Our guest speaker today was South Lake Tahoe City Manager Joe Irvin. He updated the club on a long list of activities in the City. Joe started the job in South Lake Tahoe in May 2020, just as COVID has a grip on the world. He lived in South Lake Tahoe 2000-03 as he was getting his AA at LTCC and skiing, before heading off to get his degrees. Joe manages 216 employees, a $150M budget of which $63M is in the General Fund. The city keeps a 25% reserve which now has about $14M in it.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: Sugar Pine Village will open the first phase of 68 units in September. The City was able to leverage $1.2M in local funds to get $120M in housing. The City is updating its listing of people waiting for housing which now has 900-1000 people on it.
ADUs: City Council voted to have three sets of plans shelf-ready for people wanting to put an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) on their property but don't want to spend the extra for plans. The home must have available coverage but rules have been eased to get an ADU added.
LOCAL IMPACT FEES: City Council has added a fee on all building projects 2,000 square feet or above. The City made $80,000 on the first house approved under this fee (it is 8,000 sq. ft!) Funds are going to help with housing.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Joe said they are seeing some investment but things are slow. He wants to see the Chateau project at Stateline move quicker (the building going on above the shops is for high-end condos).
TRANSIT: The City and El Dorado County are working to create a transit JPA to bring transit dollars to the South Shore. Expanding Lake Link, efficient bus lines, and other solutions will come from the JPA.
CLIMATE GOALS: 100% renewable by 2025 is going to be tough to meet, but they are trying. Hard to accomplish when electricity is supplied by Liberty, and they can't control where their power comes from. The plastic water bottle ban starts on Earth Day.
ANNEXATION: The City is cleaning up areas around the city limits that are part of the county when surrounded by city services. 5 homes on Lodi Avenue, 4 lots on Winnemucca, and 81 lots along Barbara Avenue. First steps. The city is also working to bring in Heavenly Cal Lodge into the City Limits - right now Lake Valley Fire and El Dorado Sheriff now service Heavenly.
New Recreation Center: Opens in January 2026! Vertical construction starts May 1 as all underground portions have been completed. They plan on roof by September so work can proceed inside all winter.
Joe said everyone is welcome to contact him should they have questions (he is also in our Auction!). He can be reached at 530=542-6000 or jirvin@cityofslt.us.
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