EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. – In an effort to bring local control of transportation and state funding to the Lake Tahoe basin portion of El Dorado County and South Lake Tahoe, members of both entities worked together to form a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) in October 2024.

Frustrated that California funds for transportation go to the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), the JPA was going to work on getting those funds diverted to them so they could create bus routes that best served the needs of Meyers (where there is no bus service), better or new service for the City, and to ease the overcrowding of the SR89 corridor . TTD uses the funds for transportation, but they cover the East Shore and trips to the Carson Valley in Nevada, as well as South Lake Tahoe, California.

“The creation of a joint powers authority with the power to establish, plan for, manage, own, finance, acquire, operate, or provide public transit facilities and services,” states the South Tahoe Transit Joint Powers Authority agreement.

Also in the agreement was the information, policies, procedures and duties needed to start the JPA. The county would pay one-third of the startup costs, the City two-thirds. The approved startup costs were up to $150,000 when the agreement was signed, but when the County wouldn’t budget their portion in their last budget, the JPA worked on a reduced budget for year one to $77,326.

During the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting on January 6, the funding of $25,725 was on the consent agenda. Since the funds would come from their general fund, the item needed to pass by a 4/5 vote (last year the Board voted to move Transient Occupancy Tax funds into the general fund, and since this items would be funding by TOT Special Projects Designation, a majority didn’t suffice). The received three of the four needed votes, with Supervisors Brian Veerkamp and George Turnboo blocking the funding.

Veerkamp had it pulled off consent. He said he understood the County is under a JPA agreement with the City, and aluded to an amount of money was needed to fund it, but the board did not approve at budget time (4-1 with Supervisor Brooke Laine the lone dissent). Veerkamp said he is not against transit, and could possibly reconsider in the future.

The County is supposed to give partners (in this case, the City), a 120 day notice if they want to pull out of the agreement. The County has not pulled out by notice and has not held up their side of the contract they signed by not funding their one-third share of the JPA. So far, the South Lake Tahoe City Council has not wanted to push that issue.

El Dorado County currently does not financially support any transportation for the county side of the Basin, though they have funded Lake Link in the past but that does not reach Meyers, Camp Richardson, or Tahoma, the unincorporated areas of the County.

Supervisor Lori Parlin said she didn’t see where the JPA funding would go, and she said she sees newsletters from Lake Tahoe that talk about the successful transportation – not knowing the current TTD routes do not service the County.

Supervisor Board Chair Brooke Laine gave the supervisors a history on how they got to where they are today. El Dorado County gets federal money for transportation on the west slope, with some of it going to El Dorado County Transportation Commission (EDCTC). The Board also financially supports the SouthEast Cooridor JPA are able to work on obtaining grants, something the South Tahoe Transit Joint Powers Authority wants to do.

Since the JPA formed, TTD has taken notice that they were serious about going after the same California funds they do and have become a better partner. Until now it has been controversial on where the funding comes from, and where it ends up (in Nevada). The creation of the new JPA put pressure on TTD as the County and City did not feel transit on the south Shore is supporting residential needs to its fullest, and not filling any needs to the unincorpoated area. Laine said at the meeting on Jan. 6 that she did a survey and 600 residents responded, with 85 percent of them saying they needed transit desperately.

The startup funds the County failed to approve would have helped fund the work the JPA would get from the City in setting up the JPA.

“It would help us get on our feet, and I’d really like for all of your to think hard,” said Laine about the $25k in funding. “It’s really important to us. Help us get this up.”

Veerkamp bring up forest restoration funds the Lake Tahoe Basin received through the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and other Basin-wide funding. He is still concerned the West slope received none of the funds meant soley for Lake Tahoe and suggest maybe the JPA could get some of that money.

Laine thanked the City for being a good partner., and giving the County another shot at being part of the JPA.

“Tremendous kudos to the City for being a leader on this.” said Laine.

During their January 13 meeting, the South Lake Tahoe City Council said they were disappointed with the County. Mayor Bass said their goal was to work with them to cover their contribution, and that the current TTD Executive Director Jim Marino is better on working on the City transportation needs. Councilman David Jinkens said they should work on convincing the supervisors to hold up their end of the agreement and pay their small share.