What are the revenues from the Town of Truckee’s paid parking, and what have the funds been used for since the program started?
The parking district is an “enterprise fund” of the Town (meaning it is not funded by the Town’s general fund), and its primary source of revenue is from parking meter fees ($730k) and parking fines ($65k). Total budgeted revenues for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018, are $844k. The district’s total budgeted expenses are $1.1 million and include parking enforcement personnel, land leases for parking lots, purchase of parking lots, parking lot snow removal and maintenance, replacement and upgrade of meter equipment, and more. The difference in revenues and expenses is covered by the surplus in the parking fund’s balance from previous years.
Examples of specific recent expenses include buying brand new parking meters for the Brickelltown project, upgrading technology components on existing meters, purchasing the fire station lot in downtown, and leasing the Jax and Beacon lots. The budget for the upcoming year includes buying new meters for the Railyard project and purchasing the Jax lot (instead of leasing it from Union Pacific Railroad). The budget is available at townoftruckee.com/budget. The fund summary is on pages 2 to 23, revenues are on pages 3 to 7, and expenses are on pages 7 to 19.
~ Christina Earnhardt, administrative services manager, Town of Truckee
The Meeks Bay Marina has been closed for years. What’s in store for its future? Various questions from a curious reader:
Who controls what uses are allowed in the marina? The U.S. Forest Service owns the land and is the agency that manages the Meeks Bay Marina and works in cooperation with other agencies, including the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
How much longer is the forest service ground lease with the current tenants? The adjacent Meeks Bay Resort is operated by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California under a special use permit with the U.S. Forest Service, authorizing the operation and maintenance of the resort through 2019. The resort is still open and operating, but the Meeks Bay Marina facility is not currently authorized for operations under a special use permit.
What happens when the ground lease is up? Renewal? New bidding process? Nothing? Renewal of the resort permit is an option that is reviewed and considered by the forest supervisor.
Is there any plan to bring back the marina? The forest service is preparing an environmental impact statement to assess the actions needed to improve water quality and to determine the future of the Meeks Bay Marina. The public will first have an opportunity to participate in the public scoping process later this year and is invited to provide comments on the U.S. Forest Service’s proposed action for the marina.
If so, what are the agencies involved and the requirements to reinstate the marina? The environmental analysis process will allow the U.S. Forest Service to make a determination about the future of the marina. The forest service will work in cooperation with the planning agencies mentioned above.
~ Heather Noel, legislative and external affairs officer, U.S. Forest Service, LTBMU
What can I do with extra compact fluorescent lightbulbs that I don’t plan to use?
Truckee Donner Public Utility District (TDPUD), along with other electric utilities, have had energy conservation programs focusing on compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) for almost a decade. CFLs are much more efficient than incandescent lightbulbs and the TDPUD handed out over 300,000 CFLs to its customers. While CFLs were one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy and money, today Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are even more efficient with better performance. One consequence of the switch to LEDs is that there are “stranded” CFLs sitting unused in some homes and businesses.
For those unused CFLs, here are a few tips from the TDPUD:
• If your CFLs are NEW IN THE BOX and unopened, you can drop them off at the Hospice Thrift Store in Truckee or Kings Beach. Please contact them for donation hours.
• If your CFLs are used or not new, they need to be recycled. Drop-off locations include the Truckee Donner PUD, Mountain Hardware & Sports, Elements Mountain Company (in Tahoe Donner), and the Eastern Regional Landfill (the “dump”). Please contact each location for hours of operation.
~ Steven Poncelet, public information and strategic affairs officer, Truckee Donner Public Utility District
