S. Tahoe officials looking at ways to stimulate economy
By Kathryn Reed
With a deficit of more than $1 million that could grow to $1.5 million depending on how property taxes come in, South Lake Tahoe City Manager Nancy Kerry is looking at ways to bring more money into city coffers.
She presented a plan to the council on Tuesday that calls for an era of cooperation instead of competition. That discussion will be further expanded on Aug. 11 when the City Council has a three-hour workshop starting at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport to discuss its priorities.
Kerry on Aug. 7 spoke of the need to meet with government and regulatory agencies, as well as private businesses in the basin to find the common themes each has in their respective strategic plans in order to find the common denominator.
The council believes recreation is the theme. But that in itself is a broad goal. It could mean having an Olympic training ground, something involving sports medicine, or having a sports complex for various athletic pursuits.
The idea Kerry presented is that the entities will need to give up some of their turf – literally and figuratively – for the greater good. She doesn’t want a plan; she wants to define projects and bring them to fruition.
Mayor Claire Fortier asked how this is different than the Prosperity Plan.
“The Prosperity Plan is a planning document. This is an implementation discussion,” Kerry told the council as to what the gathering of the players would be.
While it was not brought up at the meeting Tuesday, a piece to the puzzle could be the use of the vacant Kingsbury Middle School site in Stateline. While Douglas County School District wants to sell this acreage and the buildings on it, it could possibly be repurposed as the South Shore attempts to find its niche in the world of tourism. The ultimate goal is to find an economic driver.
Entities throughout the basin continue to go into debt (roads for South Lake Tahoe) or borrow from reserves (softball field for Lake Tahoe Unified) to make ends meet and provide what residents would call “the basics”.
Revenues are stagnant everywhere.
Councilman Tom Davis was the biggest naysayer to Kerry’s idea to create a collective vision by getting everyone to agree to focus on one or two projects. He believes it will take too long and not everyone will get on the same page and sounded reluctant to even try.
Councilwoman Angela Swanson was the most supportive of the idea.
“I think the time is now. The agencies are hungry for an action plan,” Swanson said. “This gets us beyond siloing.”
Kerry’s idea to go from recession to recovery to revitalization will be talked about more by the council at Saturday’s workshop.
In other city news:
• A $150,000 ambulance bought by the city-county joint powers authority is on the streets.
• For the umpteenth time, the council talked about signs. Now sandwich boards will be allowed Saturdays (8am-5pm), Sundays (8am-5pm), holidays, and Dec. 24-Jan. 11 (8am-5pm each day).
So. Lake Tahoe economy is a reflection of how it’s government has grown and destroyed it.
Now you have local government looking to stimulate the economy. For those that don’t get it… the concept of Government stimulus continues to fail and drive the country down. USE YOUR BRAINS PEOPLE.
As Ronald Reagan said in the 1980s – government is the problem not the solution.
Your Government = Over paid, over pensioned, arrogant low level producers. They have consumed the wealth of the past and much of the future.
The government centric thinking of the population of Tahoe is a sad indication of how bad the California education system is today.
Look in the mirror people. Your problems are not caused by the people that Left lake Tahoe they are caused by the people that stayed in Lake Tahoe.
S. Lake Tahoe will continue it’s decline until new minds come in and start calling out you fools for what you are.
Prosperity Plan = Failed Leadership. This idea was fools food from the get go.
“As Ronald Reagan said in the 1980s – government is the problem not the solution.”
Biz, didn’t old Saint Ronny have Alzheimers while in office? Oh yeah, also 18% interest rates and trickle down economics worked wonderfully as well!
Our “Prosperity Plan” has been here all along. We only need to look around before looking ahead to see what is right in front of us: in the air and on the ground is everything we need to be prosperous year round.
Tahoe prosperity is WATER; lake, river, stream, snow, forest, plant, wildlife, … and all the property, only here because of the WATER. No water – no conversation.
So (as a destination economy) how we host this water will determine our long term survival and prosperity.
New York State realizes $1.6B a year hosting its native wildlife. Tahoe could realize that and more. The TahoeExpo.com is a 2 day demonstration that actualizes the Prosperity Plan directive (visitor satisfaction without degrading the water) an economic model that could go all fall, getting people ‘hungry, tired and inspired’, doing activities that benefit the water , so they ‘eat, sleep and shop’ (local business revenue).
And here’s where it starts…in your heart. When you see a visitor, look ’em in the eye, say “Hi” share some Tahoe passion and local insight. Give visitors more reasons to stay longer, return sooner and migrate stories that create ongoing demand, doing activities that enrich their connection and benefit WATER…we all share.
Jacquie, your last paragraph is EXACTLY how we should look to rebuilding our community as a world destination resort! Well put!
Jacquie is right. The problem is not that we don’t know the answer.
A free market solution would indeed capture the value the lake has to offer. It doesn’t need some yahoo consultant to tell us the obvious. What is needed is the freedom.
Of course there needs to be restrictions and we need to use our brains to build a community that is respectful of the resources and beauty.
But what we have is an overly excessive government structure (including the agencies) run by overpaid bureaucrats that have done untold damage to the lives of the families that live here or use to live here.
One way to start is for the people that led us into the TaHole should be brought up on criminal charges and crony capitalism (back room deals).
The investigations would help weed out the problems that the area has. Expose to the light the government structure that is destroying Tahoe.
Davis vs Kerry – that sums up the problem. Old thinking vs. new thinking. Davis wants to propogate the small business vs the rest of the south shore adveserial mindset. Kerry wants to bring everyone together so that all will benefit. Davis, Greggo and Cole just can’t get over the fact that the bigger entities will benefit the most.
Of course they will, they are bigger. That doesn’t mean the smaller businesses won’t benefit porportionally. Time for the “boys” to move into the current reality and stop living in the past where their bias’s started. If, that is even possible.
We’re from the government and we’re here to help. As soon as we raise another new tax and hire people for the program, and more to do the study, and more to apply for grants, we’ll be on the road to prosperity.
“The council believes recreation is the theme”, yet this council decimated the Recreation side of Parks & Recreation, and chose low bids.
Either allow temperary signage or don’t. And No fee to use them if they stay.
Quit paying for consultants.
Fix the hole before starting any other project.
Bigger Picture,
You sir fail basic economics.
First, the 18% interest rates are what Reagan inherited from the Carter administration, which was characterized as being excessively regulatory (sound familiar). By the end of Reagan’s second term however, those rates were cut in half.
SeconD, let’s discuss the economic impact of an 18% interest rate. If you had a savings account in 1980, the high interest rate helped to grow your money at about 15% annually. That’s not Bernie Madoff good, but it’s not that bad either. The general public thus had a great reason to save money, unlike today where savings accounts pay what – 1% if you are lucky. No wonder we have become a nation of consumers instead of savers. Also, the 18% interest rate was a deterrent for people to go into debt. With interest rates in the single digits for most of Bush + Obama eras, the debt deterrent has been removed and our economy has become OVER financed. Thus in recent years many took out loans that they could not afford. Does the word “sub-prime” ring a bell?
Given the extreme differences between 1980 and 2010, I think Reagan got it right by the time he departed in January 1989. Sorry to ruin your theory, but “trickle-down” economics DID work. Interest rates were moderate, as was inflation.
Here’s a helpful hint, the University of Nevada-Reno offers a class listing of ECON 334 – The Economic History of the United States. I suggest you enroll, and after you complete the course, maybe next time you write a pithy political quip, you will think twice.
ThimesNV, A for effort but any discussion of the benefit of high interest rates has to be “interest relative to inflation.” In fact people earning 15% or whatever in the 1970’s-1980’s were going backwards. Having said that, the very low interst rates of the late 1990’s certainly had some interesting effects when combined with models at ratings agencies that assumed that real estate only increased in value.
About the interest, not unlike now, basically risk free returns will always be low and probably below or at the inflation rate.
Did not someone forget to collect the millions of dollars of TOT tax, especially from VRBO’s? It sure could do a lot of backfilling.
2 for 1’s for the rest the summer sure help these dying businesses.
Until then nothing changed but the chairs people sit in dream.
Greetings from an ski resort ‘Down Under’ – where 8% of skiers ski over mid November to mid February (summer break) in Canada and10% in Japan. .
Have you noticed the increase in British, Australian and New Zealand accents? Well, Tahoe gets great coverage through Facebbook friends of international destination ski travelers in Britain, Australia, New Zealand & Italy.
So do your bit and post pictures on your facebook page of your trip to the lake, your hike, your whatever. And your facebook’s ‘friends of friends’ might spend their holiday dollars in Tahoe. Or sit on your backside and whinge about the Government.
“Councilman Tom Davis was the biggest naysayer to Kerry’s idea to create a collective vision by getting everyone to agree to focus on one or two projects. He believes it will take too long and not everyone will get on the same page and sounded reluctant to even try.”
Tom Davis is one of the problems, and I haven’t heard any great new suggestions coming from him. You’ve got to start somewhere and the fact is time will pass no matter what is or is not done, so we can continue the status quo and continue to stagnate or we can be proactive, try throwing some new stuff against the wall, and hopefully accomplish something. Certain City Councilmen demonstrate far too much cronyism for the elite select few in this town who want to maintain what little wealth there is among only them, and screw everyone else. They made theirs when times were booming and the “trickle down” economics that they tout is so great is what runs downhill for everyone else. “When the tide’s high all boats float”; aka—when the elite few make more money they’ll have more crumbs to drop on the floor for the peasants.
As long as we will have our politicians promoting the airport which costs as money but brings visitors to Nevada we will be in trouble. South Lake Tahoe is changing into a noisy place with helicopters and planes constantly buzzing above our heads. Pilot school, 15 minutes air tours in South Lake Tahoe?
What happened to a pristine and quiet lake and meadows, our beautiful mountains? I already lost several clients – they told me that the amount of noise is making them to stay home or go to other places. Why is Truckee doing so much better?
yo Sarge its nice to see that you understand how it works around here
they will manipulate the election to keep it their way
poor Nancy hasn’t figured it out yet
it’s part of there plan to Shrink the Town
I like Nancy’s fresh outlook. But she’s dealing with the good ole’boys who bend to the wims of their “buddies” and I don’t think they like a woman in the driver’s seat. Set a policy and STICK to it! I don’t always agree with Nancy but a new direction is refreshing. Good luck Nancy thank you for your hard work and input!
FYI, Ronald Reagan had to fight inflation, stagnation AND a Cold War! And FYI, he won all three fights!! But more importantly, I credit Ms. Kerry for trying to do something. However, as many have stated, we don’t need some big production that’ll involve more taxes, more spending and especially, ANYTHING that involves more consultants!!
We need to lower taxes and fees and shrink/consolidate our govt. structure! The people of our town can make our private sector flourish if our govt. was less burdensome!
Bill Swim:
I absolutely agree with all of your comments. I too believe that some of the men on this Council don’t like a woman having the authority of a City Manager. And if you really want to see Tom Davis ignoring established “policy” you should watch the City Council meeting video on the City’s website of the July 17 meeting, Public Hearing (a) and the follow-up discussion at the August 7 meeting Unfinished Business (a) regarding delinquent refuse fees and a Bonanza Ave property owner’s ignorance as a defense for not paying refuse bills for almost 4 years. Davis’ comments from these 2 meetings really make me speculate about this being a precursor to some future plan he’s got up his sleeve that would benefit him and his cronies.
To To (sp?) much noise: TRK has an airport too and it has a lot more traffic than TVL. Hopefully you’ll never have to take a ride in a helicopter, for instance CalSTAR, to a hospital because chances are the pilot was trained at a flight school that was actually at an airport. Perhaps even this one.
Reed mentions nothing about the major problem with South Shore… THE HOLE! FIX THE HOLE! After one year THE HOLE was a joke. Now, after five years THE HOLE it is like a gaping wound in the heart of town for everyone to see.
Nature: Read this from Reed: https://www.laketahoenews.net/2012/08/recreation-fire-revenues-top-s-tahoe-councils-priorities/