By Kathryn Reed

A shake-up at TRPA means five employees lost their jobs last week.

The reorganization is part of the strategic plan the Governing Board will be presented with June 24. The goals of the plan are threshold gain, operational efficiency, streamlining, and community engagement/public service.

The other thing the board will entertain next week is a formal ethics policy – something the bi-state agency has never had.

Julie Regan, chief spokesperson for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, said management realizes the public perception is money can buy permits and help cut corners. She said the reality is this does not happen.

A formal ethics policy is designed to put in writing that there is no tolerance for favors and to outline consequences if perception turns to reality.

Other staff changes include Jerry Wells losing his title of deputy director and becoming special projects chief. He is spending half his time on the Regional Plan update and the other half on special projects like Homewood. His old job has been eliminated.

Executive Director Joanne Marchetta would eventually like to hire a chief operating officer.

With the elimination of four program managers and a long-range land use planner on June 10, the idea is every employee will work on thresholds. A new position of resource integration specialist will be created. Two new planners will be hired as well – one part of the reorg, the other because someone voluntarily left.

“With efficiency we want to breakdown the silos. Planning is now all in one department – short and long range. That is a departure from the past,” Regan explained. “We want people to think holistically. We are going to have to approach the environment in an integrated fashion.”

A cost-savings will be realized in the short-term, but in the long run the reorganization will not help the bottom line.