JUNE 12, 2025 | QUARTERLY BOARD MEETING | MINUTES
- Joy Doyle
- Jun 20
- 5 min read
MOUNTAINEER TRANSIT COMPANY
BOARD OF DIRECTORS REGULAR MEETING
June 12, 2025
Via Zoom and In Person at Palisades Tahoe Lodge
201 Shirley Canyon Road, Olympic Valley
DRAFT Minutes pending Board approval
1. Call to Order and Establish Quorum
Roll Call and Establishment of Quorum
Chair Mike Martin called today’s meeting to order at 9:03 AM. A quorum was established
Board members present
Mike Martin
Danielle Poret
David Stepner
Keith Fountain
Stephanie Holloway
Rick Pendleton
Ginger Karl
Joseph Shipman (appointed today)
Board members not in attendance
Pat Fraser
Others attending
Joy Doyle, Executive Director
Sara Van Siclen
Dave & Susan Bennett
2. Adopt Agenda
It was moved by Poret and seconded by Stepner to adopt today’s agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
3. Approve March 13, 2025 Quarterly Meeting Minutes
It was moved by Poret and seconded by Fountain to approve the March meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
4. Public Comment & Board Member Comments
Dave and Susan Bennett commented on how much they and their rental guests appreciate Mountaineer. They thanked the Board for their efforts.
Poret said she was able to purchase a home thanks to the Placer County grants and incentives being offered.
Fountain announced that he and Stepner are both on the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Committee.
5. Chairman’s Report
a. Approve Joseph Shipman to fill Board Seat vacancy
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Poret to appoint Joseph Shipman to fill the vacant Olympic Valley HOA Board seat. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
b. Board Seats & Terms + Reminder of Seats that Renew Oct 1st
Martin noted the Board Seats & Terms spreadsheet in the meeting packet, saying the seats held by Fountain, Pendleton, and Poret are up for election this year. The incumbents should let Martin know of their intentions within the next 45 days.
6. Treasurer’s Report - Pendleton
a. Approve Jan, Feb, March, and April 2025 Financial Statements
Pendleton presented the financial reports as of April 30, clarifying specific line items and variances. He thanked Doyle for bringing the financials up-to-date and making them clear so decisions can be made quickly if necessary. Discussion followed as the reports were considered, noting how ski area operations can impact assessments and revenues and the timing of the County calculating assessments.
It was moved by Poret and seconded by Holloway to ratify receipt and review of the January 2025, February 2025, March 2025, and April 2025 financial reports. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
b. Rev Expense Summary including CD Laddering update
Pendleton reviewed the Revenue Expense Summary and Cash Flow projections. He expects fiscal year-end revenues to be higher than what was budgeted, while expenses should be close to the forecast. Pendleton anticipates ending the fiscal year with approximately $1 million in the bank, based on a net surplus of$42,000. He explained how those funds are used, including monthly expenses and paying the operator in advance.
Pendleton described the laddering of CD investments.
The tax returns have been prepared by Grismer & Fereira, CPAs.
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Pendleton to ratify the FY 2023/24 IRS and California State Tax returns and authorize the Treasurer to sign them. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
7. Winter 25-26 Operations + FY 25-26 Budget Recommendations
a. Winter 25-26 Operations Recommendation + Approve FY 25-26 Draft Budget
Doyle presented her and the Executive Committee’s recommendations included in today’s meeting packet. The recommendations include adding one van per valley on Saturdays and Sundays for 14 weeks from Dec 20 – March 22, improvements to the app so that passengers are provided with an estimated arrival window instead of a specific time, adding signage intended to aid in passengers self-queuing for the van they’re assigned to, and attempting to improve Mountaineer vans ingress/egress to the transit center within Palisades Tahoe’s parking areas. All additions are being recommended to improve wait times and wait time accuracy – take them from great to greater – have been approved by the Finance Committee and are included in the draft FY 2025/26 budget included in today’s meeting packet.
Pendleton presented the FY 2025/26 budget, which incorporated Doyle’s and the Executive Committee’s winter 25-26 Operations Plan recommendations.
It was moved by Poret and seconded by Martin to approve the Winter 25-26 Operations and FY 25-26 Budget as presented. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
Martin thanked everyone for contributing to the successes of last winter, including budget results, strong leadership and partnership with Downtowner, and productive passenger survey feedback, which is leading to again expanding the service.
b. Authorize ED to execute Downtowner Contract for FY 25-26 with NTE amount
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Poret to authorize the Executive Director to execute Downtowner Contract for FY 25-26, not to exceed $1,345,607. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
c. Authorize Treasurer to negotiate FY 25-26 ED Contract by August 31, 2025
It was moved by Martin and seconded by Fountain to authorize the Treasurer to negotiate the FY 25-26 Executive Director contract by August 31, 2025. Motion carried unanimously by roll call vote.
8. Executive Director’s Report
a. Doyle presented the ED Report and said there were no unbudgeted expenses during the past quarter. She provided statistics on delinquencies as of May 21, 2025, noting changes from the January report. Placer County Revenue Services continues to do a good job collecting on delinquent assessments.
Highlights since the past meeting include Doyle’s meeting with the new Palisades Tahoe CEO Amy Ohran, her work with the operator on the year-end reconciliation, and planning for winter 25/26 operations and budget. Doyle described the challenges with increasing the crime and fidelity insurance policy limits. She is hoping to identify a new broker to compare options for next fiscal year.
b. Celebrate Winter 24-25 Success + Cost per passenger
Doyle shared statistics by month comparing this past season with 23-24 and annual season totals since 2018-19. Since its inception, Mountaineer has carried just over 500,000 passengers and provided 244,000 rides.
c. Advocacy Policy discussion
Doyle reported the Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association (TNT TMA) recently adopted an advocacy policy. A few month’s ago, this Board took an advocacy stance on the Village at Palisades. Doyle asked if MTC should have an advocacy policy.
Discussion followed regarding the pros and cons of advocating on issues, noting the requirements in the Management District Policy (MDP) as well as MTC’s vision and mission statements. It was agreed to table the discussion until the next meeting.
Doyle will share the TNT TMA advocacy policy as an example and this item will be on the September agenda for further discussion.
9. Workforce Vanpool Program + Commuter Study
TNT TMA Executive Director Sara Van Siclen updated the group on the statistics of the 16 of available 20 Vanpools in operation, including environmental benefits. As of May, about 100 employees are participating in a Vanpool program which serves commuters coming from Washoe County to work in Eastern Placer County. Most of those employees work for larger employers, such as Palisades Tahoe and Granite Peak Management.
Part of the TOT/TBID Dollars at Work grant for the program required a summer and a winter commuter study. Walker Consultants conducted both surveys and have submitted results. There were approximately 857 responses, mostly from residents who live locally and few from Washoe County. The consultant’s report was not what was expected and they did not offer recommendations to improve or expand the service.
A brief conversation followed regarding how employers can sign up for vanpools and the actual logistics. It was suggested that Brian from Commute Enterprise, the provider for the program, could be requested to speak to this group to explain the service and hear suggestions on expanding it.
10. Next Board Meeting - Thursday, September 11, 2025, 9:00 a.m.
11. Adjourn
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 10:55 AM.
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