Gorman pays South Tahoe overdue TOT

Updated: Sept. 13, 2010, 3:45pm.

By Kathryn Reed

Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce Executive Director B Gorman wrote a check to South Lake Tahoe for nearly $1,000 on Sept. 9 for the transient occupancy tax she had not paid since last December.

Gorman did not return a phone call seeking comment.

B Gorman

The city Finance Department allows people to self-report what is due.

Gorman’s payment comes one day after Lake Tahoe News reported she was operating a vacation rental out of her home without permits or paying taxes.

The city assessed $100 in fines on the $633 in back TOT she paid. The room tax is 10 percent, so the Gormans collected more than $6,000 in rent.

The city did not issue her a permit because Gorman told officials she was getting out of the room rental business.

Patrick Atherton, president of the chamber board, said on Sept. 9 that it is an internal matter for the board to decide if any action should be taken regarding Gorman’s behavior.

While that is true, it is not a decision that can be done solely behind closed doors because the chamber is funded with public money. Annually it receives cash from Douglas County. It has received geotourism grant dollars from El Dorado County. The most recent South Lake Tahoe money was for the wayfinding program. Federal money is coming in the chamber’s coffers for the Prosperity Plan.