EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. (October 14, 2023) – In a recent El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting held on Tuesday, October 10, Supervisor Brooke Laine, representing the Lake Tahoe Basin, sparked a debate by pulling an item from the consent agenda that pertained to Measure S spending.
Measure S authorized a 4% increase in the transient occupancy tax levied against rent charged for specified short term lodging in an area defined by the Measure as the unincorporated portion of the Tahoe Area of El Dorado County.
The contentious item involved a Department of Transportation (DOT) request for up to $900,000 allocated for equipment rentals and parts for the next three years. The funds earmarked for DOT’s use were sourced from various avenues, including Transient Occupancy Tax – Local Discretionary (50%), Transient Occupancy Tax – Measure S (15%), County Service Area 3 (5%), Tribe Funds (5%), Road Fund (10%), and the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Act of 2017 (15%).
Supervisor Laine raised concerns about the utilization of Measure S funds for equipment rental, particularly because a portion of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) was already allocated for this purpose. She argued that the proposed expenditure did not align with the intentions of Measure S, which had received public support with the explicit purpose of allocating additional funds for road maintenance and snow removal.
Measure S, passed by County voters living in Lake Tahoe in 2022, authorized a four-percent increase in TOT for short-term lodging rentals in unincorporated areas of the county at Tahoe. These additional funds were intended for road maintenance and snow removal that exceeded normal operating expenses.
Supervisor Laine underscored that the last time a three-year budget proposal came forward for a similar item, it was funded through different sources, including SB1 funds. She emphasized that since this request was considered routine, it did not align with the voters’ approval for additional snow removal and road work.
“The word ‘additional’ is important,” Supervisor Laine stated firmly.
She also questioned the timing of the agenda item, as the Measure S Oversight Committee was set to meet the following week and had not been given the opportunity to evaluate the proposed expense.
In response, DOT Director Rafael Martinez acknowledged the challenges of using SB1 funds for the three-year contract but offered to allocate more County Service Area 3 (CSA 3) funds to cover the 15 percent that Measure S was originally intended to fund.
Ultimately, the other supervisors concurred with Supervisor Laine’s argument, and the agenda item was approved with revised funding allocations, securing a unanimous vote of 5-0. This decision reflects a commitment to honoring the intent behind Measure S and ensuring its funds are allocated in a manner consistent with the wishes of the community.
