Mount Shasta council advises staff to withhold TBID funds if county stops plowing Everett Memorial Highway

The Mount Shasta City Council voted to advise staff to withhold transient-occupancy and tourism-district remittances that the city forwards to Discover Siskiyou Tourism Improvement District if the County of Siskiyou unilaterally stops plowing Everett Memorial Highway.

Council discussion followed a staff report about county enforcement and maintenance of a key county roadway used by tourists and residents. Staff and councilors described economic impacts from road closures, including lost hotel nights and retail revenue, and said county responses during storms have been inconsistent. Councilors discussed options including legal remedies, a local snow-plowing program, and formation of a smaller local tourism-improvement district.

Several councilors said they would prefer collaboration with the county and offered interim solutions such as staging equipment, training employees to operate county rotary plows, or hiring seasonal staff, but also said withholding TBID funds would be a lever if the county refuses to maintain the roadway. One councilor said the measure is conditional and intended to prompt negotiations; another said staff should clarify the legal basis and thresholds for determining when the county has “not plowed.”

A motion to advise staff to withhold TBID funds sent to Discover Siskiyou if the county decides to continue not plowing Everett Memorial Highway was moved, seconded and adopted by the council. Staff was directed to return with more detailed criteria and legal analysis and to pursue cooperative options where feasible.