INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The Incline Village General Improvement District Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 11, started with recognition for the Incline Village High School girls’ golf team which had a successful season as regional champions and placed fourth in the state.

Trustee Phil Horan, who resigned during the November meeting, was supposed to attend Wednesday’s meeting as his last. However, he pushed his resignation date to Monday, Dec. 9, and did not attend the meeting.

The board pushed a few important agenda items off, including decisions on ongoing court cases Mark Smith v. IVGID and Aaron Katz v. IVGID, until they have a full board.

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Aaron Katz and his wife both spoke during the public comment period about IVGID going after him for attorney’s fees.

“I’m recommending you get a third attorney to come in and examine the situation because you’re getting bad advice,” Katz told the board.

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The board also pushed the presentation of the Annual Financial Report until the board is full. Although this will be after Director of Finance Gerry Eick retires, he said he’d be happy to come back at a later date and give the presentation.

The last item to be tabled was a discussion on approving the audit firm Eide Bailly for audit services for fiscal year ending June 30, 2020.

Trustee Matthew Dent said he might like to have a third party come in for a new perspective. Eick recommended the board decide what areas they’d like a third party to audit but said for some areas, prior knowledge is helpful.

The board decided to come back in February or March with a clearer scope of project.

The board approved a new capital improvement project for the replacement of Mountain Golf Course cart paths. They committed $161,500, which was left over from the golf cart fleet project, to this project. Work likely won’t start until the next fiscal year because crews had to wait for snow to melt before they can survey the paths and get a feel for the full scope of the project.

Trustee Peter Morris did urge public works to move forward as soon as possible so that the new golf carts aren’t damaged by the paths. This is a concern many residents shared in past meetings.

The board voted to improve a 10% rate increase for golf course play passes for the 2020 season after a lengthy discussion on the decision. They acknowledged residents are sensitive to rate increases but also acknowledged the courses don’t make the district money. Without rate increases, the golf courses won’t be sustainable.

Interim General Manager Indra Winquest said they are also working on a cancellation policy. Currently, people can reserve a tee time and there is no penalty if they don’t show up. The courses are losing money when those spots aren’t being used.

Winquest also started a discussion with the board about guest access tickets for the beach. During the 2019 season, almost 15,000 guest access tickets were processed but only 6,822 scanned at gates. That is a waste of staff time and resources so Winquest wants to explore different rules and procedures for the guest access tickets.

Along the same lines, Winquest started a discussion about revising Ordinance 7, which establishes rates, rules and regulations for recreation passes.

No decisions were made on either issue but Winquest wanted to bring the idea to the board for future discussion.

Chairwoman Kendra Wong brought the GM’s job description to the board’s attention. Winquest has served as Interim GM since August but has expressed interest in serving in the role permanently.

Wong suggested changes to the job description, such as education and location requirements, that would allow Winquest to be eligible for the role.

Wong suggested changing the description to say the GM could live within 45 miles of the district for Winquest, who lives in Reno to be eligible.

Dent expressed concern that in the future, when Winquest is no longer GM, a candidate from as far as Colfax could apply.

Trustee Tim Callicrate suggested requiring the candidate to live within the state of Nevada.

When Wong asked Winquest if he had any changes to suggest, he joked, “making the salary $400,000 to $500,000. But in all seriousness, I believe it would be unethical for me to make any changes,” Winquest said.

The board also approved interview questions for the trustee candidates. The discussion was quick on this item. The board approved the same questions that have been used in years past.

Next Wednesday, Dec. 18, the board will begin interviewing candidates to fill Horan’s space. The board must make a decision by Jan. 8 or Washoe County will have the right to appoint a trustee.