SUE MORROW: Something's got to give in TRPA debate

A bill that would pull the state out of the bi-state Nevada-California Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee after passage early last week in the Government Affairs Committee.

The measure is sponsored by Sen. John Lee, D-North Las Vegas.

Critics of the agency argue that it has overreached its bounds. That instead of serving its purpose as a planning agency designed to regulate development in the Lake Tahoe Basin in order to protect the pristine body of water it has been intrusive in the lives of residents by restricting their ability to make improvements to their property.

During the Government Affairs Committee hearing on the bill, several Tahoe homeowners complained about their experiences with the TRPA.

In the words the late Minden Attorney George Abbott liked to use, there was a real "parade of horribles."

According to a story by Nevada Appeal reporter Geoff Dornan, a South Lake Tahoe resident testified that he wasn't allowed to cut down dead trees from his property. As a result, his house burned down in the June 2007 Angora fire which claimed 250 homes.

A woman told the committee the TRPA refused for five years to issue permits for necessary safety and health repairs to her home, according to Dornan's story.

And the former owner of the Cal-Neva Lodge at North Shore Lake Tahoe said he spent several years trying to get approval for an expansion and rehabilitation of the property. He said he finally gave up and sold it.

The compact that created the agency was passed by the two legislatures and Congress in 1969, and I can't believe the monster it became.

As a reporter, I used to cover TRPA Governing Board meetings. It almost made me sick to my stomach to watch citizens approach the members, "with hat in hand" so to speak, to try to obtain permits allowing them to make improvements to their property such as an extra bedroom or a deck. They weren't exactly groveling, but they didn't appear to hold much hope of success. The whole scenario, I thought seemed downright un-American.

I have to ask, what has an extra room in a house has to do with controlling algae and other threats to Lake Tahoe's quality?

There have been earlier attempts to withdraw Nevada from the TRPA, none of which obviously was successful. Lee's bill could suffer a similar fate with the hue and cry of agency proponents who argue that the quality of the lake - without a doubt a national treasuer - would suffer immeasurable harm.

An alternative to withdrawing from the compact might be a restructuring which would, among other provisions, place control over residential matters in the hands of local governments.

Washoe County is a good example of excellent planning in the development of Incline Village, a lovely community. I couldn't help but compare it to Kings Beach on the other side of the state line with its garish, Coney Island-style hamburger stands and T-shirt shops.

One thing is certain. Something's gotta give.

• Sue Morrow is a longtime journalist and member of the Nevada Newspaper Hall of Fame. She may be reached at soozymorrow@yahoo.com.