Letter: South Tahoe’s priorities are upside down
To the community,
Some things are upside down in our city. For instance, the city recently raised the cost of having a telephone with charging an annual fee for 911 service. It doesn’t matter if a person ever dials 911 or not. The fee is really a general tax. If it were a fee, it would be for using the service.
Bill Crawford
And the city has put parking meters around town, which is a real user fee. You pay to park. But the city has been less than truthful about why parking meters. First, the revenue would be for hiring two cops that the city claims are needed. Now it’s said by a council member that the revenue is needed for things like toilet paper for places like Regan Beach. Really, I kid you not.
What’s the point? What’s upside down? Heavenly pays next to nothing for operating the gondola in the city. There’s no tax on ticket sales. Heavenly gets off scot-free.
The city puts the bite on locals and visitors with a fee for parking. And the city takes another bite out of local pocketbooks with a tax on telephones. And the city’s less than honest about where the money will go. But the city will not go for a tax on Heavenly’s operations in the city.
On taxation, locals really are first in the city. The tax base is upside down.
Also, the city is a minimum wage town for too many in the work force. But the city manager and city attorney’s salaries are in the top 5 percent of earners in the nation, which may not be upside down, but it’s whacky in a city with a population of under 25,000. Why? At best it’s excessive. At worst it’s a rip off. Another example the division between the haves and the have nots.
Bill Crawford, South Lake Tahoe
I am curious – why doesn’t Heavenly pay a tax to run the Gondola in town? Is it because it is Forest Service Land or ??? I agree that things are upside down. A “Head Cashier” at Heavenly Sports makes $8.50 per hour – unbelievable!
Last time I checked, the city gets .5 cents of all state sales tax in city limits. If Heavenly resort wasn’t here, this most likely will cause a huge reduction in city coffers. BUT, the real ? is, what is the total take, and what are the total outlays? How much is the .5 cents intake, how much is the T.O.T., ect… THEN, what is the city doing in return? How much does the city pay for emergency and security services, ect…. Remember, Heavenly resort is a maze of infrastructure, obviously the mountain, but would Heavenly Village be as high end(tax intake in the area must be huge per person compared with areas such as Harrison Ave, Town and Country, Lampson plaza, ect….) without the complete mountain?
I think there is confusion on the Gondola ticket tax issue. Under current California law, lift tickets are exempt from sales tax. Just like movie tickets, hair cuts, and rounds of golf, if there is not a tangible product, there is no sales or use tax. If lift tickets were subject to sales tax, as Perry points out, the Cities revenue on the $20-$30 million in ticket sales (I’m guessing at that number) would be $100,000-$150,000.
The City can not change California law and make lift tickets subject to sales tax. What they can do is create a separate amusement tax to tax things like lift tickets, tour boat tickets, movie tickets, ski and mountain bike rentals, and the like. Given the City’s track record with parking, I personally would be weary of this.
“the city manager and city attorney’s salaries are in the top 5 percent of earners in the nation”
Another tax funded primarily by residents (on their garbage bills) is Clean Tahoe which focuses most of its efforts on picking up after tourists and visitors in commercial areas.
The clean tahoe program cleans up after everyone, not just tourists. There are some people in this town that put out garbage every day for the stray dogs, coyotes, and bears to spread all over the place. There are people that dump their ****** furniture out on the street for someone else to haul off. There are homes abandoned that vagrents or stoners use for their junk. The clean tahoe program is an assett to this community and I dont mind helping fund it. The clean tahoe staff have to deal with alot of disgusting stuff and I appreciate their presence in my neighborhood.
Say What and Perry: To clear up any misunderstanding, rumors or guessing with concerns to Heavenly’s lack of ticket tax, here is the official reason. Page 47 of the original Park Avenue project.
“10.10 Lift Ticket sales Within The City. The Agency acknowledges that Heavenly Ski Resort’s historic lift ticket sales occur beyond the City limits. Lift ticket sales have not been subject to tax within the jurisdictions where the sale of Heavenly lift tickets occurs. In consideration of offering lift ticket sales within the City limits, the Agency and the City covenant and agree that the sale of lift tickets within the Redevelopment Project Area shall not be subject to any City imposed tax or assessment for so long as the Agency has long-term debt related to the Project outstanding without the consent of Heavenly Valley, which may be withheld for any reason whatsoever. Upon repayment of any long term debt associated with the Development, the Agency and the City may, subject to compliance with normal procedures for imposing taxes, impose a lift ticket tax without Heavenly Valley’s consent.”
This is the reason there is no tax and the one the city refers to when asked. Since the redevelopment agency is now defunct……
All good points however a good example of penny wise and pound foolish. Our towns economy is based on tourism if we were operating at capacity or even close everyone would get a raise and no one would be complaining. We need to rethink our entire approach it seems to ne that most of the decisions are being made by members of the wrong generation. We need to face the new realities, taste have changed and what is “recreation” isn’t what it use to be. Just take a close look at our current inventory of motel rooms and you will see the point I am trying to make. Too many “nice” people and not enough really qualified making the decisions.
Parking tickets will pay for toilet paper? You have to be kidding me! Find a parking ballot initiative sheet and sign it, then vote in June. Let’s stop this now!!! Also how many times do city police and fire respond to Heavenly and what do we charge for out of city response? And council is worried about TP.
Buck, surrounding fire districts have been covering the city for the years that the city fire department has not had chief officers. I think they better leave that whole conversation alone.
Bill, when you were on the City Council, the City was placing their proverbial boot squarely on the throat of businesses here in this community.
You know, businesses – the ones that create jobs that employ people.
Now the Tahoe basin has an economic mess on it’s hands, and you’re blaming the same city that you helped create policies which are harming businesses that create jobs?
This commentary is right on! With just the added notes of: The Council clearly made a mistake with Paid Parking! Fine, we all make mistakes. Just own up to it, end the program and stop fighting the community on it!
And what’s also backwards is how the City is so unsupportive of businesses in our town! You want more money to pay for that top 5%? Have a lot of thriving businesses! But you ever try starting a business in this town? The one thing our City bureaucracy moves quickly on is showing up on your door step demanding its money!! Not helping you to get started, but demanding its money. Way upside down!
Paying for toilet paper for a park restroom is a valid expense. I can’t believe anyone would think it isn’t. Should we post signs at all parks that read…”Restroom for public use, but you had better bring your own toilet paper and towels”. Don’t even get me started on the comment that 911 fee. That is the same nationwide and I NEVER want someone who is in need having to decide if they can afford to call emergency services. (Sorry you are having a heart attack grandma, but we can’t afford to call the paramedics to save you).
Anyone who thinks that having the gondola come into town didn’t improve the tax/sales revenue situation wasn’t in the village this weekend to see sold out movie sales, packed ice rink and full restaurants.
Lisa, of course its a valid expense. But its sort of mind blowing that about $200,000 was invested to collect parking fees and then a whole parking enforcement division was created for toilet paper. At least according to one city counselor. Its sort of like swatting a fly with a cannon.
Old Joanne was throwing a fit in the Grocery Outlet parking lot.
that’s where the toilet paper statement was made.
the restrooms are closed for the winter and there are port-a-potties the toilet paper is provided by the company that owns them.
the deal with the Gondola was made by old Hal and the Team back when American Ski Company was bankrupt.
but Redevelopment needed the Gondola and the Grand Residence Club at any cost.
I believe the phone fee is another scam by old Hal and the Team.
they are probably going to use the money for more Redevelopment debt
3 seats open this Fall,
will the incumbents stumble and fall?
In the past, the voters have shown they like the old guard,
will it happen again and will we have the same lard?
Out with the old and in with the new,
are there three newbies we can support through and through?
Paid parking repeal is uniting SLT like the Angora fire did. Keep involved everyone and have a great 2014.
I believe there is a large amount of TOT which goes uncollected but I don’t know why.
I had some friends stay at a local timeshare. They own a week at a timeshare somewhere else in the country.
Did they have to pay TOT—NO. They traded their week in who knows where for a week here.
I can see where they should not have to pay for the basic room rate but why shouldn’t they have to pay the TOT? They are not a property owner at the timeshare they are using so they should not be exempt from the tax. To me it’s the same as someone driving up and renting a room only the room is pre-paid by someone else. The tax should still be owned.
Seems to me this is a very large amount of money ($Ms) which goes uncollected. Can’t the city do something about this??????
City Council—collect the millions of uncollected TOT mentioned above and get rid of the anti-tourist, anti-local Paid Parking Program.
Bill, You mention that SLT is a minimum wage town for too many in the work force.
How many of the city employees, including the referenced 5% actually live within the city limits?
I’ve heard about commuters from Gardnerville, Meyers, Carson City, etc.
I’ve lived in cities where if you were on the city payroll you lived within the city limits or you didn’t have a job. That would definitely raise the average salary of the workforce who lives here.
Can someone tell us what percentage of our employees actually live and vote in our city? I say vote so it can’t be that you just own property in the city, you actually reside here.
How about the untapped revenue of vacation rental TOT? The rules are already there. That should pay for some toilet paper, and maybe some tissues for the folks who have abused the system by not paying their TOT.
My point was, why look at individual areas that are not taxed, and look at the whole picture. What if the gondola and village going in created a skyrocketing tax base for the city through the state .5 cent sales tax and T.O.T. I don’t know the real numbers, but what if the city gets way more tax now than before the Village was built, and the services they provide didn’t have skyrocketing expenses related to the development.
Heavenly is a bi-state enterprise here in Tahoe. Does the Stagecoach base pay any taxes to Douglas County? Heavenly is a multi-land use business. How much is paid to the Forest Service not to mention Douglas and El Dorado Counties? Is everybody giving Vail Ski Corp a free ride or is it just the City of South Lake Tahoe? I have skied at many other ski areas in North America and an added tax for something such as carbon credits, transportation and what not seems to be fairly normal to be added to the price of a ticket. Depending on the day, month and “holiday” period, Heavenly’s ticket price can vary as much as $14 per day. The high season day price I have seen this year is $109. A user fee of a $1 a ticket and $5 per season pas would not be out of line and is certainly not going to force the skiing public to go elsewhere for the fear of bankruptcy by skiing.
Lets put meters on the bathroom doors to pay for TP.
Looking back at 2013, the most memorable and ill concieved event of the entire year was our city council’s decision to spend $300,000 on a parking meter program that promised to save our city from financial ruin. Now we are being told that there isn’t enough money to buy toilet paper at the public restrooms and the projected profits are needed to buy TP. I have personally heard Joann Conner and Nancy Kerry speak those words.
Our city council is elected to represent the views and lifestyle ideas of those of us that elect them. It has been made exceedingly clear that this community rejects the idea of a parking kiosk on every corner and are signing petitions all over town to make their voice heard. This council could begin to repair the public’s trust by reversing the meter program before it goes to the ballot. What does this community need to do to get your attention, council?
Parker (above) is right …..a mistake was made, now fix it.
http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7O2P/tahoe-south
Tahoe South – BYOTP