IVGID finance department receives national honor

Kevin MacMillan
BONANZA STAFF WRITER, kmacmillan@tahoebonanza.com
March 28, 2008

Print Email

As the Incline Village General Improvement District enters the final months of the budget planing process, it appears the people crunching the numbers are doing - and have done - a good job.

Last week, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada announced that IVGID has received the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its budget.

According to a GFOA press release, 1,127 entities that prepare budgets received the award, nationwide.

"The award represents a significant achievement by the entity. It reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting," the release reads. "In order to receive the budget award, the entity had to satisfy nationally-recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation."

The guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity's budget serves in the following parameters:



• a policy document

• a financial plan

• an operations guide

• a communications device



Budget documents must be rated "proficient" in all four categories to receive the award, the release reads.

At Wednesday's IVGID Board of Trustees meeting, chairwoman Bea Epstein presented Ramona Cruz, IVGID's Director of Finance, Accounting and Information Technology, and Marc Platt, Senior Accountant for the district, with a Certificate of Recognition for Budget Presentation, as part of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, for their work on the budget.

"Award recipients have pioneered efforts to improve the quality of budgeting and provide an excellent example for other governments throughout North America," the release reads.

GFOA is a nonprofit professional association serving 17,500 government finance professionals throughout North America. The GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.

The announcement came in good timing with the district's next phase of the 2008-2009 fiscal year budget planning process.

At Wednesday's meeting, Cruz and IVGID Controller Gerry Eick, with Platt in the audience, presented the board with a draft copy of next fiscal year's budget.

"We finished it after 8 p.m. last night," Cruz said. "I remember because Marc walked by with his keys, and I was like, 'where are you going?'"

Trustees will review document before meeting desperately with IVGID's finance staff to discuss the budget. Board members then will meet for a special budget workshop on Wednesday April 9, prior to the 6:30 p.m. IVGID Board meeting.

Also in the finance and accounting realm, trustees unanimously approved for the district to retain its auditor - Barnard, Vogler & Co., of Reno - for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. The item originally was on the consent calendar, but was moved to general business because the board had questions.

Trustee John Bohn asked Eick why the district is choosing to maintain its current auditor instead of trying a fresh company.

"Lots of board rotate auditors to maintain their independent status," Bohn said.

Eick, who presented the agenda item to the board, said it's tough to gain trust from someone who may leave in three years for a replacement.

"In my experience, we've done a better job with someone who we know," Eick said. "Plus, this is not the year to go shopping for auditors."



Board accepts Parasol's report

Claudia Andersen, Parasol executive director, presented the 2006-2007 fiscal year annual report to the board for feedback.

Among the highlights of the report was a $5 million increase in profits in '06-'07 compared to the previous fiscal year. Another important statistic was that of profits received in '06-'07, 71 percent went to local nonprofit organizations.

"That's a reversal of numbers since when we first started," Andersen said."

After a wave of congratulations from board members and IVGID General Manager Bill Horn, the report was accepted with a unanimous vote.



Board names employees of the month

Every month, the IVGID Board recognizes an IVGID employee for outstanding work, honoring him or her as the IVGID Board of Trustees an Employee of the Month by presenting a framed certificate of recognition and, as board chairwoman Bea Epstein dubs it, "a little something extra for his or her pocket."

Epstein named the January and February Employees of the Month at Wednesday's meeting, with John Fardelmann receiving January's honor and Mary McCormick being named February Employee of the Month.



Once again, Diamond Peak impressing

Ed Youmans, General Manager at Diamond Peak Ski Resort, provided another "good news" update to the board Wednesday, saying that by the end of the day Wednesday, skier visits at the mountain were to pass 120,000.

That's good news, Youmans said, considering the district budgeted for 115,000 visitors this season. The mountain also stands at $5.67 million in revenue, which continues to set records with each passing day.