SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The City of South Lake Tahoe has confirmed key negotiation terms at City Council on Aug. 13 regarding a joint powers authority with El Dorado County for transit in South Lake.

Those terms will be incorporated into a final agreement and brought to a joint city and county meeting on Oct. 15 for discussion between both agencies.

Assistant City Manager Hilary Roverud said to council on August 13, “Transition in transit funding structure and operations doesn’t happen overnight.” She explained, “There’s still a lot of details to be worked out, but the focus right now is on developing a collective vision of transit service and showing the partners how that vision can be implemented with a JPA.”

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Council approved the purpose of the JPA listed on the agenda, which includes working with regional, state and federal agencies to plan, program, and secure funding for transit within the JPA area, and to develop, provide, and operate local transit services to benefit the JPA area.

Of the member agencies, being the City of South Lake Tahoe and El Dorado County, the city is proposed to act as the managing agency, providing necessary administrative and accounting support.

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Although discussions are still underway with the county on whether to have a three-person or five-person board, parties have reached a consensus that the city should have majority representation due to the larger population that would be served.

“As a managing agency, the city staff would prefer a three-person board simply because it is more efficient to schedule meetings and provide communications and information to a smaller board,” Roverud explained.

The council approved terms of a three-person board consisting of two city councilmembers and the El Dorado County District V Supervisor.

Council also approved terms providing for two ex-officio non-voting members on the board, one from the South Shore Transportation Management Association and the Tahoe Transportation District.

Council present, Mayor Cody Bass, and Councilmembers Tamara Wallace and Scott Robbins, showed support of the acronym S.T.A.R.T. for a future transit service, which would stand for South Tahoe Area Rapid Transit.

Councilmember Robbins inquired whether the terms would allow the JPA to potentially provide transit service to areas outside the JPA area, like Minden, Kirkwood, or Carson City.

City Attorney, Heather Stroud, said they are drafting the documents as broadly as possible to ensure the best opportunity to do that.

Roverud in her presentation also explained the city is continuing to research and discuss the best method for the JPA to operate transit services across the state line.

The Assistant City Manager said after the agreement is approved and board members established, required tasks will include setting up the board administration, budget, and a work plan.

“Then there’s additional requirements to actually take over those transit services and receive the funding,” she added. “So, this is a process that we are going through.”

These steps have some wondering what will happen to the current transit system operated by TTD. Roverud told the Tribune that the city and county are not trying to replace TTD. Once the JPA is formed, its board will determine the role the JPA will have in transit planning and operations as it coordinates with TTD and other agencies to implement an efficient and integrated transit system.