North Tahoe Community Alliance reports $76.5 million leveraged for Tahoe projects; TBID renewal process begins

Tony Karwoski, president and CEO of the North Tahoe Community Alliance, presented the 2025 annual report for the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District to the Placer County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 22 and reviewed TBID/TOT finances, grant spending categories and the timeline to renew the district.

Key financial summary: Karwoski told the board that over the three years the NTCA has operated the joint TOT/TBID grant program (the "TOT/TBID dollars at work" grant cycles) the NTCA and its partners have invested about $34,200,000 directly and leveraged approximately $42,000,000 in matching funds for a total of about $76,500,000 in project and program investments. He said funds supported trails (~$13,000,000), workforce housing (~$9,500,000), transportation (~$7,500,000), community enhancement (~$2,500,000) and environmental stewardship/human impact mitigation (~$1,000,000).

Examples and outcomes: Karwoski highlighted trail projects (including Martis Valley and West Shore trail repairs), a Dollar Hill grooming project to expand multiuse winter access, and workforce housing programs such as lease‑to‑locals (he said the program has enabled roughly 270 individuals tied to the workforce to secure housing). He said the NTCA also manages visitor centers that provided about 53,000 direct business recommendations to visitors in the last year.

Funding and organizational structure: Karwoski explained that TBID revenues now fund NTCA operations and that TOT dollars freed by that transition are returned to the TOT/TBID grant pool for infrastructure and capital projects. He described the management district plan (MDP) budget categories and the fixed percentage allocations the MDP requires for visitor services, marketing, and other program areas.

Current financial position and projected budget: NTCA reported multi‑year revenue patterns and a planned spend‑down of accumulated surplus. Karwoski said earlier surpluses (around $8 million in earlier years) have been reduced through multi‑year commitments; the organization expects the year‑end surplus to fall to roughly $2.5 million as projects are completed and grants disbursed.

Renewal timeline: Karwoski said the NTCA has begun the TBID renewal process. The board approved a revised MDP and the NTCA is collecting weighted signatures from businesses; staff said they expect to submit a petition and return to the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 14 with intent to renew. Karwoski said the NTCA plans to finalize petition collection and return to the board for formation/adoption in December if weighted‑signature thresholds (50%+1 by weighted revenue) are met.

Questions from supervisors focused on growth of assessments and revenue trends, the relative performance of short‑term rentals (STRs) versus hotels (STR occupancy and ADR were up slightly; hotels were down year‑to‑date), and the importance of targeting longer stays and midweek/shoulder‑season visitation to grow revenue. Supervisor Gustafson asked about the assessment growth and strategies to help business revenue keep pace with rising costs.

No formal action was taken at this meeting beyond receipt of the annual report. Karwoski asked the board for continued partnership and noted the NTCA will return with the renewal petition and additional detail during the fall meetings.