Hello Incline Village and Crystal Bay! This summer has been challenging with the Caldor fire that reached the south shore of Lake Tahoe and its associated smoke, plus record temperatures. I want you to know that the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County Truckee Meadows Fire Department have been working hard to keep the fires at bay with our regional partners and your homes safe. Washoe County believes that we are part of #teamTahoe and have been supporting efforts to support the health of the Lake. I am excited to bring you a regular column through the IVCBA so you can stay updated on what we are doing in Washoe County to support YOU!
September is National Preparedness Month! I know that many of you put together go bags when the Caldor Fire was at it’s peak. It’s still a good time for you to evaluate how you can better prepare your home, business and community for any type of emergency. Please visit www.ReadyWashoe.com for preparedness information:
1.Make a plan, including a communications plan
2.Assemble a kit with enough supplies for a minimum of 3 days
3.Stay informed about the types of emergencies and related actions that can occur in our community
Incline Village / Crystal Bay CAB Update While on the campaign trail, I heard from you that the Citizen Advisory Board (CAB) wasn’t meeting the needs of the Incline Village/Crystal Bay residents. This was mainly because the CAB was restricted to just reviewing upcoming development projects and didn’t have an opportunity to give input to the Commission on other things happening in the community.
Additionally, when the CAB would review the development projects, there was frustration that the developers didn’t take the suggestions of the community seriously and that the CAB was seen as a box to check and not a way to engage with the community and make a development project better. The staff evaluated best practices from across the nation and came up with a solution to solve the important and essential need for a developer to work with a community on any new development (track two) and the community input still needed from CABs (track one).
Track one reinstates the CABs to create a structure that works best for the community. For example, I will be working with my CAB to create our new mission and goals for the coming year, which also will include future agenda items on Short-Term Rentals, Accessory Dwelling Units, the mobility hub, how Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Washoe County intersect and more.
Track two creates neighborhood meetings that will allow the community to weigh in on developments while still in the planning stage. Developers will be required to conduct neighborhood meetings before they apply for permits and licenses. They will also have to incorporate community input into their applications.
The Board of County Commissioners at its August 17 meeting voted to dissolve the current CAB structure tied to development only. Then the Board adopted the resolutions to create CABs to assist in developing the Commissioner Support Program to be implemented within the Office of the County Manager, which reinstated all nine CABs established throughout the commission districts (including the Incline Village/Crystal Bay CAB). I look forward to working with my CAB to implement track one to better inform the community about the county’s business and discuss important community issues.
The Incline Village/Crystal Bay CAB will meet on October 4 at 5:30p.m. due to the surge of the COVID variant the meeting will be held online via zoom. I hope you can join us! To sign up for notifications on what’s going on in District 1 email CAB@washoecounty.us.
Upcoming Meetings
Board of County Commissioners – Tuesday, September 21
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency – Wednesday, September 22
Board of County Commissioners – Tuesday, September 28
Tahoe Transportation District Board Meeting – Wednesday, October 6