County questions Tahoe business agency transparency

A 90-minute presentation about Lake Tahoe’s two visitor authorities and its chamber of commerce prompted questions about the transparency of the three business agencies.

Carol Chaplin, the president and CEO of both the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and the Tahoe Douglas Visitors Authority and Steve Teshara the president and CEO of the Tahoe Chamber spoke at the Jan. 18 meeting.

While discussing the history and missions of the two authorities, the presentation was short on details about how effective they’ve been.

“We do have data, I don’t have that with me today, that this messaging is working and there is an increase in visitation,” Chaplin said.

A company called Zartico tracks phone location and spending data when permitted by users which helps improve marketing efforts.

“I think it would be useful to have updates on how the event center is doing,” said Commissioner Sharla Hales, who asked for continued updates for the board’s review of the financials.

“There’s also transparency issues and what’s going on,” Hales said. “My appeal is even though you say it’s open, anyone can come, it’s not easy to figure out.”

Tarkanian said he felt that the authorities should be making a profit.

“If you can’t make more than operating expenses you don’t have a business,” Tarkanian said. “The event center is property in Nevada funded by Nevada bonds so you can’t give half that to California.”

Chaplin explained all organizations manage finances differently within the landscape of Tahoe.

“Some things are kind of parallel but there are very specific things that the LTVA does for the community that the TDVA has nothing to do with, it would be a lot easier but there are four destination marketing organizations at the lake.”

Overall the two organizations work in tandem to achieve similar goals while simultaneously navigating Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s restrictions.

Chaplin said the authorities and chamber will discuss the number of events at the center annually, which are currently capped at 130 by the TRPA

After a tough line of questioning about the budget line items and agreeing to a request to provide written updates twice annually regarding transparency of the finances of the Tahoe Blue Event Center.

“This year we invested paid dollars year round to ensure we support our local economy during shoulder season as well as peak travel seasons,” she said as a marketing video played through a montage of successes and future projections of success with upcoming events like the Lake Tahoe Knight Monsters who are projected to bring in $10,000 per game.

Projected attendance at the 74 events by June 30 will be 88,000, with 12,000 room nights already realized since the center opened in September 2023.

For the full presentation visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rX0WLP0J6c&t=21481s

“I certainly don’t envy the conundrum you face in how much [tourism] is too much and how much is too little,” District 3 commissioner Mark Gardner observed,  “When you have an organization like Fodor put us on the ‘do not visit list’ I hear the failure of business, on the Nevada side of the border and California side, is due to the lack of tourism. You always hear about a lot of ‘loving Lake Tahoe to Death’ and ‘over tourism’ but who determines that?”  it seems to be a very subjective number to me.”

Alpine View resident Ellie Waller submitted a comment.

“No disrespect, I just think we need to revisit how we’re funding all three groups, more clarity on the responsibilities that were brought forth and revisit assembly bill 616 that allocates the portions of the occupancy tax.

“Do you have deliverables, what are the deliverables?” Waller said.

“We don’t know how the money is being spent and I have asked for this for six months and I am still reeling,” she said. “I found an audit for the TDVA but not on the books of LTVA. It was a real eye opener on accountability. and I don’t think Carol can quantify the expenses under her use of the word passthrough.”