Incline Village Board of Trustees work towards transparency amid recall petitions
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev.— The Incline Village Board of Trustees worked on communication with the public through creating a new Frequently Asked Questions page and the implementation of board appointed committees at their meeting on Wednesday, July 12.
The meeting centered mainly around a list of frequently asked questions brought to the board by Chairman Matthew Dent, to which he requested board feedback on dispelling rumors that have been circulating around the district. There were many rumors brought up by the board that are frequently mentioned during public comment, ranging from the explanation on the elimination of the recreation fee, to the rumored privatization of all IVGID facilities. Over ten questions were discussed by the board, each involving its own discussion on the best way to respond to public interest.
Trustee Dave Noble was hesitant to get too deep into answering questions that addressed rumors among the district, especially as the questions of definitions began to arise. The board questioned what the true model for the district really is and if it has been changed, and questions of what the word ‘privatize’ truly means.
“We’re starting to get down that rabbit hole,” said Noble. “We’re chasing after something that isn’t concrete and anybody can point to, and I don’t know if that’s actually appropriate to be trying to address with FAQ’s.”
Trustee Ray Tulloch disagreed, seeing that this was the first step and a good way to communicate with the community about accusations that are made during public that the board cannot respond to, and he feels are false.
The trustees agreed that as more questions and comments arose from the public there would be more opportunity to look back at the FAQ page and update.
“I think this is all really great discussion, and I think that we’ve identified something that should perhaps be in a monthly report to the board so that we are aware of where we are with the challenges,” said Trustee Sara Schmitz.
While the board attempted to touch on the subject of the lost recreation center expansion funding from the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation, Trustee Noble pointed out that it might not be in the best interest of Trustee Schmitz, who currently has a petition for recall against her, to discuss a topic that is being used against her for the recall.
While the board decided to direct the public to the special meeting that dissects the timeline of the lost grant, Trustee Schmitz decided to reflect on the lessons learned from the situation.
“I think the lesson learned is that if the board ever has an opportunity like this, that upfront, there should be more clear stipulation as to what the deliverable is and what the commitments are, because this was very much one step at a time and that potentially put the district at risk,” said Trustee Schmitz.
Besides taking general comments that have come from community members and public comment, there was no other public comment period for what questions should be included in the FAQ.
Board appointed committees were also discussed as a way to further increase communication with the community.
The two committees that the board felt were important to start out with was the capital investment/improvement committee and the golf committee. Staff will begin to advertise for the two committees.
Trustee Tulloch also pointed out that through committees working on capital improvement projects in the district, it could help save time for projects that usually get caught up in discussion by the trustees. With the help of the committees, the board may be able to save time prior to construction season by using the committees advice and discussions to make more informed decision and will hopefully reduce time to breaking ground.
The duties of the general manager were discussed, as well as the recreational privileges offered to district employees based on their status of working with the district.
A five year extension of the residential green waste program was not agreed upon by the Trustees, who feel the item needed to be brought back for further discussion and clarification before being approved.
The extension would have also supported the finalization and implementation of a $5 million capital improvement project investment in Waste Management’s Incline Village transfer station, where there would be major site improvements.
Trustee Michaela Tonking, who was not present for the meeting, pointed out in the a note to the board that before any decision is made to extend, IVGID’s waste management disposal rate should be in line with the rest of northern Nevada.
“I think we do have some time on this,” said Chairman Dent.
To see the entire meeting and agenda visit http://www.yourtahoeplace.com/ivgid/board-of-trustees/meetings-and-agendas.
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