Letters: Republican women host luncheon and examine housing funding solutions

The South Lake Tahoe Republican Women Federated hosted its May 11th luncheon meeting featuring guest speakers Duane Wallace, CEO, ACE of the South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce, and David Jinkens, retired South Lake Tahoe city manager, and good government advocate.

A discussion was held regarding how to fund affordable housing in South Lake Tahoe. The City Council had originally decided to explore two tax measures: (1) Transient Occupancy Tax Increase and (2) 2nd Home Vacancy Tax. Both tax measures were tabled at the last council meeting due to an overwhelming objection by constituents. Instead, the council decided to explore becoming a Charter City which enables them to possibly implement a “Real Estate Transfer Tax” (e.g. a possibly illegal tax under Proposition 13).

The guest speakers discussed many other options to help fund affordable housing for our workforce instead of going with yet another tax on its citizens.  Some of the viable options discussed were: 

1) First, determine South Lake Tahoe’s share of the affordable housing need and offer it to our workforce -- “locals first”
2) Work with stakeholders in this effort that benefit from the needed workforce - Vail/Heavenly/Casinos
3) Work with “land rich” stakeholders to donate land since this is a State mandate – CTC/USFS/STPUD and others
4) Let’s get all local governments in the region to take their share of needed housing. Do more public/private partnerships
5) Consider using some of the excess cannabis tax revenues for this purpose 6) Use “Redevelopment Lite” Districts, an EFID, or Develop an “inclusionary” Builders Fee to help fund affordable housing
7) General consensus was that there were three taxes passed on the last four ballots in the city and there is enough taxation—let’s try something else to fund this need but ensure that we are funding our share and not the entire Region’s share of affordable housing.

The South Lake Tahoe Republican Women, Federated meets most months on the second Thursday from 11:30 am to 1 pm. For more information, please email us at: solaketahoerepublicanwomen@gmail.com

- South Lake Tahoe Republican Women, Federated