Letter: Parking money needed for maintenance

To the community,

I’m reading and hearing quite a lot of questions about how Measure P would affect the maintenance funding of the Lakeview Commons. In February, the city made some changes to the paid parking program. These include a local’s annual pass (M-F) for $40, the removal of paid parking on Venice Drive (which is mostly used by locals), shortening the hours to 8am-8pm.

Pete Fink

In the current budget, all money collected from kiosks at Lakeview Commons and the boat ramp goes to maintenance and improvements of the commons (boat launch fees are already dedicated to boat launch expenses). What the result of attaching the paid parking revenue directly to the commons means is that maintenance funding will not come from the general fund and thus, it will not be in constant threat of being cut to fund other programs as the budget fluctuates. Maintenance of the commons is critical to keeping it a stellar spot for visitors and locals alike.

When the various groups are all asking for the city to spend money on more police, recreation, bike trails, roadway maintenance, and many other things that all come from the General Fund, things like park maintenance don’t look so glamorous and can too easily be cut.

Please vote no on Measure P to ensure maintenance funding for the commons.

Pete Fink, South Lake Tahoe