County commissioners could reverse action taken to fund Muller Lane Parkway in December
Less than two months after approving transferring $1.1 million to the Regional Transportation Commission to do design work on Muller Lane Parkway, Douglas County Commission Chairman John Engels wants the money back.
Engels is seeking to reverse the transfer back to the county’s general fund. When he was in the minority, Engels sought to block the transfer, claiming it was illegal because the original source was from the CARES Act.
County Manager Patrick Cates said that the $1.1 million was reimbursement for part of $3.5 million the county spent on coronavirus before July 1, and before the federal money was available.
As its last official act, the former Regional Transportation Commission approved a contract with the company to design the parkway.
The parkway is not the only action by the previous Board of County Commissioners in Engels’ sights.
He is also seeking to remove any reference to agrihoods from the county’s web site.
Park Cattle Holdings received approval of a general plan on 1,044 acres of land located north of Minden and Gardnerville as an agrihood.
The action won’t have any affect on that approval, but will require the county to remove years worth of work and advocacy on the part of Jacobs Berry Farm’s Jack Jacobs to encourage ranchers to use an alternative to selling their property for homes.
County commissioners were told in September that 70 percent of ranchers and farmers in Carson Valley report their operations aren’t profitable and that many agriculturalists have said their children have no intention of continuing to work the land.
Also on the block is a $50,000 annual rent the county pays for meeting space at the Tahoe Transit Center for a variety of meetings, including the Board of County Commissioners.
The county also pays $35,000 a year to the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority to lease space in the Transit Facility.
The rental agreement is supposed to last through June 30, 2024, but may be terminated by either party with notice.
The location was where Engels and then Commission Chairman Barry Penzel were involved in a backroom physical altercation.
No charges were brought in the incident, after the Carson City District Attorney found there was no independent confirmation on what happened.
Engels said he would seek a federal investigation into the incident.
