SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The next meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council is Tuesday, September 8 at 9 a.m.

To see the complete agenda and for instructions on participation, visit https://cityofslt.gov/84/Watch-City-CouncilCommission-Meetings.

Consent agenda:

Community benefit and enhancement grant guidelines and cannabis business and professions tax. This was formerly known as the Cannabis Community Benefit Fee; funds collected by the City went to the general fund, with up to 50 percent of it going to support nonprofits that helped mitigate the effects of having legal cannabis businesses in the community. Council will vote on transferring $28,000 of cannabis revenue to the Arts, Culture, and Tourism Commission’s Community Grant Program for Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and start a new program.

$400,000 was approved by the Council in its budget. With the $28,000 going to the above commission, the $372,000 remaining is proposed to go to proposals in four categories.

  • Youth Programs – sports access, education, etc.: $106,000 total available in this category
  • Basic Needs – Food assistance, housing assistance, & social services: $106,000 total available in this category
  • Mental Health & Substance Abuse: $106,000 total available in this category
  • Wildland Urban Interface and Natural Environment Management – e.g., wildlife management, defensible space, cleanups, plantings, etc.:  $54,000 total available in this category

In regular and new business:

Special Event and Vacation Home Rental Inspection Fee Update

Vote on the Mid-Town Area/Specific Plan

Approval of Resolution Authorizing Exchange and Bargain Sale Agreement and Joint Escrow Instructions with the California Tahoe Conservancy

Future use of the now-closed recreation center which is owned by El Dorado County. The Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe was the only interested party to submit a complete proposal to turn the site into an indoor year-round recreation area for club members. The current building would have to be torn down. Annual operating costs are estimated at $606,900, while major repairs and upgrades necessary for longer-term use are estimated at $15.8 million. While vacant, the building continues to cost
the City approximately $20,000 per month in maintenance costs. Since closure, the site has also experienced break-ins, homelessness-related impacts, and general blight. Given the lack of viable community interest in reuse of the existing structure, the substantial cost of continued operation or rehabilitation, and the ongoing maintenance and nuisance issues associated with vacancy, demolition is recommended as the most fiscally responsible next step.

The City and the County entered an agreement to trade parts of the “56-acre area” to build the new recreation center. The County gave the City the current land for the new center, and in turn the County is to receive the 11.45 acres at the site of the old recreation center. Until then, the land is on a lease agreement. That agreement states the City is to tear down the old recreation center by 2037 at its expense. Of the 56 acres, the county owns about 41 acres, and the city owns about 15.

Council will receive an update on the General Plan 2027 – 2035 Housing Element