Opinion: Telling the truth from city hall
By Tony O’Rourke
Mr. (Steve) Kubby recently wrote about a complaint he filed with the grand jury, which he has a right to do.
However, misrepresenting the facts is harmful to the community and creates confusion. The following facts can be supported with documentation upon request:
Tony O'Rourke
• Prior to the city’s incorporation in 1965, “rural road standards” existed throughout the community. In 1965, the city inherited the rural roadway network from the county. The current City Council’s proposed initiative to invest $20 million over the next five years to improve and fix the city’s road infrastructure is a significant and important step in the right direction. The city has published several articles about its efforts to set aside funding to improve the roads.
Unfortunately, Mr. Kubby continues to ignore this fact.
• In 2003, the City conducted an audit of the Redevelopment Agency’s financial performance to complete the redevelopment projects in the Stateline area. Following this comprehensive audit, the City Council authorized a loan in the amount of $7 million to the Redevelopment Agency for costs and revenue shortages related to the redevelopment project. The Redevelopment Agency continues to repay $500,000 each year for this loan, which covers principal and interest. Over half of the loan amount has been repaid to date. Each year, Redevelopment Agency proceeds also support the city’s general gund for services rendered by the city on behalf of the Redevelopment Agency. The city provided all of the background documentation regarding this issue to Mr. Kubby upon his request and reviewed many documents with him about this issue.
Two separate grand juries looked in this issue and recommend the city adopt financial policies to more efficiently recover their costs for redevelopment projects. The city adopted those polices in 2005. Now let’s move onto more pertinent and immediate challenges, like financial sustainability and infrastructure investment rather than beating this matter to death.
• Mr. Randy Lane’s Chateau project is not funded by the city. The city’s interest is the same as everyone’s, which is a desire to see a project completed at the site. Neither Mayor Hal Cole, nor any city councilmembers, are responsible for the collapse of the project or the economy. The project continues to attract interested investors and will require the collaboration of all parties to see a project come to fruition at the site. The City Council supports completion of a project.
• The city has increased its efforts to keep the public informed about the cost of roads, the progress of projects and all aspects of the city. Visit the city’s website and sign up to receive news and information.
Tony O’Rourke is city manager of South Lake Tahoe.
Excellent reply to Kubby’s (and other’s) continued harping on the issues of the city. You can’t argue with facts. Cut and dry. Thank you Mr. O’Rourke.
I appreciate our moving forward on becoming a better place to live and function. Hopefully this ends finger pointing and begins a community effort to meet that goal.
Mr. O’Rourke, when the city council allowed this very large project to go ahead without financing or a completion bond they are most definitely responible for the projects failure to build out. And guess who is running the city again?
Obfuscation of this sad debacle (that is your job to protect your employers) does not change the truth.
I don’t know what the truth is. We have some dirty secrets in our community and although Kubby may have his own agenda, the City is not without their own skeletons.
Kubby needs to cool it on the weed. Why anyone would listen to a pothead – a person who can’t keep a clear thought is beyond me. I would like to add though it’s interesting how Tahoe Verde Mobile Home Park has patched all of the cracks in their roads while Tahoe Keys roads are in major disrepair. Sort of ironic wouldn’t you say?
Bob- Grow up. “Potheads” are not ignorant and most that I know are more clear thinking than a lot of others who have varying drugs of choice; be it caffeine, alcohol, prescription meds, etc. Everyone is allowed their opinion but when you post and try to downgrade someone on something you obviously know little about it is best to keep that opinion to yourself.
Perhaps we should take it easy on Bob. He clearly states that a person who can’t keep a clear thought is beyond him.
This message is brought to you by the punctuation police.
Dear Bob,
I believe Tahoe Verde Mobile Home Estates is a private entity with private roads that they at their choosing maintain. Tahoe Keys has only dedicated roads which are SLT’s obligation to maintain.
M.A. LOL :)
Now lets all move on…
Intelligent, thoughtful response to Mr. Kubby’s opinion piece! Will just say Mr. O”Rourke, yes, you inherited a bad situation with our roads!
BUT, I will also say that Councilman Cole and the others who voted for the Convention Project, erred in not getting a guarantee performance bond for the project! And while the project didn’t cost the City any out of pocket money, it has cost the City revenue producing businesses!
Great responce, Kubby is just bitter becasue his marijuana pitch didn’t play with the community and he lost the election big time. Now he didn’t get his way on the marijuana cultivation ordinance, so hes going to run around town and to the media with no facts and accuse the City and its officials of being criminal…. Thankfully Kubby will never get elected to anything.
There is far more distraction in this article and the following comments than there is truth. Mr. O’Rourke clearly wants to defend his bosses’ lack of forethought on the convention center project approvals through selective and misleading language. Of course, the City Council is not responsible for the economy. However, they may have missed an important part of their job. Which is to forsee unfavorable events and look to protect the city from those possiblities. A simple performance bond would have accomplished that. As far as inheriting the roads, the city did not inherit the roads. No one died and left the City the roads. When the City decided to become a City, they got the roads that they asked and voted for. That was part of the deal. Talk about misrepresenting facts, Mr. O’Rourke.
The commentary is pretty funny, too. Bob’s comments about marijuana have absolutely nothing to do with the article or subject. Rob is certainly the closest to the truth, as is Mr. Turnip Truck. My favorite is JT’s nonsensical and childish support for his Dad. No matter how nice Tom is, the convention center was and still is a nightmare. Can’t blame you, son, but Mr. Kubby is not running around with no facts and has presented his evidence to the Grand Jury, exercising his rights as a citizen. Negligence IS a criminal offense in the right circumstances. We will see.
For all the blame and fingerpointing going around…………explain to me how the voters keep sending the same people to sit on the council time and again? Not a resident, so don’t get to vote…..just asking.
K9woods, we keep sending the same people back to the City Council because of our flawed electoral system! To get on our Council and become a decision maker, one is not required to get majority of the voters support. Instead with our system where everyone runs at the same time, and the top vote getters get on the Council, all that is required is a core of support!
Consequently, people such as Councilmen Cole & Davis (who I’m not questioning their integrity here, just saying) may and I think do, have a majority job disapproval?! But, since they’ve been in town forever, they are able to get the just over 1k votes necessary to be at or near the top of any particular Council election!
A different system, perhaps run offs, districts or a strong mayor system, where the decision maker/s would at least at some point have to generate 50% support, would put people in office that better reflect the wishes, views & desires of the City’s citizens!
I completely agree with you, Parker. The system is very flawed and allows for a few people to continue in government positions indefintely because of their name recognition and not their policies. This is true all over the country and I am a solid suppportor of term limits in all political offices.
I really like your idea of setting districts for the council members here in Tahoe. It would make it harder for these same people to continue to win by default.
Criminal wrongdoing by the City Council has already been documented by the Grand Jury, despite the official denials. In its previous investigation into the conduct of the South Lake Tahoe City Council, the El Dorado Grand Jury concluded its report with a stern warning: “This Grand Jury is of the opinion that an accusation for malfeasance or nonfeasance by this City Council may be appropriate… The Grand Jury only touched the ‘tip of the iceberg’ in its investigation and recommends that the citizens of South Lake Tahoe get involved with their City government. It is up to the citizens to establish the kind of governance they desire, to exercise their democratic right to vote, and get a City government that works for the common good and in an efficient manner for its citizens.”
KINDA LIKE NO FAULT INSURANCE, BUT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY SUFFERS FROM ALL THE BOGUS BS AND THERE’S NO ONE BUYING THE CITY SWEET TALK ACT!