referendum to put a halt to the South Lake Tahoe cannabis ordinance was successful, a meeting held Monday was to work through the points of the ordinance Cody Bass and Tahoe Wellness Cooperative took issue with.

Led by the City Council representatives Austin Sass and Brooke Laine, members of the original cannabis workgroup, Cody Bass and some members of the public, about two dozen in total, spent three hours trying to come up direction for the city attorney to use in creating a new ordinance.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For each of the next nine days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

First up is Wendy David, the current mayor of South Lake Tahoe. She is seeking a second term on the Council.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Money is on its way to South Lake Tahoe to restore the Upper Truckee Marsh, the largest remaining wetland in the Sierra Nevada, and reverse damage created by decades of development.

The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) announced Thursday they received $1,700,066 from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife towards their project to redirect the Upper Truckee River to its historic network of channels through the Marsh. Water flowing through the Marsh will slow down, allowing sediment to settle instead of reaching Lake Tahoe.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On Thursday, the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) Board of Directors discussed changing their administrative code to allow for the transfer of sewer and water units from one parcel to another in order to encourage the building of affordable housing projects.

Since 2012, the transfer of the sewer units have not been allowed by STPUD, but with the current lack of affordable housing on the South Shore the board will look to approve a change of the code at their September 20, 2018 meeting.

The next meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council is Tuesday, September 4, 2018, starting at 9:00 a.m.

During the meeting they will discuss, and or vote on, the following topics:

The 2018-2019 Municipal Budget will be presented in a workshop. Discussion started in April for adoption this Fall. The largest expense in the budget is $640,000 which covers Animal Control costs. Salaries and benefits equal $27,387,222 of the
budget which is being presented as $86,487,692.

South Lake Tahoe Charter Communications customers have been unable to watch Sacramento NBC affiliate KCRA since June 8, 2018, but area residents along with City and County government are continuing the fight to get them back on the local line-up.

Charter pulled the station because they already carry a local NBC channel, KRNV out of Reno and are not required to carry two. They are only required to carry stations based on a region's Designated Market Area (DMA). South Lake Tahoe is in the Reno DMA, not the Sacramento.

Due to the 22nd annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Tuesday, the South Lake Tahoe City Council has moved their bi-monthy meeting to Monday, August 6, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Council will continue their discussion on cost recovery methods when attempting to collect fines from homeowners, as well as new agenda items covering a tree thinning project on airport property and payment plans on parking violations due to changes in California law.

Douglas County Manager Larry Werner has requested to be released from his contract giving a 60 day notice effective August 31, 2018.

“The time I have spent working for Douglas County has been challenging but rewarding,” said Larry. “I know that it is time for me to pursue retirement and family, but I will miss working with the great people in this community in this capacity.”

Discussion of Larry’s resignation and a plan for the future of the position will be held at the July 5, 2018 Board of County Commissioners meeting and has been placed on the meeting agenda.

The monthly meeting of the Tahoe Paradise Recreation & Park District Board will be on Thursday, May 31 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the park located at 1011 E. San Bernardino.

Agenda items include the following:

Availability of online forum from CSDA/Dane Waddle update from CSDA -
Consideration of covering park volunteers with Workers Comp.
Paddle Board Concession Request
Deck and pathway update
Donation letter and Thank you letter Templates
Interpretive signs update & Budget
Community Park Projects List
Forest thinning Project Update and firewood

The last few attempts to have a special El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting on vacation home rentals (VHRs) have been met by bad weather and an overcrowded venue. The VHR meeting is now scheduled for Wednesday, May 2 at 6:00 p.m. in the South Tahoe Middle School multi-purpose room.

A revised VHR ordinance is the only item on the agenda.

The Board is looking at eight revisions to the current Ordinance:

1) Restructure the violation and penalty provisions;
2) Clarify the language throughout the Ordinance;
3) Require exterior signage;

Words many hear when dealing with public agencies are the words "Brown Act." These words have also been used many times recently in complaints about the South Lake Tahoe City Council. But how many understand their meaning and how they came about?

On Monday, April 30, the City Council will hold a special meeting to take care of a few items prior to their May 1 meeting, and a training on the Brown Act and AB 1234 are part of that.

The last few months have been some of the most difficult for our City Council, for our City and for our community. Similar to the national conversation, with immediate access to social media in many forms, controversial opinion pieces go immediately out to the public, even before the accused have an opportunity to hear the allegations. Soon after, public comment and “opinion” on the opinion begins with little interest in whether there is truth.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The City is soliciting applications for two appointments to the Planning Commission to fill vacancies due to the resignations of Jamie Orr and Jessie Dwyer.

Orr is moving out of the City Limits and Dwyer is being relocated out of the area for work. Since all commissioners must reside in the South Lake Tahoe city limits, they can no longer serve.

The terms for the two new appointments will last eight months, until January, 2019.

The board of directors for the Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park District will hold their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 29 in the park's clubhouse starting at 6:00 p.m.

Here is the meeting agenda:

1. CALL TO ORDER AND CONFIRMATION OF QUORUM
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

The old Bijou Post Office on Sandy Way in South Lake Tahoe may soon be home to new El Dorado County offices. This property is across the street from their current government center at the corner of Takela Drive and Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

During the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 13, 2018, there will be a vote on the agenda item regarding purchase of the property for $1,250,000. Supervisor Sue Novasel said they have been putting money aside to be used in an El Dorado Center Campus in South Lake Tahoe. The project includes a major remodel of both buildings.

What does a community "rich in art" look like? The Tahoe Arts Alliance is partnering with Nevada Arts Council to hold a Public Arts Town Meeting and to share and get public input on Tuesday, March 13 at the Tahoe Mountain Lab from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Residents, businesses and non-profits are being brought together to assess the current "state of the arts" on the South Shore.

Last week's snowstorm postponed the meeting of the board of directors of Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park District. It has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 8 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Tahoe Paradise Park, 1011 E. San Bernardino.

The agenda for that meeting includes rules and regulation updates lower park parking lot winter preparation, the July 7 triathlon, signage, projects, forest thinning, amphitheater and dock projects, Lake Trail project, Music in the Park, grants, way finding and more.

One thing is evident at the last few months of South Lake Tahoe City Council meetings - the public is interested in voicing their opinions about several hot topics on the agenda including vacation home rentals, cannabis and SnowGlobe.

Tuesday, February 20 was no different as a line of locals got up to speak about the newly formed group, the No Globe Alliance.

News spread through South Lake Tahoe this week that surprised and shocked many, the City Council's decision to put City Manager Nancy Kerry on indefinite leave. The council will be meeting in closed session on Monday, February 12, 2018 to discuss the situation. Their agenda item, "PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE/DISMISSAL/RELEASE Pursuant to Government Code Section 54957(b)" starts at 9:00 a.m.

That section of code allows special and closed session meetings to consider the appointment, employment, evaluation of performance, discipline, or dismissal of a public employee.

On Tuesday both the South Lake Tahoe City Council and the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted to extend their ban on commercial sales of cannabis as they work out the rules and regulations for their jurisdictions.

The ban on sales in South Lake Tahoe was set to expire on January 25, 2018, and without an extension or ordinance in place, anyone could have applied for a license to sell with the State of California.

There will be a special meeting of the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to discuss vacation home rentals (VHRs) in South Lake Tahoe at 6:00 p.m. on February 1 at the City Council chambers.

Supervisor Sue Novasel said she believes a meeting about the South Shore should be held on the South Shore so more of the citizens could attend and participate.

The hot topic of VHRs has divided many neighbors with opinions on both side of the issue.

Meyers, the commercial, public services, and recreation hub of unincorporated El Dorado County at the South Shore may soon have a new area plan and there are three upcoming public meetings on the plan. It could be adopted at the third meeting, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board meeting on February 28.

The next board meeting of the Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park District (formerly Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District) will be held at the park's clubhouse on Thursday, December 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Included on the agenda is discussion and action on a new director, a name change for the park and other items including interpretive signs, community park projects, a forest thinning project, park host for summer 2018, Music in the Park and way finding signage.

The public is invited.