Sign issues dominate SLT council meeting
South Lake Tahoe councilmembers want to craft law to allow this sign to remain in town. Photo/Provided
By Kathryn Reed
Signs – the fee for a permit and one that doesn’t meet the letter of the law – were hot topics at the Tuesday South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting.
A unanimous vote by the South Lake Tahoe City Council on Oct. 20 immediately reduced the fee for sign permits.
It’s an issue that arose after the council earlier this year changed the entire fee schedule. The goal in doing so was to have the fees reflect what it costs staff to deal with the particular issue. (Recreation is the main area the council agreed should be subsidized and not meet the true cost standard.)
What was approved earlier this year was a sign permit fee of $878. All councilmembers voted for that rate. It was reduced Tuesday to be $120 for a minor sign and up to $300 for a sign permit that is more involved.
No one councilmember championed the cause for the reduction, but instead they all agreed from the get-go when it was pointed out to them that it was excessive.
Work began in July for the fee to be changed. It went to the Planning Commission in September.
Other changes make the sign ordinance more like TRPA’s policy.
Also discussed at the meeting was the possibility of allowing Tahoe Trout Farm to keep its seasonal sign on the American Legion property on Highway 50. It is there when the farm is open, which this year was April 28-Oct. 1. The farm has been operating since 1946 – 19 years before the city was incorporated.
It does not meet city or Tahoe Regional Planning Agency regulations; neither allows off-site signs. The issue went to the Planning Commission. But there is nothing in city code to allow the sign.
The council agreed to uphold the Planning Commission’s decision to not allow the sign, but also directed staff to come back before spring with a proposal that would allow the sign to stay.
This is even though owner Jim Vallier admitted social media is what is driving people to his business, which he has owned for four years. He boasted to the council that the trout farm has gone from 60th to 12th place on TripAdvisor for things to do in South Lake Tahoe.
Kathy Vaughan, who lives across from the farm, wants the sign to stay, too.
“Let’s not eliminate old Tahoe. Keep that sign out there,” she told the council.
The city does allow for directional signs and local unique signs. The latter is more historical in nature, but the word “historical” is not used because it would trigger state involvement.
Councilwoman JoAnnConner said put an arrow on the sign and make it directional. It’s not that simple. After all, the sign already has an arrow on it.
The council wants to make other changes to the sign ordinance. At a future meeting the electeds will consider changing when sandwich boards can be put on the sidewalk. The Oct. 20 vote changed it to 5pm on Fridays. Councilmembers Tom Davis and Conner advocated to bump that to 2pm. The other three had no appetite to change it at this week’s meeting, and voted down the motion. Still, Davis and Conner only needed each other’s OK to have it brought back as a separate item down the road.
Also coming back will be whether businesses may use umbrellas with logos on them. Conforming to Tahoe Regional Planning Agency regs will be necessary. Graphic elements and the like will also have to be considered.
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In other action:
· The council agreed to bring back the plastic bag ordinance that took effect Oct. 15 as it pertains to retail establishments.
· Councilwoman Wendy David announced the Cal-Tahoe JPA that handles ambulance service for South Lake Tahoe and Lake Valley fire departments voted not to renew the contract with El Dorado County when it expires in 2019. Solutions are still being worked on.
· Councilman Austin Sass noted the Tahoe Transportation District staff will be presenting updates on the loop road to Douglas County and South Lake Tahoe officials later this fall.
· The council voted 4-1 to establish the Community Play Consortium Joint Powers Authority with Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Unified School District. Councilwoman Conner abstained. She and David, the two on the subcommittee, went back and forth as though they had not been at the same meetings at which the agreements were crafted.
When I first came to Lake Tahoe the trout farm caught my attention , It was cool,Keep the sign as is.
I thought the job of the TRPA was to protect the quality of the lake. How is that umbrellas and signs affect the quality of the lake? Why is the TRPA involved in the city’s signs ordinance. The TRPA does have a valuable role to play in South Lake, but how has it become some powerful that it is involved in all aspects our city. The members of the TRPA are not locally elected. Why should members of the TRPA in Nevada have a voice in what the City of South Lake does?
Great that the TRPA doesn’t allow umbrella logos. Just think of the outrageous consequences to Lake Tahoe water quality if these umbrellas went unregulated. TRPA definitely earned it’s tax dollars on this one.
I vote for the city to add more signs identifying historic neighborhoods and buildings so tourists can understand the area’s role dating back to the gold rush days.
When the sign laws changed with formation of the city of SLT things changed alot!I say keep some of the old while adding some new. OLS
The trout farm sign is a perfect example of trash no one wants to see. It looks like the work of tweekers. Take down all the tacky signs and let this city be. Too many people trying to make it what it’s not.
In other action the council established another JPA. How do they separate the rec. taxes paid by non- city residents from residents of the city? How are people who don’t live in the city represented? Wouldn’t this be something that requires a vote since tax dollars and property are being used and co-mingled with LTUSD and LTCC monies and property? If you know the answers- let me know how this works.
Let TRPA enforce its rules. The city of SLT is the only entity that enforces it for them and there’s no charge.
The Trout Farm sign is part of the history of South Lake Tahoe and needs to stay. The sign points out another thing that we offer our visitors to do will vacationing here. I am not surprised by Liberude the Troll’s remarks as he would prefer that all tourist stay out of his town.
There are so many signs as you drive down 50 I have no idea how they pick out any one sign that is in violation. No “off site” signs, but “directional” or “local unique” signs are allowed. Who decides what is unique? The city is full of off site signs. The rusty Sierra Pines Motel sign on Rubicon for instance. It’s not often you can say this but, kudos to the Council for reversing something that was completely ludicrous.
At the September 1st City Council meeting during the budget workshop Austin Sass stated that the City’s staff would be very busy in the next fiscal year and he recommended that the Council needed to carefully consider the type of additional work they placed on its employees. Nancy Kerry thanked Mr. Sass for recognizing the staff’s upcoming heavy workload and said that the City’s employees were stretched as far as they could go.
I can’t believe that the City Council will again bring back the topic of the plastic bag ordinance but what I find most egregious is another discussion on sandwich board signs. What a complete waste of time and taxpayer money that the City’s staff will again need to spend their time collecting information, preparing staff reports, and then making presentations to the City Council. Thanks to the efforts of former Council Member Bruce Grego and current Council Member Tom Davis (along with a former City Council that gave in to their whining) it only takes two Council Members to place any topic on an agenda, so two people can control meeting topics and then filibuster at those meetings for what they want while the other three sit and listen to what is frequently the minority’s drivel.
Placing something on an agenda should be returned to a majority of three Council Members approval. Having two people control the topics of the meetings in this way is the tail wagging the dog, takes staff and Council time away from other issues that are actually important, and gives the appearance that the City Council can’t make a decision and stick to it. This is a waste of everyone’s time and of the taxpayer’s money. Stop pandering to the few and take care of the many. What’s next—the color of holiday lighting—–AGAIN?
Take the trout fishing sign down. You can’t even fish there anyway. If people want to fish they can go to Sawmill Pond or catch and release out of the tributaries to Lake Tahoe.
These tacky old signs all over town are a remembrance of how no one cared about the future of Lake Tahoe back in the day. Most of these old, nasty, motels are whats left over when the olympics were in Squaw Valley. Now many of them are inhabited by criminals and drug addicts. This is the kind of $#!@ that happens when there are NO regulations. Then we constructed the Tahoe Keys…what a disaster. Then we created the old dump off Pioneer Trail with hazardous waste in it and now we can’t go near the area…WTF my old Tahoans??!
So from this, the TRPA is born. Most are haters of the organization but this is what happens when we don’t take care of our home folks. Our mountains, oceans, and open spaces need to be protected for prosperity. Organizations just like the TRPA are everywhere protecting special places, whether it’s in the ocean or the mountains.
You can say whatever you want about the TRPA but it’s here to stay and It was created because our ancestors of this place were f’ing it up. So lets all together take care of our home here in the mountains. Teach our children to respect Mother earth and their home here in Lake Tahoe. And maybe, just maybe our children’s children will be left in charge of this place instead of the government regulating us.
-Pray for snow
Snoplease, Sawmill pond is for kids only 14 years and under. The tributaries that flow into lake Tahoe are only open July 1st thru the end of September. There is no license required to fish at the Trout Farm for people that want to fish one day only and keep the fish they catch. If you want them fishing in the tributaries the only place it is catch and release only is just up above the bridge at the end of South Upper Truckee road on the Upper Truckee river.
I believe the trout farm is closed anyway Thoughts. I know when the tributaries are open for fishing. People can still go to Hope Valley. No need for 24/7 fishing in our town. People can buy a license and fish the seasons.
And their sign is still an eyesore…the whole point of the story
Snoplease you are correct about the Trout Farm being closed as of Oct 1st as stated in this story. My concern was that people would get the impression that they could go to Sawmill pond or fish the tributaries any time they wanted. As for the sign I did address the issue of the sign in saying it is part of history of SLT and we need to preserve some of the history of the town. The sign does come down when the Trout Farm is closed. Some may think this is not something that needs to be saved but these are just my opinions and you are allowed yours.
Agreed…
Sins! We all need them. Advertise our business promoting sales, giving our guests directions to the beech, telling us to stop at intersections, how to get
to the hospital and so much more!
Sign are not bad… just informative.
. Whei I Was a kid we played the “sign game”. coming up Echo summi. You had to find the letters them out in alphabetical order on the signs along hwy 50. OLS
My thoughts: here you are again commenting about me when I said zero to you. You must be thirsty for attention. Please go back to whatever flatland craptown you came from. If you think the trout fishing sign looks nice then You must be white trash. Actually I know you are. We’ve met.
Liberule, You are creepy.boo .Are you white ?
Liberude you have commented on almost every post that I and a lot of other people have made in a rude insulting way. Some one does it back to you and you can’t handle it. Your the one screaming for attention. So you say we have met. Who am I?
Lisa most Trolls are usually green.
I doubt that it means much to this intense literary love-fest, but I caught my first fish at that Trout Farm in about 1956 and I still get a smile every time I see that sign.
Liberude I gave you the chance to creat some credibility for yourself and you let it get away. You claim to have met me and know who I am and you choose not to back up your statements. Now how can anyone take you seriously if they ever did. I question any statements you have made about yourself to be true but I’m sure that does not matter to you and I could really care less what you think. You have just shown that you are just a cyber Troll looking for attention.
Lisa and my thoughts: back to your trailers please. This topic is clearly over your feeble brains. Lisa you seriously sound like a 9 year old. Graduate high school? Be honest.
My thoughts: who are you? A nobody. And a coward.
no Lisa im brown. Now back to housekeeping please.
We have all heard the old saying “If it’s brown flush it down.” Whoosh there you go Liberule. Still using the same old come backs and still afraid to back up your statements. Try to be a little more creative next time even though it will not help your credibility.
Liberule,I just got Flushing you ,Adios Amigo.
Lisa: Read your post again slowly. Does it make sense? Nope. Not ONE post you’ve ever made makes sense.
If you read Lisas posts outloud you can actually feel what it’s like to be retarded.
My Thoughts: See you this weekend! You have NO idea who I am but we talk QUITE often.
Liberude why wait till this weekend if you know who I am come see me now. You wont because you don’t know who I am. Nice try with the head games.
Liberule,(and your various other nom de plume)
Your mother told me that you MUST get a job this week and move out of the basement. It’s time for you to grow up.
You are so sick , I feel for you ,so sorry to hear you are sick, Your mind is Blown,You need help bad. Liberude.Barton Hospital does help people like you,Please go,