Newly-elected IVGID trustees, David Noble and Ray Tulloch, joined fellow trustees at the January 11, 2023, Board of Trustees meeting. The agenda and packet materials can be found at https://www.yourtahoeplace.com/ivgid/board-of-trustees/meetings-and-agendas
IVGID General Manager Indra Winquest shared the Hyatt was unable to secure a permit from the TRPA for the first phase of its lakeside cottages and Lone Eagle renovation project, so work will not begin until Spring 2024. GM Winquest reviewed again the events regarding the boil water notice of November 23 and said the district is working to improve communication with residents. He advised trustees the Incline beach house project would be on their agenda within the next month in order to get a Request for Proposals (RFP) from project designers. An update regarding meetings of the dog park committee was shared and a community survey is anticipated. Diamond Peak General Manager Mike Bandelin reported revenues were down due to weather but are expected to meet budget as the season progresses. Technicians have been working at Diamond Peak to install the new gantries and RFID technology; a launch date will be announced soon. Director of Finance Paul Navazio answered questions regarding the district’s new Tyler/Munis system, including updating the OpenGov software. GM Winquest briefly discussed efforts to work with Ponderosa Athletics in regards to the Advanced Girls Gymnastics Program.
Gordon Shaw of LSC Transportation Consultants, Inc. shared the company’s beach access report and proposed options for improvement. Automated access control at the beaches was briefly discussed. Trustees questioned the results of LSC’s in-person and online surveys; trustees supported better signage as a first step toward improved beach ingress.
The consent calendar item regarding increasing existing purchase orders for fuel and chemical purchases passed unanimously.
Trustees unanimously approved the following slate of board officers:
Chair – Matthew Dent
Vice Chair – Sara Schmitz
Secretary – David Noble
Treasurer – Ray Tulloch
Trustee Tulloch was appointed to fill the seat on the Audit Committee vacated by former Trustee Kendra Wong. Anyone interested in filling the At Large seat previously held by Trustee Tulloch should contact the district.
Director of Public Works Brad Underwood and Chris Burke of Granite Construction presented an update on the Effluent Pipeline Project (EPP). Due to deadlines from the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) State Route 28 project, it is necessary to complete work in Segment 2 in May and June of 2023. A video inspection of the pipeline is planned while it’s open; it will be evaluated along with the PICA (Pipeline Inspection and Condition Analysis) data previously collected. The NDOT project will have road closures on SR 28 during the summer so it’s not feasible to have additional road closures to work on the EPP at that time. Work on 2000 LF (linear feet) in Segment 3 is planned for September and October of 2023.
The 90% Opinion of Probable Construction Cost (OPCC) from Granite Construction is $56,333,920. The 90% OPCC from Rock Solid Solutions is $55,988,477. Both are more than $7,500,000 less than the 60% OPCC. Adding an estimated $2,400,000 for design, administration and inspections, the total EPP cost is estimated to be $58,733,920.
Mr. Underwood reported the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) loan has been preapproved by the State Treasurer. IVGID is expecting to receive a $1,600,000 grant through the Federal Omnibus Spending Bill. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has received increased congressional funding; IVGID will continue to work with USACE in an effort to obtain more Section 595 funding grants for the project.
Mr. Underwood estimated a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) for the 3500 LF in Segment 2 will be presented to the Board of Trustees in early March. The CWSRF loan should be finalized by that time. The GMP for the 2000 LF in Segment 3 is anticipated for late April but will be coordinated with USACE grant opportunities. A GMP for the remaining EPP phases may be available in the fall of 2023.
The trustees unanimously approved the EPP phasing plan.
Trustee Tulloch proposed changes to how the district handles public records requests and replies. Redaction procedures, creating a records request form and fees were also discussed. Trustees voted unanimously to approve the motion detailed in the agenda, including posting public records request responses on the district website, as soon as such ability is available. Until such time, the responses to public records requests will be published in the board packets.
Trustee Tulloch proposed revising and clarifying the reporting structure of legal counsel to the Board of Trustees. GM Winquest cited instances of need for immediate legal counsel (Human Resources issues, for example) and warned about limiting access to legal counsel to the trustees. Legal counsel Joshua Nelson recommended reviewing a redline version of Board Resolution 1480 at a future meeting because some changes proposed were beyond the agenda item.
Trustee Dent presented a contract with FlashVote for $9900 and shared his experience using it as a board tool. Multilingual surveys and results are available for an additional $3000. Concerns over funding of the contract were discussed; Mr. Navazio questioned if the budget is managed by line item or by category. By a vote of 3-2, the contract for $9900 was approved with the portion of the contract related to training, $2,000, to be charged against the trustee training line item budget and the remaining contract costs will be charged against the trustee’s professional services line item budget.
Trustees Dent and Schmitz proposed changes to Policy 3.1, Conduct Meetings of the Board of Trustees, and proposed creating highlights of board meetings. Trustees and GM Winquest had several concerns about highlights; ‘synopsis’ was preferred and all agreed to keep working on the product. Trustee Schmitz was nominated to be trustee for emergency contract approval. Changes to the policy included, the board reviewing all contracts, the publishing of the board packet 7 days in advance whenever possible, forbidding communication via technology during meetings, and changing board roles every 2 years, passed unanimously.
Trustee Dent proposed communications between all trustees and the general manager might be improved via a weekly report and provided an example format. GM Winquest suggested biweekly reports and asked for clarification regarding detail to report. GM Winquest was directed to begin weekly reports to all trustees January 20.
Trustee Tulloch brought the Whistleblower policy developed by the Audit Committee to the trustees for a vote. After changing policy language to involve the Board of Trustees, instead of the Audit Committee chair, the item passed unanimously.
Trustee Dent proposed creating a policy and process to identify involvement in external organizations by district staff and trustees in order to avoid conflicts of interest. After hearing a wide variety of viewpoints, general counsel was directed to develop the idea further.
Trustee Schmitz presented a format for board memorandums and board packet materials which she developed with GM Winquest. It was suggested to add benefits to the business, cost savings and what the consequence will be if nothing is done. Trustee Schmitz will provide an updated format to GM Winquest.
Trustee Schmitz presented proposed modifications to the Board of Trustees Handbook. Clarification regarding how to acknowledge receipt of emails was requested; a simple response was recommended. The modifications were adopted unanimously.
Trustee Tonking provided the annual Audit Committee report to the Board. It was not recommended to expand the scope of the audit. The Audit Committee is waiting for a capital report from Davis Farr; adjustments may need to be made after the report is received. A request was made that management and/or the Audit Committee respond to points made by community members regarding financial and accounting issues.
Director of Finance Paul Navazio reviewed the timeline for meetings and workshops regarding IVGID’s Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget.
Mr. Navazio requested the trustees make a budget amendment to reduce the appropriations to zero for Recreation Center expansion project which is no longer being considered. The motion passed 4-0 (Trustee Tonking had departed the meeting).
Items waiting to be assigned on the long-term calendar were listed.
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