TRPA Slimming Down

Lake Tahoe, NV/CA — TRPA announced an internal reorganization today resulting in
staff cuts, position changes, and organizational restructuring.

“While losing our valued colleagues is difficult, we are facing a perfect budget storm of
reduced revenues, state cuts, and increased legal expenses,” said Joanne S. Marchetta,
TRPA’s Executive Director. “We must position the Agency for survival and ultimately
success in today’s challenging economic climate.”

Marchetta informed TRPA staffers today about eight positions being eliminated and 12
other position changes in an attempt to meet the goals of the Agency’s strategic plan
implemented last summer and to address a looming budget deficit.

“Had the Agency failed to act and continued with our status quo budget, we would be
looking at an approximate $1.3 million deficit heading into our next fiscal year,”
Marchetta said.

TRPA initiated a reorganization last year in the first phase of strategic plan
implementation. The plan includes four key pillars: accelerating threshold gain on the
ground, streamlining, operational efficiency, and community engagement. While cost
savings is a major factor in this second reorganization phase, another driver is the need
to streamline operations, flatten the management structure, and adjust priorities to reflect
key goals.

Primary organizational changes include reducing the number of Agency planners
because of a decline in permit fee revenues, eliminating the shorezone program
implementation team because of the recent court decision which invalidated the
Agency’s 2008 ordinances, and restructuring the Regional Plan Update team.

Over the last three years, TRPA has taken aggressive steps to cut operating expenses
including layoffs, salary freezes, work furloughs, travel and training cuts, and the closure
of its north shore office location. Today’s reorganization builds on these measures and
takes the additional step of shifting program priorities to reflect current conditions.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and
enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in
the future.