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The Incline Village General Improvement District Board of Trustees denied a water usage appeal at its meeting Wednesday, despite several board members agreeing with the appellant's argument.
Trustees heard arguments from Glenbrook, Nev. resident Chuck Bluth, who was appealing the usage of 1.3 million gallons of water at the 869 Lakeshore Blvd. home he owns, split over August and September 2007, at a cost of $2,184.27.
Bluth argued that, since he moved out of the house around November 2004, it was "impossible" for his water rates to spike like they did last summer.
"How could I use that much water?" he asked the board. "It makes absolutely no common sense - it's impossible."
To further illustrate his point, Bluth pulled past water usage records at the Cal-Neva Lodge, which he used to own. According to Bluth's numbers, the lodge used 286,000 gallons of water in July, and 199,000 in September of 2007.
"I might have 18,000 square feet of property, but I'm being charged for five times the volume when no one lived there?" he asked. "You can't logically sit there and look at these numbers and say a half million gallons of water went through there."
Bluth also questioned his water usage all the way back to 2003, arguing that it didn't make sense why usage numbers went drastically up and down from month to month.
Trustees heard arguments from Glenbrook, Nev. resident Chuck Bluth, who was appealing the usage of 1.3 million gallons of water at the 869 Lakeshore Blvd. home he owns, split over August and September 2007, at a cost of $2,184.27.
Bluth argued that, since he moved out of the house around November 2004, it was "impossible" for his water rates to spike like they did last summer.
"How could I use that much water?" he asked the board. "It makes absolutely no common sense - it's impossible."
To further illustrate his point, Bluth pulled past water usage records at the Cal-Neva Lodge, which he used to own. According to Bluth's numbers, the lodge used 286,000 gallons of water in July, and 199,000 in September of 2007.
"I might have 18,000 square feet of property, but I'm being charged for five times the volume when no one lived there?" he asked. "You can't logically sit there and look at these numbers and say a half million gallons of water went through there."
Bluth also questioned his water usage all the way back to 2003, arguing that it didn't make sense why usage numbers went drastically up and down from month to month.
Trustee John Bohn called the situation an "apparent mystery" and asked IVGID Public Works Director Joe Pomroy and Public Works Administrator Flora Todt if they could explain it.
Todt said she surveyed water records from about six IVGID properties, some of which reside on Lakeshore Boulevard, that used similar amounts of water during the months in question.
She and Pomroy both said the water readings were accurate, meaning Bluth should pay the balance, per the district's water ordinance.
Trustee Chuck Weinberger described the situation as "something's funny," and Trustee Gene Brockman agreed.
"What I don't understand is the inconsistency over the months. It really bothers me," Brockman said.
After the board deliberated, Bohn against asked Pomroy if he felt the meter readings were correct.
"We feel the meter is accurate," Pomroy said.
Based on that, Bohn said the only thing to do was to vote against Bluth's appeal, and he made the motion to deny his request, a motion that Trustee Bob Wolf seconded.
Todt said she surveyed water records from about six IVGID properties, some of which reside on Lakeshore Boulevard, that used similar amounts of water during the months in question.
She and Pomroy both said the water readings were accurate, meaning Bluth should pay the balance, per the district's water ordinance.
Trustee Chuck Weinberger described the situation as "something's funny," and Trustee Gene Brockman agreed.
"What I don't understand is the inconsistency over the months. It really bothers me," Brockman said.
After the board deliberated, Bohn against asked Pomroy if he felt the meter readings were correct.
"We feel the meter is accurate," Pomroy said.
Based on that, Bohn said the only thing to do was to vote against Bluth's appeal, and he made the motion to deny his request, a motion that Trustee Bob Wolf seconded.
"I'm not a water expert, and I have to rely on the water experts we hire and pay," Bohn said.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of denying Bluth's appeal, with Brockman and Weinberger voting "nay." Before the vote, Brockman said he would have recommended a motion that would have adjusted Bluth's owed usage fee so it reflected an average of the past four years of Bluth's water usage.
"I'm not in favor of (Bohn's) motion because of the inconsistency pattern that has shown up," Brockman said.
Bohn warned Brockman that if the district went Brockman's way, then it could potentially open itself up to appeals from other residents, questioning past water usage numbers.
"I'm afraid we'll have a case-by-case basis," Bohn said.
Other IVGID news
Pomroy provided the board with updated bidding dates to two district construction projects - the Diamond Peak Ski Lodge and the Parks Storage Building projects.
The board voted 3-2 in favor of denying Bluth's appeal, with Brockman and Weinberger voting "nay." Before the vote, Brockman said he would have recommended a motion that would have adjusted Bluth's owed usage fee so it reflected an average of the past four years of Bluth's water usage.
"I'm not in favor of (Bohn's) motion because of the inconsistency pattern that has shown up," Brockman said.
Bohn warned Brockman that if the district went Brockman's way, then it could potentially open itself up to appeals from other residents, questioning past water usage numbers.
"I'm afraid we'll have a case-by-case basis," Bohn said.
Other IVGID news
Pomroy provided the board with updated bidding dates to two district construction projects - the Diamond Peak Ski Lodge and the Parks Storage Building projects.
For the Diamond Peak project, Pomroy said Public Works will begin advertising for the project on Feb. 13, with bids set to open on March 13. Pomroy said he will present the winning bid for the board's approval at the March 26 board meeting. The project is slated at an estimated $2.5 million.
According to the project's preliminary plans, the buildings for the ticketing and child ski center will be joined, while the base lodge will be drastically changed and increased in size. It originally was supposed to take about a year once construction begins, Pomroy said.
"We're going to phase the project over two years now, instead of one," he said. "We're going to pull back on the ski center and do that the following year. It will meet the needs of the ski area better."
The Parks Storage Building project, slated at about $900,000, involves the construction of a new parks storage shop.
The project will replace the existing parks storage trailer with a 5,305 square-foot, two-story building.
It will remain in the same location next to the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.
Important dates announced by Pomroy for the project are as follows:
Feb. 8 - project advertising; Feb. 13 - bid opening; March 26 - board approval.
According to the project's preliminary plans, the buildings for the ticketing and child ski center will be joined, while the base lodge will be drastically changed and increased in size. It originally was supposed to take about a year once construction begins, Pomroy said.
"We're going to phase the project over two years now, instead of one," he said. "We're going to pull back on the ski center and do that the following year. It will meet the needs of the ski area better."
The Parks Storage Building project, slated at about $900,000, involves the construction of a new parks storage shop.
The project will replace the existing parks storage trailer with a 5,305 square-foot, two-story building.
It will remain in the same location next to the Donald W. Reynolds Community Center.
Important dates announced by Pomroy for the project are as follows:
Feb. 8 - project advertising; Feb. 13 - bid opening; March 26 - board approval.
