MOUNTAINEER TRANSIT COMPANY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPECIAL MEETING
February 8, 2023
DRAFT Minutes pending Board approval
1. Call to Order
Chair Mike Martin called today’s meeting to order at 8:18 AM. A quorum was established
2. Roll Call and Establishment of Quorum
Board members present
Mike Martin
Rick Pendleton
Keith Fountain
Lindsay Romack
David Stepner
Peter Grant
Board members not in attendance
Sebastian Gurevich
Pat Fraser
Others attending
Joy Doyle
Judy Friedman (Recording Secretary)
3. Changes to / adopt Agenda
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Stepner to adopt today’s agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
4. Approval of January 12 Special Meeting Minutes
It was moved by Grant and seconded by Martin to approve the minutes of the January 12, 2023 Special Meeting as presented. Motion carried unanimously.
5. Public Comment
Friedman announced the joint NTRAC and OVMAC on Thursday February 9 at 6:00 PM at the North Tahoe Event Center. The main focus will be traffic congestion. There will be speakers from Palisades Tahoe, Northstar, and Placer County.
6. Board Member and Adviser Comments
Pendleton said that as a user of Mountaineer, he finds it amazing. The drivers are great, the service is predictable, and it is great for the region. Grant agreed. He has used it five times over the past few weeks and found it to be quick and convenient.
Martin reported when the Base-to-Base Gondola was on wind-hold for a short time last Saturday, he helped several people download the Mountaineer app and it was easy getting guests moved back to Alpine Meadows. The vans were right there and everyone appreciated the service.
7. Treasurer’s Report
a. FY2021-22 ending September 30, 2022 Tax Filings
It was moved by Stepner and seconded by Fountain to approve filing the FY2021-22 ending September 30, 2022 taxes. Motion carried unanimously.
b. Q1 (Oct-Dec 2022) Financial Statements
Pendleton presented the first quarter financial reports. There is approximately $276,000 in the bank on December 31, 2022. The financials for Mountaineer operations are tracked separately from RSC and OVI. Income for the quarter was higher than anticipated primarily because lodging occupancy is higher than anticipated.
A discussion followed regarding whether the full Board needs to review the financial reports, as was suggested by Benjaminson. Doyle and Martin will see if AB 2912, the requirement for homeowner association Boards to confirm monthly review of financials, is relevant to this organization.
It was moved by Grant and seconded by Pendleton to acknowledge the Board has reviewed the Q1 financial statements. Motion carried unanimously.
c. Rev Expense Summary / Cash Flow & Revenue Projections
Pendleton suggested cash flow projections be considered since expenses are consolidated into a few months but revenues are more spread out. He gave some examples.
Doyle noted assessments compared to budget and delinquencies are now included at the bottom of the report.
8. Executive Director’s Report
a. Unbudgeted Expenses since November 5 Board meeting
Doyle reported the $10,000 expense for snow removal at the Hidden Valley parking lot will hit our financials in February or March based on the January reconciliation process.
b. Delinquency Report Dec 2022
Doyle reported there are sixty assessed businesses delinquent, totaling $25,282. Of those, thirteen are past due more than $300, one is delinquent over $7,000 and three are delinquent $1,000-$2,000. Doyle continues to communicate with Revenue Services in the effort to reduce delinquencies. Discussion followed regarding following up on large delinquent accounts and Doyle agreed to share Revenue Services insights into these accounts after the meeting.
c. Winter 2022-23 Season to Date Ridership & YOY Stats
Doyle presented a season to date Ridership Report as well as stats compared to prior seasons. The numbers are strong and tracking similar to the 2019-2020 winter season.
One thing a bit concerning, but not surprising because of the good snow conditions, is that wait times are longer than in prior seasons due to high demand for skiing and riding this winter. Travis (Gleason) of Downtowner said the traffic has been horrendous. Grant thinks the app notifications have been helpful. People understand delays when they receive a communication. Romack said wait times for TART Connect are higher for the same reasons. Doyle noted the high number of new downloaded apps and strong QR code tracking, which illustrates increased marketing efforts are working. The evening service between the valleys is also doing well with just over 1100 passengers to date. The Friday-Monday counts for Alpine Meadows are encouraging as well.
Fountain noted how people are learning to weave together services. He suggested asking about that in the survey.
Martin reported Palisades Tahoe skier visit and lodging numbers have been strong season to date. There was an event with breakout sessions at the Resort at Squaw Creek and Mountaineer was promoted and used by attendees to get between the Village and the Resort at Squaw Creek. Representatives of other ski resorts were impressed by Mountaineer and wanted to know how they could bring a similar service to their destination.
i. Consider Extension of Winter 2022-23 Season
Doyle asked if the Board wants to consider extending core Mountaineer services beyond April 9 if demand and funding supports it. Gleason needs to know by mid-February. Discussion followed regarding pros and cons of the idea. No additional revenues would be realized so there is no financial reason to extend service. There was a sense that skier numbers drop when daylight savings begins and the weather begins to warm up. People in Sacramento and the Bay Area change from skiing to golf and tennis. That said, there are events coming up for which the service could be helpful. Doyle was asked to get a price from Downtowner on extending Saturday-Sunday service in Olympic Valley through the end of April or May could make sense.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Fountain to authorize the Operations and Finance Committees to consider and make a decision on extending Mountaineer beyond April 9 in Olympic Valley on Saturday and Sunday only to the end of April or May 2023. Motion carried unanimously.
d. Marketing Update - Photo/Video Shoot and QR Code Report
Doyle noted Palisades Tahoe got some photos of the Mountaineer vans in the snow. Palisades Tahoe is doing another photo shoot with models today or tomorrow so some new images will be available.
Over 1100 people clicked on the QR codes season to date. The fridge magnets are doing better than Doyle expected. Unfortunately, the QR codes that Palisades Tahoe created for the rack cards and business cards were not trackable, but will be in the future.
e. New District in effect Feb 1
i. Postcard mailing and email to assessed businesses
Doyle reported the postcard mailing and email went to all assessed businesses, which generated some questions of Revenue Services staff. It is a good way to keep relationships strong and transparent and to improve compliance. Kelly, our Project Manager at Civitas, said renewals typically take 12 months and MTC’s district renewed in exactly seven months.
9. Chairman’s Report
Martin noted the state of Mountaineer. The service is doing well, with a high level of demand and engagement.
Martin announced the resignation of Bob Tetrault from the Board. He filled the Alpine Meadows at-large seat. Doyle has been asked to compile a Board member job description. Martin asked everyone to reach out to potential candidates and keep him and Doyle in the loop. A discussion followed.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Fountain to appoint Pat Fraser and Rick Pendleton to develop a list of potential new people to fill the Alpine Meadows MTC Board seat, conduct outreach and make a recommendation for Board approval. Motion carried unanimously.
Martin said Palisades Tahoe is providing funds to extend Mountaineer times during World Cup; Olympic Valley service will being at 5 a.m. February 24-26 for racers, support staff, and employees will be encouraged to use the service.
Martin noted tomorrow’s joint NTRAC and OVMAC meeting to address regional transportation and traffic congestion this winter. He will present the World Cup Traffic Management Plan.
10. Placer County Transportation Funding and Services
Romack shared a presentation describing Placer County’s funding for TART fixed route service and TART Connect in FY 2022/23. The County is working on next year’s budget. Romack said to let her know if there are items to be considered for that budget.
Romack reported 60% of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) collections are allocated to the Tahoe Economic and Community Enhancement Fund. Of that, $9.1 million goes to transit. There has been a reduction in TART service because of the lack of drivers, as a result, night service is being provided by TART Connect. TOT funds also go to traffic mitigation, pedestrian safety, and snow removal from trails. Traffic reduction and parking management are County priorities.
Discussion followed as Romack’s presentation was clarified. Pendleton asked if the bike trail between Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows can be cleared of snow more quickly. Also at the bridge, which is a chokepoint. Romack said that portion is cleared by TCPUD, but she will see if OVPSD can remove snow from the bridge segment.
Fountain suggested that TART Connect night service between Olympic Valley and Tahoe City should be better promoted so people understand they can go to Tahoe City for dinner and have a ride back to Olympic Valley. Doyle responded that the service is promoted on the Mountaineer website but that it is the County’s/TMA’s responsibility to promote the service.
Discussion continued regarding the need to provide funding to integrate Mountaineer’s app with the County’s TART and TART Connect app so services are seamlessly accessible to the user.
11. Upcoming Meeting - MTC Quarterly Board Meeting scheduled for May 24, 8:15 a.m.
a. Plan on Hybrid Meeting in Olympic Valley
Doyle noted the emergency declaration allowing Brown Act Boards to meet virtually expires February 28, 2023. She will investigate venues for in-person meetings and advise the Board as soon as possible.
b. Consider amending meeting time of future board meetings to 9 a.m.
It was agreed that future MTC board meetings will begin at 9:00 AM.
12. Adjourn
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 10:13 AM.