When buying a home in Incline Village-Crystal Bay, not only do you get unfettered access to Tahoe’s picturesque shores, you’re also entering an exclusive club of sorts by becoming a member of the Incline Village General Improvement District.
Referred to colloquially as just “IVGID,” the district in its simplest form is an elevated homeowner’s association. But that’s just scratching the surface. Here’s a brief guide into what it means to be an IVGID member.
What Exactly Is IVGID?
Established in 1961, IVGID was chartered as a local government agency for the communities of Incline Village and Crystal Bay.
Since Incline-Crystal Bay are unincorporated areas within Washoe County, IVGID doesn’t have as much governmental teeth as a city or town. Still, the district is empowered through a 5-person board of directors to build facilities, offer services, and collect taxes to preserve and enhance the general health, safety, and welfare of the community.
Those operations consist mainly of water, sewer, and trash services to residents. However, it’s the fourth leg of the district’s offerings — recreation services — that’s evolved considerably over the past 60-plus years into a vast array of enviable benefits homeowners in the district can enjoy year-round.
A Modest Price for Premium Perks
To provide these services, each IVGID parcel is assessed an annual fee that makes homeowners, family members and guests eligible for premium perks at district facilities.
Typically, the annual fee — split between recreation and beach fees — costs $780. However, the IVGID board voted in May to eliminate the recreation fee altogether and lower the beach fee to $455 for 2023-24 thanks to projected revenue increases.
While each year is different, meaning fees could be re-instituted or altered for 2024-25 or beyond, the fact homeowners can still access the same benefits at a lesser cost is yet another reason why there’s no better time than now to own a home in Incline-Crystal Bay.
Notable Benefits for IVGID Residents
Perhaps the biggest benefit is most IVGID residents can enjoy a trio of exclusive beach properties — Incline Beach, Ski Beach, and Burnt Cedar Beach.
Trust us, there’s nothing more rewarding than having immediate access to Tahoe’s shimmering waters during the summer tourism season when roads are packed and beaches in surrounding communities are overcrowded.
While the beach benefits are bountiful, here are three more great perks afforded to IVGID homeowners:
- Recreation: The 37,000-square-foot IVGID Recreation Center complex includes an extensive fitness center, basketball courts, Olympic-size pool, yoga classes, reduced-fee access to the district’s Tennis & Pickleball Center, and more. An annual membership for an IVGID resident costs $543, compared to $723 for non-residents. Paying 25% less than the general public is certainly a win-win.
- Skiing: Diamond Peak Ski Resort is heralded as one of the best in the Sierra for all-ages terrain, and you’d be hard-pressed to find better wintry views of Lake Tahoe. And cost savings are significant. For example, an adult 2023-24 season pass for the general public costs $635 if purchased by Nov. 30. District residents, meanwhile, pay just $447, a wallet-friendly 30% decrease.
- Golf: The Championship Golf Course and Mountain Golf Course both offer challenging play amid grandiose mountain views each spring, summer, and fall. Much like the Rec Center and Diamond Peak, residents enjoy major discounts in green fees, as well as merchandise deals at the pro shop and while dining at The Grill at the Chateau.
A True Stake in the IVGID Community
From unrivaled access to community youth camps and senior programs to the groundbreaking IVGID Waste Not initiative — an award-winning effort that empowers sustainable living by providing conservation programs for recycling, household hazardous waste, water conservation and bear education — and beyond, there are far too many benefits to list here.
What is noteworthy is the incredible access homeowners have to the day-to-day operations of the district. Here are a few ways IVGID homeowners can engage with elected officials in a more transparent and intimate setting than most governments would allow:
- Board Meetings: The five-member board, in addition to several advisory boards and subcommittees, meets regularly and is governed by the Nevada Open Meeting Law, meaning residents can interact and offer public comment on key issues facing the district and impacting homeowners, including many of the rates and fee structures outlined above.
- Financial Transparency: The district offers an interactive digital reporting tool that allows residents to explore IVGID’s financial data in various convenient graphical formats.
- Capital Improvement: Staff continually works on several major projects to address things like infrastructure upgrades, repairs, replacements and enhancements; residents can access project updates, bidding opportunities, and more via a handy online portal.
- IVGID Magazine: Five times a year, the district publishes a hefty magazine that serves as a de facto community report, providing facts, figures and updates to all homeowners to ensure they’re up to speed on important happenings.
Whether you’re enjoying countless perks and incredible discounts at top-notch recreation venues to embracing opportunities as a sincere stakeholder in helping shape the community that surrounds you, there’s plenty of benefit to being a homeowner within the Incline Village General Improvement District.
