Clay Street Bridge over troubled water

“If we take no actions, the bridge is going to collapse.”

— Nicole Gotberg, Placerville city councilmember

Supes consider TOT, General Fund allocations

Eric Jaramishian

Staff writer

The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors gave direction to staff on allocating funds from the General Fund and Transient Occupancy Tax during its budget hearing Tuesday.

During discussion on how to distribute TOT funds, District 4 Supervisor Lori Parlin requested hiring two new code enforcement officers for night and weekend response to reported vacation home rental and ranch marketing event violations, one for the Tahoe area and one for the West Slope. The anticipated cost is $300,000 for both enforcement officers.

Parlin told other supervisors having VHRs and ranch marketing events enforced is important in supporting local residents.

“I don’t see how we cannot do this and not have our residents lose faith in us,” Parlin said. “On the flip side, it also helps the venues that we are getting phone calls on, because maybe some of them are not substantiated when the officers show up. We don’t have that tool and it is causing a lot of angst.”

No code enforcement officer is employed for weekends or nights in Tahoe.

The recommended action will be considered when supervisors adopt the final budget in fall.

Following an unanticipated disruption to the project, Placerville City Council approved a resolution that will allow Clay Street Bridge replacement to move along. After the publication of an environmental impact report for the project in 2018, outcry from local groups prompted the city to go back to the drawing board. Working in tandem with the United Ancient Order of Druids, Friends of Historic Hangtown and tribal organizations, the city and its consultants devised “a more conservative approach” for the project, according to City Engineer Rebecca Neves.

Numerous possible alternative approaches were identified that would maintain existing historical and cultural resources and the project has since received concurrence from the California Office of Historic Preservation. The newer approach would take

The Shingle Springs-Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce requested $37,500 in TOT funds for operations such as hosting entrepreneur’s workshops and forums, Thunder in the Park car show marketing, website updates and maintenance and shop local campaigns.

TOT requests represent 28.5% of the chamber’s yearly budget, according to reports send to the county. Chamber leadership expects TOT funding will be needed for six years.

The board voted 3-2 to fund the chamber, with Thomas and Parlin holding out on ‘no’ votes.

District 2 Supervisor George Turnboo pushed n See Bridge, page A8 n See Budget page A9