OPINION: A Recall puts all Incline Village/Crystal Bay assets up for grabs

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by Paul Smith Perhaps you remember Incline Village and Crystal Bay before it became a community of mini-hotels and party houses? Well, that change came because your local realtor, business operators, and STR (short-term rental) folks supported Washoe County in approving licenses and then not enforcing STRs regulations. Make no mistake; STRs are uniformly ruining the quality of neighborhoods and creating an ecological disaster for Lake Tahoe – all in the name of “more tourists equals more profit”. Starting with the introduction of County licensed STRs (short-term rentals of less than 28 days) in 2020-21, the Incline Village/Crystal Bay living … Continue reading →

IVGID’s Financial Meltdown: Part 1

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From 2016-2022, IVGID purchased over $53 million of “capital assets”, account 8120.  These expenditures, include vehicles, off-road vehicles (snowmobiles, utility carts, etc.), heavy equipment (Caterpillar front-loaders,  backhoe, etc.), equipment (golf course mowers, spreaders, forklift, etc) tools (chainsaws, etc) and other items, as infrastructure projects. These expenditures push up rates and fees; the golf courses have millions of dollars of equipment. If Fixed Assets are not properly managed, rates and fees are higher than they should be.    In May, 2023,  public records requests were made to examine IVGID’s Fixed Assets List, year ending 2019. In examining the Fixed Asset List[1] … Continue reading →

IVGID Audit Committee Chair: “Gross mismanagement”

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The following are public comments made during the Incline Village General Improvement District Board meeting on August 9, 2023.  CLICK FOR AUDIO RECORDING ****** Chris Nolet, Lakeshore Boulevard, Audit Committee Chair   In three minutes, I can’t possibly address the current state of complete disrepair faced by our Director of Finance, Bobby Magee, and his few team members. His memo to the board package tonight provided some insight into the rather frightening circumstances they face.   No bank reconciliations for one year, an out of balanced GL [General Ledger] that has not been closed for the past two months. An … Continue reading →

Opinion: Errors in $9.4 million contract with Granite Construction

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MEMORANDUM TO:  Board of Trustees CC:  Brad Underwood and Mike Bandelin June 14, 2023 Re: Effluent Pipeline  – CMAR Contract with Granite Construction –  Construction Manager Fee Percentage It is with dismay, that the Staff of IVGID, the Board of  Trustees and the attorney Josh Nelson  cannot  review and insure that important items in a contract are clearly stated and appropriate. The  contract for the Effluent Pipeline  phase 1 to install 5,500 LF  is for a maximum price of $9.4 million. It should clearly indicate the Construction Manager’s  Fee Percentage (7.3) .  Within the Bid Schedule the amount of Contractor … Continue reading →

OPINION: Food & beverage losses not disclosed

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by Clifford F. Dobler As a follow up to our story on  July 21, 2023 regarding setting rates and fees for the golf courses,recent information brought forth by management to the Board indicates  losses in fiscal year 2023 from food & beverage operations at the Grille, the snack bar and the beverage carts at the Championship golf was a staggering $315,124.[1]  These operations had historically broke even, more or less,  until 2022 and 2023.  Since the losses were buried in the golf course reports, it was not apparent the losses were impacting  golf  rates. Had the losses been disclosed by … Continue reading →

Opinion: Setting Rates and Fees for the Golf Courses

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by Clifford F. Dobler For the seven years from 2016 to 2022, the two Golf Courses had combined operating losses on average of $572,525 each year which was covered by profits from Diamond Peak. In addition $1,046,118 each year on average was spent on capital improvements and were covered by a portion of the Facility Fees assessed annually to all property owners.  (Source: annual CAFRs)[1]  The Board of Trustees realized that a review of the pricing policies should be established and Moss Adams, a regional CPA firm, on March 4, 2021, was issued a contract to determine the best method … Continue reading →

Promotion for what?

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Has the Incline Village General Improvement District “concealed” public records? READ THIS EMAIL EXCHANGE – and you can decide for yourself.   Mr. Tulloch never received the public records he requested: the General Ledger. He  was elected in November, 2022 to the role of Trustee of the Incline Village General Improvement District. In July, 2022, a reporter from the Globe finally obtained a copy of the FY2021 general ledger. This was FIVE YEARS after Mr. Tulloch requested the records. The General Ledgers for 2017, and the 3 prior years HAVE NEVER BEEN RELEASED. Why is the general ledger important? The … Continue reading →

IVGID Board: lack of confidence in management?

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For at least a third time, the IVGID Board has hired Moss Adams, a regional CPA and consulting firm. The Board wants to obtain advice regarding five areas. Looking at the advisory services requested from Moss Adams [GRAPHIC 1 & 9 BELOW], what is really going on? #4 –The Board demanded an organizational structure to be provided as part of the budget process.  In 2022, General Manager Indra Winquest, promoted three long-time employees to new Director-level positions that he created – without Board approval. The positions were not included in the fiscal 2022 budget. This leads to asking some questions. … Continue reading →

Is the Bike Park/Pump Track Expansion Project Financially Feasible?

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Although the Incline Bike Park is a family-friendly outdoor recreation venue that no doubt has it proponents, it is concerning from a financial perspective. Fund-raising for the first phase fell short, and there’s little indication that additional funding at the levels needed will be forthcoming. In 2014, the Incline Bike Project was formed by a group of Incline Village / Crystal Bay residents and the Incline Tahoe Foundation. A bike park/pump track is a park with a continuous loop of dirt berms and “rollers” (smooth dirt mounds) that you ride without pedaling. A memorandum of understanding in 2016 between Incline … Continue reading →