County to host hotel tax meeting today in Lone Pine

Supervisors to attend workshop at hatchery

Inyo Treasurer/Tax Collector Alisha McMurtrie and Inyo County Auditor Amy Shepherd continue to hold informational meetings regarding ballot measures involving the county tax code that voters could see in November.

The two elected officials are hoping to inform voters and stakeholders about measures that, if approved for the ballot by county supervisors, could impact those staying at area lodging establishments and short-term rentals.

They will be hosting a meeting from 4 - 5 p.m. today at Statham Hall, 138 N. Jackson St., Lone Pine.

The county is considering placing two measures on the November ballot:

1. If the TOT, or bed tax, should be increased from 12% to 14% in the face of rising operating costs.

2. Whether campgrounds and RV parks should be added to the TOT code. Campgrounds and RV parks are currently exempt from TOT.

The 14% TOT rate would put Inyo County even with the city of Bishop, the town of Mammoth Lakes, and slightly higher than Mono County, which is at 12%.

This would only impact lodging places in the unincorporated areas of the county, not Bishop, which has its own separate TOT.

McMurtrie has said that the TOT only applies to those lodgers staying for 30 days or less so those staying in RVs longer than 30 days would not be subject to the TOT.

McMurtrie has said that she will be bringing other changes to the TOT code to the board of supervisors soon to implement enforcement tools as well as eliminate the owners’ allowance, which allowed lodging establishment owners to keep 4% of the 12% TOT.

During the meetings, which already have been held in Bishop and Independence, Shepherd covers what the TOT revenue already funds, such as community support grants and economic development. She is seeking input from those in attendance for ideas on what they think the TOT could be used for as well, such as airport improvements or recreational infrastructure improvements.

The TOT revenue is not earmarked for any particular purpose and can be allocated by the board of supervisors as it sees fit.

Both McMurtrie and Shepherd have said that the board has insisted that TOT revenue be used to fund community support grants and other promotional efforts, even when times get lean.

“It’s pretty much a sacred cow,” Shepherd has said, “and during budget time, we know not to go near it.”

Because of the importance of the issue, the county has planned a number of meetings throughout the region, including:

• Death Valley, June 22, 12-1:30 p.m., Furnace Creek Visitor Center, Highway 190, Death Valley National Park

• Tecopa, June 22, 3-4:30 p.m., Tecopa Community Center, 400 Tecopa Hot Springs Road.

• Big Pine, June 29, 4-6 p.m., Big Pine Town Hall, 150 Dewey St.

• Cardinal Village, July 11, 5-7 p.m., Cardinal Village Lecture Hall.

The ballot measures must be proposed during a general election year so if the county doesn’t include them on the ballot in November, it will be another two years before the county can propose them again.

Board goes to Big Pine

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to deviate from its regular meeting procedure today to include a presentation from the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley with information about the Fish Springs

Fish Hatchery followed by a trip to the facility set for 1 p.m.

The workshop is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. today in the Board of Supervisors Chambers, in the County Administrative Center, 224 N. Edwards

St., Independence.

The workshop portion of the meeting also will be accessible via Zoom through the county’s website, www.inyocounty.us. The meeting may also be accessed by telephone at the following numbers: (669) 900-6833; (346) 2487799; (253) 215-8782;

(929) 205-6099; (301) 715-8592; (312) 626-6799. Webinar ID: 868 254 781.

Zoom will not be available for the afternoon tour.

According to the county, the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley has long expressed concerns about high volumes of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power groundwater pumping in the Big Pine area. The majority of pumping takes place at the Fish Springs Fish Hatchery.

Prior to 1970, Fish Springs was the largest spring in Owens Valley, and the springs and surrounding area hold deep cultural significance to Tribal Nüümü (Paiute) people.

The nearly continuous pumping for the hatchery has been a chronic stress on the hydrology in the Big Pine wellfield for decades. When hatchery pumping was halted for maintenance for five months in late 2020, water levels in the area of the hatchery began to rise suddenly in monitoring wells completed in the deeper aquifer comprised of volcanic material; water table response was smaller and/or delayed in the shallow alluvial aquifer monitoring wells.

This workshop, according to the county, is an opportunity for the tribe to present its concerns as well as its proposed remedies to address excessive pumping.

The tribe understands their proposed remedies to be opportunities to promote environmental justice, heal and restore natural and cultural resources, consider the changing climate, protect access to water over the long term, and diversify economic opportunities in the Big Pine area.

Representatives from several state and federal agencies have been invited – along with the board of supervisors, tribe, and public-at-large – to listen, consider, and suggest possible pathways forward.

The Fish Springs Fish Hatchery tour is scheduled to be led by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) staff. It will conclude with an opportunity for participants to share perspectives and consider next steps.