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Opinion: O’Rourke leaving is a good thing for S. Tahoe


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To the community,

The recent announcement of City Manager Tony O’Rourke’s leaving can only be viewed as a positive direction for the city of South Lake Tahoe. In May 2011, we informed the city of an approximately $500,000 a year loss in transient occupancy tax collections. We spent five to six months working with the city to develop a program to audit and verify the proper payment of transient occupancy tax by rent by owners.

After the city’s implementation of the reporting forms by the Finance Department, Mr. O’Rourke backed his staff that there were too many objections to the form and therefore they abandoned the project. Mr. O’Rourke made a statement in a meeting with our company staff that they could procure any number of companies that would monitor and collect the tax owed the city and that this could be achieved through penalties and fines at no cost to the city.

We were to receive notification of the request for proposals from the city on or after the middle of December.

Here we are, a year has passed since the city was notified of the potential loss of over $40,000 per month for failure to pursue TOT collections and still no action by the city. Maybe now the council can act without their star manager who has moved on to greener pastures.

Let’s hope.

Jim Morris, Lake Tahoe Accommodations

 

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Comments

Comments (8)
  1. Steve says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    Were these taxes being properly collected prior to the arrival and tenure of Mr. O’Rourke?

    And prior city managers, the city’s finance director and city attorney…and city council(s). Have they all been asleep at the switch?

    Time for some questions and answers.

  2. Hang Ups From Way Back says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    Take the council with you please, while you’re at it take the chamber also.

    THE TOWN LIKE A GOOD LOOKING TRUCK, IF NO ONE KNOWS HOW DRIVE WHAT’S IT GOOD FOR?

  3. Bob says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    Talk to Bob Albertossi and his spokesman Officer Broadfoot. They seem to have a large say in the vacation rental field. For some reason these two guys don’t want to raise fees until they do their own study, right Bob?

  4. tahoeadvocate says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    What is the actual law? How many days can a private homeowner rent their property before they are required to collect TOT? Once they exceed the threshold, it becomes a self reporting system with no way for the city to keep track of who owes what.

  5. Alex Campbell says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    Come on OMG!! Over the years Old King Cole. Along with the good old boys and gals, have played catch me if you can.
    At least one grand jury almost created a new group. Alas, they are now playing catch me if you can.

  6. dryclean says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    If you dont like it vote them out. For that matter I will not vote for any incumbent this year in state or federal elections. The only way to get change is to get all new people. Too many politicians owe too many favors as a result of their being in office too long. Our founding fathers never envisioned life-long politicians. Vote them all out!

  7. earl zitts says - Posted: May 15, 2012

    No enforcement, no money. The city is pathetic.

  8. JoAnn Conner says - Posted: May 16, 2012

    Hang ups: There is the Nevada based Chamber and the South Tahoe Chamber IN the City of South Lake Tahoe. Which one were you asking to leave and why?