After all the turmoil of recent years, not surprisingly only 4 candidates filed for the 2 open seats for IVGID Trustee. Consequently there will be no primary for this office. More information coming after the primary.
Continue reading →I find it odd that Trustee Homan, not the Chair, has been acting as the spokesperson for the District. This long-time observer of IVGID’s activities has a somewhat different perspective. The serious organizational, operational and financial challenges Homan notes existed long before the end of 2024; and despite “measurable progress” (after hundreds of thousands of dollars in rec fees have been spent to address them) even greater challenges will become this Board’s “legacy” for years to come. The previous Board had identified the failures, but were hampered in their efforts to fix them by a series of contrived attacks. Ethics … Continue reading →
Re: Opposition to May 14, 2025 Agenda Item H1 Regarding Employee Beach Passes 5/13/2025 Dear Trustees and General Manager Harrison, I am writing this email in opposition to the recommendation in item H1 to provide employee Beach passes. The supporting Memorandum does not discuss any of the risks of damages to the property owners and to IVGID of proceeding with this recommendation, including the risk of costly litigation against the District, and does not explain why proceeding as described in the Memorandum will not violate the Beach Deed. I ask that the District advise the public if an unqualified legal … Continue reading →
First Public Comment Period Good morning Chair Rackley and other members of the subcommittee, I want to thank the subcommittee, Department staff and IVGID’s finance division for all their hard work trying to address the problems with IVGID’s finances. Unfortunately, there were more problems than could be tackled in just a few weeks or even a few months. As the work progressed, new problems emerged. It wasn’t just the audit and the Tyler implementation. The chart of accounts needed revision as did the simplistic and unfair central services cost allocation plan. And the lack of system integration means inefficient manual … Continue reading →
I read Kristie Wells’ commentary on last week’s meeting of the Committee on Local Government Finance. I have a vastly different perspective on what transpired. Major Concerns Although the committee certainly expressed concerns about possible overspending in the General Fund, more than ¾ of the denied budget augmentation was not related to the forensic audit. For some unexplained reason the Tax Department staff report didn’t mention the rest of the $1.5M in unbudgeted expenses, just the $350k for the due diligence audit. Wells’ summary emphasized the Board’s responsibility for potential overspending, but fails to mention the discussion by the committee … Continue reading →
All candidates were asked to submit responses. Only Mark Case, Harry Swenson and Frank Wright returned responses. What would you do to address the increasing need for subsidies? Diamond Peak has been subsidizing operations at other venues. Do you think DP revenues should pay for DP projects? One candidate said he thought we could double or triple proposed facility fees and still receive an incredible value. Would you feel that way with a $2340 fee? Do you think trustees should approve bonds without a bond election? Why or why not? Do you think the Hyatt and other hotels/STR’s should pay … Continue reading →
Trustee Candidate Homan promotes his portfolio theory as a model that has served IVGID well for decades. It goes something along the lines that it’s perfectly acceptable for one venue to lose money as long as all the combined recreation activities cover their operating expenses.That has never been IVGID’s model. He insists that IVGID is not here to run “for-profit” businesses. Maybe that’s true for parks, the skateboard park, disc golf and numerous programs for youth and adults. But when it comes to venues like the Champ course and Diamond Peak, that’s just sheer fantasy. Look at this exercise from … Continue reading →
Update: This year it’s disingenuously called the “Positive change for IVGID” PAC with its blue signs all over town supporting Tonking, Jezycki and Homan. The only change they want is higher Facility (Rec/Beach) Fees. In the past, real estate agents, golf club members, IVGID employees and their families have collectively made up a powerful and well-connected political force. Their cozy relationships have ensured the success of many past candidates for Trustee. Unless voters elect trustees who will work for the community as a whole, IVGID will slip back into the same unsustainable culture of “loose controls” that favors special interests … Continue reading →
What went wrong? If you haven’t had time to listen to IVGID meetings, at least take a look at pp. 156-160 of the Board packet for the 1/31/24 meeting. The interim Finance Director, Bobby Magee, has listed numerous financial issues that either have been or still need to be addressed. With such an extensive list of major shortcomings in IVGID’s financials, it’s apparent that past leadership failed to provide adequate financial oversight of our recreational venues. It’s pretty obvious from Board meetings, Audit Committee meetings and Golf Advisory Committee meetings, that our former GM failed to monitor the financial health … Continue reading →
High hopes dashed I was impressed with Mr. Homan’s resume when he applied to be appointed to the Audit Committee. He could have made great contributions. Unfortunately, he has damaged his own credibility by giving biased reports on the performance of IVGID’s golf venues. Mr. Homan’s recent “full disclosure” does not mention that he is an avid golfer. He downplayed the inequity of the large subsidies needed to support his preferred pastime, golf, rather than look for the reasons behind run-away expenses (even before inflation skyrocketed). To be fair, maybe that’s not the role of an accountant. Rather it is … Continue reading →
