Budget issues for the Town of Mammoth Lakes continue to be the subject of much concern. At the council meeting set for Wednesday night, the council plans to hear from Deb Pierrel and the Citizen Group that is working to reformat the budget and help create a budget that is more understandable for the general public.

In other budget news, town officials report that the general fund is beating expectations this year. According to a staff report, the transient occupancy tax, the bed tax that is the bread and butter of the town budget, has beaten expectations by close to 20%, coming in $1.8 million dollars higher than expected. This is due in part to conservative projections, but also in part due to more money coming in. Staff says that the TOT is still 8.8% higher than what actually came in last year.

While bed taxes are up, meaning that people are staying in local hotels and motels, sales tax is down, meaning those that do come spend less. With the decline in sales tax and property tax, the $1.8 million in extra TOT, is cut down to a $1.5 million general fund surplus.

Other items on the agenda Wednesday night include how to spend the fall cycle of money slated for recreation under Measure R, use and regulation at the skate park, adoption of the budget for 2010-2011, and the possibility of putting out a request for proposals to hire a new Town Attorney.

The Mammoth Lakes Town Council meets tomorrow night at 6:00 pm in the council chambers upstairs at the Minaret Shopping Center.

Discover more from Sierra Wave: Eastern Sierra News

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading