WE WILL, WE WILL TAX YOU
On Wednesday, Mammoth Lakes Town Council voted, with consensus, to move forward with a ballot question to increase the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) in Mammoth.
They also voted to set up license plate tracking cameras, create subsidiaries for long-term rentals, and allocate funds towards updating the Community Recreation Center volleyball courts.
A TAXING DEBATE
The Council discussed raising the Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT), a type of tax levied on travelers or tourists, in Mammoth Lakes from 13% to 15%. The collected funds from the tax could be allocated towards housing development.
The council members debated whether the issue should be a general tax or a special tax.
A general tax measure requires a simple majority to pass and provides flexibility in how the funds can be used for general town services—including initiatives such as Housing Now—whereas a special tax measure requires a two-thirds supermajority to pass and must be dedicated to specific purposes, which could include more narrowly defined housing initiatives.
Advocates for a special tax, including council member Amanda Rice and commenter John Morris said many townspeople do not trust the local government to properly allocate funds, and thus, would likely vote against a general tax.
“I think that we have tried to put all of our unallocated dollars towards housing, and this will get us to our housing goals faster,” Rice said. “If our community says no, and if they’re not supportive of getting us to our housing goals, maybe housing is not as important to our community as we all think it is”
Supporters of a general tax, including Chris Bubser, said the supermajority vote would be too risky.
Sarah Rae, who said she felt agnostic towards the issue, brought up a question of Area Median Income (AMI). Money from the tax would not be subject to AMI restrictions.
“Everyone in my boat—with a kid or a normal job or what have you—nobody where I’m at is getting any help with housing except for our Bridge Program,” Rae said.
The Council did eventually reach a unanimous vote to move forward with the ballot question as a general tax, provided it included a mention of funds specifically allocated to the Housing Now program, involved a thorough campaign, and would expire after 10-years.
LICENSE TO SCAN
Council members voted to proceed with implementing Automatic License Plate Reading (ALPR) technology in Mammoth Lakes.
ALPR cameras are solar-powered, weather-resistant cameras designed to capture and compare license plates against a “hot sheet” of wanted vehicles. The system does not connect to personal data or use facial recognition and is positioned in public areas.
If a match is found, law enforcement is alerted to locate the vehicle. If no match is found or the data is not used for investigative purposes, the information is deleted after 30 days.
Police Chief Daniel Casabian and Sergeant Jason Heilman, who brought the motion forward, ensured ongoing transparency through annual reports to the Town Council and a public transparency portal.
They estimated the cost for the cameras to be around $25,000.
Council members expressed support for the technology, noting that the tracking service in and out of town could also be essential in an emergency situation.
LEASE TO LOCALS
The Lease to Locals program, originally pitched in May 2024, aims to convert existing housing into long-term rentals through owner subsidies. It was approved in last week’s Council meeting.
“I just want to thank you for being so thorough and coming back with all of these requests that we had,” Councilwoman Chris Bubser said. “And I look forward to the day when you come back and ask for more budget because it was so successful.”
Subsidy amounts range from $2,000 to $18,000 per property, depending on tenant qualifications and lease duration.
Eligible properties must be within urban growth boundaries and meet specific occupancy criteria. The program, launching in August 2024, targets households with incomes below 150% of the area median income (AMI).
It’s set to be evaluated biannually during its one-year pilot phase with a proposed budget of $425,000, covering rental subsidies and administration costs.
The proposal was supported unanimously by the council.
FUNDS SERVED UP
The council discussed allocating $25,000 to replace the flooring at the Community Recreation Center with a Snap Sports overlay which would accommodate volleyball activities properly.
The current floor, though durable, is not deemed suitable for the diving and sliding necessary for volleyball.
The proposal received positive feedback from the board members, emphasizing the importance of allocating funds for such targeted projects rather than deferring them.
Public comments supported the initiative, with John Morris, local volleyball coach, stressing the safety and functionality benefits of the proposed flooring.
“It could be a great potential resource of revenue for the town, and other gym spaces in town can be really difficult to secure,” Morris said.
With consensus, the council approved the allocation of funds.
RECREATION UPDATES
The Council also discussed plans with the board of Mammoth Lakes Recreation to consolidate recreational community foundations.
In the public comment section, Phil Moores, Executive Director of Eastern Sierra Transit (ESTA), apologized for recent service and communication issues that led to poor reviews last weekend.
To mitigate issues going forward, Moores said he would close the stop at Rainbow Falls and consolidate stops 9 and 10.
Although the buses would still be overwhelmed, they could staff the stop with a host who could provide information on bus delays, cancellations and overflow situations.
He also reached out to the historic society to provide education and entertainment at busy stops to keep tourists entertained if a bus is unavailable.
