SLT revamping what it charges for city services
By Kathryn Reed
The South Lake Tahoe City Council next week is expected to adopt a fee schedule for services that better reflects the cost of doing business.
Last week the council heard a presentation about what is being proposed and directed staff to make some changes. Looking at the campground fees, how nonprofits are treated and possibly charging more than the cost of doing business – where legally allowed – are some issues council members wanted reviewed.
“We’re not in the charity business. I support the full cost of recovery,” Councilman Austin Sass said at the April 21 meeting. “We are a business. We are not in the business of underwriting businesses.”
One could argue giving incentives like commercial floor area for a developer to build on the corner of Highway 50 and Ski Run Boulevard, which the entire council approved, is underwriting a business.
Recreation was kept separate from the fee schedule because that is often an area where municipalities provide a subsidy to its citizens. Still, it is up to the council who pays what for which service.
It had been 10 years since the city last did a thorough analysis of the fees. The goal is for the city to know what the true cost of a service is. This was a cost-recovery study, not a market recovery study.
“The term ‘full cost’ means the direct and indirect costs borne by the city of South Lake Tahoe to deliver the service,” the April 21 staff report says. “Direct costs are defined by the labor and materials expended specific to that program while indirect costs include city administrative functions such as central support departments that have an indirect role supporting the activities of the departments.”
The fee schedule covers everything – from grading permits to getting a copy of a police report to renting facilities. Some fees like ticket counter space at the airport have been deleted, whereas a fire dancer permit is new.
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Notes:
• South Lake Tahoe City Council meets May 5 at 9am at Lake Tahoe Airport.
We’re not in the charity business. I support the full cost of recovery,” Councilman Austin Sass said at the April 21 meeting. “We are a business. We are not in the business of underwriting businesses.”
No, the city is NOT a business. If it were a business, we would have the option to NOT do business with them. But they are GOVERNMENT, and we do not have the liberty to decline to deal with the city if we don’t care for their “services”. Enormous difference!
Also, if they intend to charge enough to pay for all their “services”, then why should the citizens still be taxed?
Sounds like a lot of BS to me.
Kae,” whereas a fire dancing permit is new”. Do I really need a permit to dance around my campfire?
Sounds crazy, but if that’s whats called for, I’ll apply for a permit for fire dancing. Altho usually we don’t dance, we just sit around the fire and tell old stories and corny jokes.
Will there be a permit required for those too? I should be fined for some of the stories I told! And some of the so called jokes? Highly punisihable as they are really not very good!
“Put another hot dog on the grill OLS and grab me a beer out of the ice chest while you’re up you old goat!! “, that’s what my neighbors say!That fire dancin’ fool, OLS
If that city campground sells out July and August, maybe raising the rates is in order until it gets to around 90%-95% occupancy.
Dog-
In order to continue many of your cantankerous ways, you must have to shut off part of your brain from time to time in order to come up with some of your comments.
Sass is absolutely correct, the city despite being a government entity still needs to operate as a business, and not to selectively incentive other businesses.
Just think: if your house catches fire, do you think they ought to charge you the full cost of maintaining all the fire equip in ready condition when they come save your bacon? Of course not…..we would not have a fire dept under that plan. Taxes are required to capitalize the service and it runs for everyone. Even then partial recovery on an incident by incident basis is sometimes justified. Recall Bill Crawford’s situation with hundreds of dollars charged for an ambulance call.
Running the city or any government by following normal business practices should be a given in most cases. In too many cases cities wind up in financial holes (pun intended), when they take risks, ostensibly justified by future revenues which don’t turn out due to unforeseen circumstances.
I hope Austin can have some positive influence in these matters going forward.
If you don’t want to deal with the city government, you DO have a choice. MOVE.
Keep giving the “airport” and private planes free services and charge locals higher fees for using the pool and campground. Great one Sass.
Rock4Tahoe,
I’m guessing most of the people using the city campground are out of area campers. Completely sold out for the 4th of July 2015 according to the city website.
Motel 6 might charge 3X or more higher for peak times and completely sell out. Maybe those employees of the city can get a significant raise, stellar high speed Internet installed on the whole 55-60 acres, ect…, if realistic peak rates are charged. The library and Sr. center probably can use some very high speed cheap Internet, not to mention the campers.
People who don’t want to pay those high costs, can go to a free campground like I do.