Sharla Hales gave an overview of her first year on the Board of County Commissioners as well as recent updates at the May 9th Minden Rotary meeting. As a candidate she received a lot of support and is the only woman on the BOCC.
Some first-year impressions include:
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The county is poised to do great things. We have a great county manager, Jenifer Davidson. She is young and at the top of her career. She comes with lots of experience and preparation.
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The County staff are excellent.
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Commission work takes a lot of time, as Douglas County includes Lake Tahoe which takes much more understanding and is more complex. It doubles the work vs. the surrounding counties.
The Strategic Plan was just approved. Three elements to note are:
1. Open space - The county is reviewing the transfer of development rights program, which is working better than Sharla expected. There is a review underway to improve the program. Conservation easements are very successful, but the funding model is expiring and the efforts to create a quarter cent tax to purchase development rights have been defeated at the ballot box. An improved ballot measure will be coming forward. There is currently a lands bill in Congress the BOCC is supportive of.
2. Workforce housing - The county is exploring options.
3. Communication – The county is committed to better communication with residents and is implementing “Board Buzz” emails. There’s a sign-up link on the county website.
Other current happenings include:
1. Muller Parkway - The groundbreaking will be within the month. Bids came in within the budget, and though some of the sections are held up by the feds due to stormwater drainage,the county will move forward with two lanes. Developers are building 4 lanes.
2. The Judicial Law Enforcement Center is on track for infrastructure this year and building construction next year. The Sheriff’s office will remain in the current center.
3. The Airport is currently under county management and has a good advisory board.
4. China Springs budget is a challenge. They are cutting positions, and hired a lobbyist to secure funding from the legislature.
5. Vacation home rentals – lots of work has gone into this. It’s a delicate balance between property owners who want to rent and those who don’t want renters nearby.
6. Tahoe Blue Event Center is highly successful.
7. Stormwater and roads have been a can kicked down the road previously.
Depending on the makeup of the BOCC next year, Sharla is hoping to get to work on these items.
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