COUNTY MANAGER AUSTIN OSBORN VERIFIED THAT TESLA HAS BEEN BEHIND ON ITS PAYMENTS TO THE COUNTY AND COMMISSIONER MCBRIDE DID NOT JUMP UP TO CALL HIM A LIAR OR A FAKE NEWS MAKER

HIS POSITION SHROUDED IN MYSTERY,  COMMISSIONER CARMONA VOTED NO ON REFUNDING THE $71,000 THAT HIS FRIEND GARY HAMES OVERCHARGED THE RESIDENTS OF STOREY COUNTY IN BUILDING FEES…. WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ASKING FOR A FEE STUDY TO INCREASE THOSE RATES IN THE FUTURE

CONGRATULATIONS TO LARA MATHER AS THE NEW COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR REPLACING CHERI NEVIN

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRYAN C. STAPLES AS THE NEW AT-LARGE PLANNING COMMISSIONER

VCTC WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC MARKETING WORKSHOP ON THURSDAY FEBRUARY 13 AT 5PM TO PLAN THIS YEARS MARKETING PLAN

By Nicole Barde

bardeblog.com

You can find the Agenda packet HERE. You can find County Manager Austin Osborn’s summary HERE and a recording of the meeting HERE.

This was a very short meeting and Austin covers all of the procedural issues quite well in his summary.

Just a reminder here tho…there will be a meeting at the Highlands Fire station to discuss several topics not the least of which is how to care for our trees….specifically the cutting season is over in about a month and you need to know why! Monday, February 10, at 6pm.

Also, VCTC Director Deny Dotson invited the public to the VCTC Marketing workshop on Thursday, February 13th at 5pm. They will be presenting their marketing and promotion plans for public input. Merchants….start your engines and BE THERE!

County Manager Austin Osborn gave an update on the Tesla payments.

He said that he has discovered that the payments and invoices since July were “rescheduled” and that they were being shown as paid at the end instead of the beginning of the quarter. As an example, he said that the second quarter should have been labeled the first quarter of the fiscal year. He said that the second and third quarters should be accounted for this week and then it will be on track for the fourth and last quarter ( April-June). He said that his Tesla contact has been very cooperative and is making sure that the invoices that need to get paid are getting submitted.

He said that he will be giving a Tesla update quarterly. Austin also said that the Government Services Agreement (GSA) is not “null” but does need to be negotiated and that he has reached out to his Tesla contact and things are moving along. He said that the departments are now recalculating the service delivery costs that support Tesla.

SIDENOTE– Based on the description Austin gave….it looks like Tesla was stiffing us AND there was also an internal issue. It also sounds like they are still not current on their payments if they are still working on fixing Q2-Q3 and Tesla has to get invoices in. Hummm

Gotta say it. Sam Toll and The Teller had it right at the time that the story was published…and he got called a liar by Commissioner and fake news caller Marshall McBride. I wonder if Marshall will man up and apologize to Sam.

Also gotta say that if Sam hadn’t asked for those records and written that article the county wouldn’t have hopped to it and  discovered the tardiness and invoicing errors. We as citizens wouldn’t have known that we were being stiffed and wouldn’t have gotten an accounting of the payments.

Now as a result, Austin will be giving a Tesla update each quarter. THIS is what shining a light on what goes on in the dark gets us as citizens….THIS is why we have a first amendment and journalists have protections…so that we as citizens can know what is going on. We have a RIGHT to know what is going on.

Meanwhile, if the GSA isn’t “null” as Austin says then what has to be negotiated? Oh..wait…the Resolution passed in 2015 set the rates. That Resolution expired in 2018 and so ostensibly did those rates. Since that 2018 expiration Tesla refused to sit at the table to renegotiate per Pat Whitten’s many laments over many meetings.

In the last meeting, Austin said that the rates were lower due to the construction activity stopping on the Tesla factory but did THEY do that calculation or did the County?  I don’t understand how this has been allowed to go on without strong oversight by the Commission for so long. What are they doing over there?

But I digress…….

Agenda item # 9 =Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97

ADA Loomis got up to give an explanation as to why the refunds were appropriate. This centered around the fact that the 2008 fee Resolution which increased the fees from the 1997 levels was for the International Fire Code inspection items…not the Building Code items. The language in the Resolution was specific to the Fire Code altho it did mention the Building Code items for reference. He also said that the County is not legally required to refund the monies altho it might be the right thing to do.

Commissioner Carmona stated that his position has not changed since day one. He further said that the Building fees should have been changed in 2008 along with the Fire Code fees. He requested that a fee study be conducted so that we have the right building fees in place since they have not changed since 1997. He also noted that he feels that since we are so behind on adjusting the building fees that the taxpayers are subsidizing the building fees. He said that if Community Development is not “breaking even” with its revenues ( fees) then the taxpayers are subsidizing those fees and they should be raised.

Commissioner, brothel owner, TRI principal, former BLOCKCHAINS worker, aspiring hemp grower and new best friend to the city of Fernley Lance Gilman said that regardless of whether the fees were increased inadvertently or not that if we are in error that we need to refund them.

Commissioner and Fake News caller Marshall McBride said that he agreed with Carmona that we need a fee study but that he did not agree that the taxpayers are subsidizing the building fees. He also said that altho we are not legally required to refund the money if we have overcharged then the right thing to do is to refund it.

During Public Comment TRI Project Manager, Tesla fan and Lance Gilman roommate Kris Thompson got up to ask why the 1997 Building fee schedule was included in the 2008 resolution to increase the Fire Code fees if it wasn’t to also increase the building fees. DDA Loomis said that it was there as an example and that the intent of the Resolution was focused on the International Fire Code items only.

It was noted at some point that the 2008 Resolution had not been signed by the Commissioners as the Fire Commission and that it would need to be fixed.

Fire Chief Jeff Nevin got up to say that the Commissioners did not have a “Fire District Commission” in 2008 and so the Resolution was signed correctly. He also noted that the Fire Department gets none of the Fire Code fees, that all of those inspections happen in Community Development.

Gilman stated that altho he can see how the mistake was made (to increase the building fees) and agrees that the fees need to be reviewed he would vote yes to the refund.

McBride voted yes for the refund.

Carmona voted no for the refund.

SIDENOTE– I still get the distinct impression that Commissioner Carmona is still trying to vindicate his close friend Gary Hames.

His rationale for keeping the (inadvertent, accidental, mistaken, ILLEGALLY) increased rates in place and not doing the refund is basically the same as Gary Hames’ legal challenge to his dismissal. Gary said that the 2008 Resolution included the building fees which is why he raised them. But,  as was demonstrated by ADA Loomis today, legally it did not.

Hames dropped his case a few months ago.

The law is the law….even if you don’t like it…even if you think the fees should be higher as Jay does. It seems to me that instead of focusing on increasing the tax burden on our residents Jay and the Commission should be trying to stop the grotesque abatements handed out to the TRIC companies and at a minimum getting what is owed to us thru GSA paid on time.

The audit showed that $326,000 in fees were ABATED …which is to say that some companies got off with greatly reduced or no fees while the individual residents got soaked for $71,000. 

Bottomline if we owe people money…we pay it. PERIOD. The County has owed the residents money since last June…thats no way to treat people.

I have said this before and will say it again…I can not read anyones mind. Unless they actually say something in the public space I can not report it. If they say things outside of the public space that the public should know about then …..they are only informing special “insiders” and the rest of us are in the dark.

Commissioner Carmona said in the meeting that he has not changed his mind or position on this “since day one”. I am mystified as to what that position is since I don’t recall him saying what his actual “position” was in a Commission meeting when this topic was being discussed . It is a mystery.

I don’t recall any declarative statements on his position. Ones “position” is a point of view or attitude. I only recall him asking for more information to make a decision….multiple times…… and now wanting to increase fees.

Where’s Waldo?

Below I present to you all of the meetings on this topic “since day one” and I challenge you to figure out what Carmona’s position is/was/ will be.

Where’s Waldo?

I include the entirety of the approved minutes on his comments along with what I wrote in bardeblog at the time. Please note that DAY ONE is on  May 21, 2019 ….the vote to terminate his friend Gary Hames’ lucrative contract with the county. Jay voted no.

Also please note the number of times that this agenda item has been pushed out and reasons given. During this time it also happened that Gary Hames launched a lawsuit against the county contesting his dismissal so the August delay may have been related to that.

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May 21, 2019 terminating Gary Hames Contract

Discussion and consideration whether to terminate contract with Battle Born Consulting Services, LLC to act as the Storey County Community Development director.

Minutes–Commissioner Carmona asked if someone has taken the place of the director or is this (position) left vacant. Isn’t Martin (Azevedo) filling in?

bardeblog- Lastly, I am truly confused as to why Commissioner Carmona voted NO on terminating the contract. His questions and comments were about the replacement and the position being open. Nothing else was said to explain his NO vote. It is in the best interests of the County to terminate the contract so why a NO vote from Carmona?

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June 18, 20219 Requesting refunds after the independent audit was complete

Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97.

Minutes–Commissioner Carmona said he does not have enough information to vote “yes” on the refund.

bardeblog–Everyone agreed that there should be more information before voting

Item pushed to July 2

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July 2, 2019 Requesting refunds after independent audit was complete

Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97.

Item Pushed to August 6…no comments

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August 6 ,2019 Requesting refunds after independent audit was complete

Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97.

Continued to a date to be determined….no comments

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January, 21, 2020 Requesting refunds after independent audit was complete

Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97.

Minutes-not out yet

bardeblog–Despite the full audit report contained in the agenda proving the point, this item was postponed because Commissioner Carmona wasn’t ready to make a decision. He said that he had just gotten some information from the DA and wanted to study it. Both Marshall and Commissioner, brothel owner, TRI principal, former BLOCKCHAINS worker, aspiring hemp grower and new best friend to the city of Fernley Lance Gilman were ready to approve.

Item pushed to February 4

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February 4, 2020 Requesting refunds after independent audit was complete

Consideration and possible approval of refund of excess funds paid for community development permits in the amount of $71,266.97.

Commissioner Carmona says that he has not changed his mind from day one and voted no.

The motion passed with Gilman and McBride voting yes.

And that was it…meeting over!