Code enforcement becoming a priority for South Tahoe
By Kathryn Reed
Inconsistent code enforcement in South Lake Tahoe may be rectified soon.
The City Council at a workshop last week was given an update by staff on where the city stands in streamlining this issue.
Hilary Roverud, Development Services director, told the electeds developing a dedicated code enforcement division will help bring consistency to enforcement. It’s too soon to say what that division would look like.
But the problem today is community service officers, the building division, engineering and streets divisions, planning, fire, and finance all are required to enforce various city codes. Therein lies the inconsistency with when things are enforced and the consequences associated with infractions.
Another reason to have staff dedicated to enforcement is that with fewer people working for the city, enforcement is often driven by complaints.
“When you have inconsistent enforcement, you tend to have more violations,” Roverud said.
Right now many people violating some policy have multiple avenues to keep appealing the process and never paying a dime to tie up staff time.
To put some teeth into various codes staff is recommending fines be upfront, with the violators able to be refunded the payment if they win their case.
“It would be modeled after parking where they are fined. They can have a hearing. There is one single appeal,” Roverud said. “The idea here is to have one appeal opportunity. Who that appeal would go to is open for discussion.”
Mayor Hal Cole said he would like to look into hiring a part-time employee dedicated to making sure vacation rentals are paying their transient occupancy tax and other city fees, with the rationale that the income collected would more than pay that person’s wages.
“It’s a priority to me because of the lost revenue,” Cole said.
Roverud said while finding the properties online is one thing; it is catching people violating the rules that can be more problematic and time consuming.
On a side note, Police Chief Brian Uhler said 38 locations have been identified since March and are now paying up. But he admitted it is an “involved process.”
City Attorney Patrick Enright said, “We do need seed money to start the process.” The process being a dedicated enforcement division.
The theory is the pot of cash would be a revolving fund that would constantly fund itself via fines not currently being collected, paying for the work not currently being done.
“The idea is to take a few key priorities and simplify things,” Uhler said. As the program evolves more codes could be added to the list for the team to enforce.
City Manager Tony O’Rourke said public safety issues should be No. 1 on the list of enforcement issues.
Uhler, who is also the fire chief this fiscal year, said it’s a priority for him to have a fire code officer. A report released earlier this fall was highly critical of South Lake Tahoe’s fire code enforcement.
Staff will refine some of its ideas, with possible changes to how enforcement is done and potential creation of a separate division to be on a future council agenda.
Henceforth, we will all be guilty and forced to pay fines, until proved innocent? This is un-American, un-Constitutional and certainly illegal, yet this seems typical of the North Korean mentality that permeates our confused city council. Once again, I defy anyone to name just one thing this council has done to make our lives any easier or less expensive. No, this council has become a parasite that can only make our lives harder and more expensive, even if it means trashing the Constitution, due process and the presumption of innocence, until proved guilty in a court of law.
Code enforcement is long overdue. I think the city will find there are plenty of violators to fund this program which ultimately is to protect the citizens from those not paying vacation rental taxes, etc. I hope the public will start to get more involved as well and help the city locate those violators. It will take a group effort and the city may want to consider opening a hotline for citizens to report these violators. Perhaps even give its citizens an idea of what to look for to help save the city time and money locating these violators. It’s time to take back our city folks.
This is track to a waste of money again, just when Tony was doing it right. We do not need another dept.
A full time position, funded by an increase in the annual vacation rental license fee, was added to the city payroll a couple years ago to deal exclusively with vacation rental violations and problems.
There is no need to invent another position to deal with this issue. In the slow shoulder seasons, this person already on the payroll should be directed to chase down vacation rentals without city licenses. There is no reason to further bloat the city staff with more unnecessary and unneeded positions.
Code enforcement is a pathetic joke.
Some people are code enforced others are not. Fines are levied for violations, then lessened or removed. Some signs are nailed for violations of the sign ordinance while other signs in violation are ignored.
Consistencey and fairness are important in enforcing city codes, but unfortunately they are applied in a very desultory manner.
So what is new.
And now some elected officials want go after vacation rental houses that don’t pay the TOT or register. Pathetic and only 10 years too late.
Hilary Roverud left out the police code enforcement. Go to http://www.codepublishing.com/ca/southlaketahoe/ and look up code 18-98.
Then go to http://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/ and look up which offenders are living within 2000 feet of a playground in South Lake Tahoe. Violations of this have been reported to the police this year with no action.
What happened to the position that was created a couple years ago, to go after vacation rentals that weren’t following the law? Wasn’t there a fee added to law-abiding vacation rentals to create the position?
Parker: there is a new form and reg:
REG: rental properties must post their TOT license number on all on line marketing. If it isn’t shown you can be fined. This way, the city can match up the properties with the fees turned in. This will take someone scouring the VRBO ads. They can also look at the rental calendars on line and see when booked, then match up to collected fees.
FORM: all properties must turn in a monthly report of all rooms rented and fees taken in. Hotels and rental houses in the city.
Well this is a cool thing about blogs in that you get quick updated info! But I also thought 30yrlocal, that a position was created to drive around and insure that Vacation Rentals weren’t throwing out of control parties and otherwise disturbing peaceful neighborhoods?
how about the city does something that is positive to generate more tourism.especially in the shoulder seasons attract a wine festival get behind the ski community and have a winter carnival a large music festival not to mention holidays halloween, thanksgiving or easter and do these things consistently lets generate more reasons to want people to come up to the lake regularly. trying to squeeze more from vacation rentals isn’t really going to do the trick if people are still foreclosing on their homes. they are not paying cause there probably broke lets create a welcoming community that people want to return to instead of knit picking sign laws and giving parking tickets on ski run blvd.There is a reason half the restaurants close on mondays during the shoulder season is they can’t afford to be open lets try to generate some prosperity in our community
Parker, not sure about that, but I think that is the case. I have a neighbor that rents and they have to have a placard on the outside stating how many cars are allowed. Not sure who controls that in the city(though I am in the county, the rental company is in the city and must have put that on all of their homes).
Are vacation rentals managed by the owner required to have a license and pay TOT?
Advocate, they’re ALL supposed to be licensed and pay the TOT. My neighbors across the street rent on VRBO and they follow all the rules, but they’re upstanding folks and they love Tahoe. I have no idea how the govt. would be able to make sure that all the self-managed rentals pay up. Nosy neighbors might be helpful. . .
Funny how the City just had to eliminate 12 jobs, reclass 5-6 and now is creating more positions. So all the ‘who ha’, time and money spent reducing service jobs, why again?
IT’S NOT JUST RENTALS, HOW ABOUT ALL THE BUILDING ,REMODELING GOING ON WITHOUT,PERMITS, NOT ONE INSPECTION?
I don’t care if you fix your house up, but some people do things with power cables, gas pipes, other things that put neighbors in danger, special when you know they can’t even change a flat tire!!
Parking, snow removable number one issue also.Rentals need a certain number enforced parking for who they are renting and not just vacations rentals, Full time residents fit this need also!
People are fed up with cars blocking city snow removable, ends up in your driveway,because the plow pulls it next door with gate down, it’s a freebies to them ,screw you buddy kind deal.
How many you people out there have tried calling the city on anything, building permits, snow,parking,etc…….Your damn lucky to get one person to pick up the phone to speak to.(YOU HAVE TO MAIL A HAND WRITTEN LETTER OR GET IN YOUR CAR GO DOWN TO WHATEVER AGENCY YOU NEED TO TALK TO,”BS!”)
That city website and follow your complaint Sucks,Don’t believe me ,”TRY IT”!
WE NEED SOMEONE TO SPEAK TO AND NOT CHOOSE FROM THE LIST APPROACH.
THERE HAS TO BE SOMEONE BESIDE JUDY FINN(PLANNING) THAT CAN CHEW GUM, AND LISTEN AT THE SAME TIME IN OUR CITY OFFICES!
Well, there’s a thought. Maybe we don’t need more employees in the city, maybe we need fewer regulations? I mean, sure, there have to be rules. But if there are too many for the current administrators to deal with, well, cut cut cut. Be real.
Well then we need to remind our mayor that we do not need to add another position, there’s supposed to be some handling vacation rental code enforcement and TOT! And yes, to be talking one week about cutting positions, and then the next week talking about adding positions, with whatever justification you want to give, seems more than just a little incoherent?
Prisoner in a crossfire I have not called the city about anyone and I am certainly not concerned with parked cars and snow removal I know you have a snowblower use it quit complaining about what everyone else does please go enjoy the beautiful area we live in I think it is a shame the city can lay off valued city employees then make a new positon when we should trying attact more people to the area to spend money.
Lay off part of life.
CHRIS?, stop gouging the tourist,locals, and they might return AND EVEN SEND YOU MORE DONATION.
FIRST YOU NEED A BETTER PRODUCT!