The Incline Village General Improvement District met March 19 to approve an increase to beach rates for the 2025 season, amend an agreement with the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, and approve proposed golf rates. Trustees also gave a brief audit update, in which they disclosed that the deadline would not be met.

Trustee Mick Homan gave the update on audit progress, and said the district will not make the deadline, but is closer to receiving an opinion from the auditor. 

“The good news is that we appear to be progressing closer towards getting an opinion from our auditors,” said Homan. He added that state officials said “staff has made more progress this month than they have seen in the previous six months.”

“The bad news is that we are not going to meet the latest deadline,” he said. “Neither the state nor us are frankly happy with that.” Staff aims to have the audit completed or in the clean-up stages by late April, and the delay was necessary to give time to be more thorough in order to avoid another disclaimer of opinion. 

The additional time also means there will be additional payment to Davis Farr and Baker Tilly, the external agencies assisting with the audit. 

Entrance and boat ramp fees hiked

Trustees additionally unanimously approved a cost increase to kayak and paddleboard rack rental rates, and a 10% increase to all boat ramp fees. Director of Parks and Recreation Karen Crocker said that given the high number of people on the waitlist for rental racks, an increase could bring excess demand down. The board also approved a $1 increase to beach entrance rates for Ski Beach, Incline and Burnt Cedar. 

Meanwhile, the board made a motion 3/0 to approve the amended Cooperative Agreement with the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District for Fire Reduction (Defensible Space) Services, with a budget threshold of $200,000. Trustees Michaela Tonking and Ray Tulloch abstained, with Tonking citing a conflict of interest. 

During discussion, Trustee Dave Noble proposed increasing the threshold to $500,000. “I don’t want to be looking back in a year or two wishing we had increased the funding if we are faced with a catastrophic fire that devastates the community,” he said.

Trustee Michelle Jezycki also questioned if $200,000 would be sufficient for fire reduction efforts. “Can we accomplish what we want to accomplish with $200,000?,” Jezycki asked.

Trustees additionally unanimously approved the recommended golf rates proposed by Senior Head Golf Professional Robert Bruce, including a plateau in most rates. Due to competition with other golf courses, raising rates could negatively impact golf course usage in Incline Village, he said.