Two years ago, the Incline Village General Improvement District was in a precarious spot. Fraud allegations, financial issues, failed recalls, and a general manager spot that couldn’t seem to be kept filled — interim GM Bobby Magee, who resigned after three months, followed by Kent Walrack, who lasted a similar length of time before being terminated by a new board. That same month, January 2025, the still-current GM, Bob Harrison, was put in place.
Earlier this summer, Trustee Mick Homan wrote a piece for Moonshine saying that at long last, things are looking up. “With key hires in HR and finance to supplement the existing team, focus shifted to three priorities,” he wrote. “Improving organizational health, restoring financial discipline, and advancing long-term capital planning.”
The shape of that progress looks different to different people. There are three candidates running for two seats on the IVGID Board of Trustees, with only one incumbent running for reelection: David Noble. That means there’ll be at least one newcomer, either Harry Swenson, who ran in 2024, or Ryan “RB” Brooks. The candidates touch on cost discipline, transportation, and utility management.
Candidates were limited to 125-word responses per question, and they have been edited for style and clarity. Order of replies determined by a randomizer.
1. Public transportation has been identified as a critical option to reduce traffic, lower pollution, expand mobility, and more. December 2025’s cancellation of TART (Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit) Connect’s microtransit services and the Aug. 1, 2026, discontinuance of IVGID’s Senior Transportation Program have created a gap in public transportation needs across Incline Village/Crystal Bay. What do you see as the most critical way(s) IVGID can support or encourage expanded public transportation options?
Brooks: The end of these programs left us without on-demand transit for the residents who depend on it most: seniors, workers, and people without a car. As I see it, IVGID’s most critical role is to restore service quickly and on solid legal footing. IVGID’s counsel has advised that [Nevada Revised Statute] 318 doesn’t allow the district to operate transportation directly. Rather, we should let a local 501(c)(3) run the service and receive state and federal funding directly, including [Nevada Department of Transportation’s] [Federal Transit Administration] Section 5310 and Older Americans Act funds and Washoe County senior service contracts. IVGID’s role would be to convene partners and help prepare grant applications. Any direct financial support would be reviewed by legal counsel first, so we don’t trade one lawsuit risk for another.
Editor’s note: Words in brackets were added by editors and do not count against word count.
Noble: IVGID representatives have been in discussions with county representatives since April to strongly encourage restarting/funding TART, which would assist all residents, including seniors. Those discussions have included the use of at least some of the taxes generated from STRs in unincorporated Washoe County (over 90% of those revenues come from STRs in Incline Village and Crystal Bay), which currently go to the county, Travel North Tahoe Nevada (formerly the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau), and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. Unfortunately, IVGID is prohibited from providing public transportation service, unless it is tied to at least one of IVGID’s recreation venues.
Swenson: I would work with the board and amend the long-standing contract with Washoe County to ensure senior transportation services are fully funded by the county and are consistent with services offered in other towns/districts of the county. For instance, the county provides discounted Lyft rides and taxi services for seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income residents. We need to ensure our community is aware of the services available.
IVGID has the responsibility of providing transportation according to the contract with Washoe County; therefore, the elimination of services was wrong. The problem appears to be budgetary and due to the services provided by IVGID going beyond what the county provides in other communities. Services should have been reviewed and refined rather than eliminated.
2. IVGID provides essential utilities while also operating an extensive recreation system. How would you determine which responsibilities should take priority when the district faces competing financial, infrastructure, and community needs?
Swenson: Maintaining and updating our water and sewer infrastructure is critical. Much of it is still original and in state of disrepair. We’ve had too many water main and line breaks. We need to budget and execute on a plan to get it upgraded and properly maintained. At the same time, we need to make the maintenance of our existing facilities, such as the recreation center, a priority. We should budget for these things first and then determine what additional projects can be accomplished. Only projects that can be delivered should be contained in the budget that results in your beach and recreation fees. This would resolve the over-collection of fees from our community while keeping our facilities in good repair.
Brooks: Tier 1 – Public health, safety, and legal obligations. Water, sewer, and effluent systems come first because they protect residents and the lake, and regulations aren’t optional.
Tier 2 – Taking care of what we already have. Before paying for anything new, IVGID should fully fund the repair and replacement of its existing pipes, pumps, facilities, and equipment.
Tier 3 – Core recreation at the heart of our community. Each IVGID facility should be evaluated on cost, usage, and how close it comes to covering its expenses. But keep a holistic approach.
Tier 4 – Wants. New amenities, expansions, and nice-to-haves come last.
Three rules would guide me in how I apply this:
- Keep the money where it belongs.
- Plan on a five- to 10-year horizon.
- Show our work.
Noble: Water and sewer services take priority over all recreation venues because those services are essential to daily life. IVGID recently completed the effluent export pipeline project under Highway 28 — a $62 million-plus project finished a year ahead of schedule and $13 million-plus under budget. Looking forward, I believe reinvestment in IVGID’s water service and ski area should be priority. Wildfire preparedness measures (pipe replacement, backup generators, etc.) need to be accelerated for our water delivery system to be better prepared for future wildfire events. Diamond Peak is the only venue that generates a profit for the community ($1 to $5 million/year), yet no meaningful investments have been made in nearly 20 years — lodge, lift, and snowmaking upgrades are long overdue to address declining skier visits.
3. The past few years have seen ups and downs in the facility fee amounts district property owners pay annually. For example, in the fiscal year ending 2023, residents paid $780. In 2024, that amount dropped to $455. In 2026, due to impacted district finances, the annual fee went up to $1,375. The current IVGID board said the latest increase will help ensure district financial stability and the ability to manage current and future capital facilities. Do you think the board and staff have handled the financial instability well? How would you seek to maintain or improve district financial management moving forward?
Noble: The facility fee was kept flat from 2010 to 2023, while construction, labor, and food prices rose considerably over that period. The fee went up to $1,375 to begin addressing years of deferred maintenance and capital projects that languished due to analysis paralysis. I led the effort in early 2025 to hire IVGID’s new GM, who has rebuilt the finance department. We now have the right personnel in place for IVGID to comply with all applicable fiscal and accounting protocols, resulting in a clean (no exceptions or disclaimers) [Fiscal Year] 2025 audit. IVGID will be removed from the state’s fiscal watch list once the anticipated clean audit for FY 2026 is filed in November, which will enable IVGID to access additional financing tools for future projects.
Swenson: IVGID is collecting money for projects without the ability to complete in the budgeted year for many years; it’s resulted in excessive cash reserves. The excessive cash build-ups have also allowed your money to be used where it wasn’t intended or budgeted. The lower-fee years were during a time when the board linked the fees to the ability to deliver projects and services; they didn’t over-collect but collected for what was achievable. Last year’s capital improvement plan was for $30 million of projects and barely executed on $6 million. Now, with the tripling of fees, they’ve collected another $40 million out of your pockets. The board needs to budget and collect only for projects and services it can deliver, nothing more. Apply proper fiscal management!
Brooks: The current board and staff faced the problem honestly. They built a long-term capital plan, ranked the most critical projects, and stabilized the general fund. The effluent pipeline replacement finished a year early and under budget. That’s real progress.
Going forward, I would:
- Instead of raising fees, pursue cost savings and revenue generating opportunities. For example, we have a $400,000 line item for the replacement of golf carts. Let’s solicit sponsors like Titleist or Nike to brand and sponsor the golf carts.
- Index the fee to construction costs every year with a published formula.
- Tie the fee to a 10-year capital plan.
- Adopt a firm reserve policy.
- Keep the money where it belongs.
