“Thank you, Oh Lord, for the rain… inspire us with your wisdom and peace, Amen.” These were the words from the invocation by Ben Helmer at the beginning of the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District Commission meeting Monday morning, Oct. 19. As rain drizzled, staff at the HISID administration office scrambled to get the Zoom meeting to load, and 17 minutes later Chair Ken Brown appeared with commissioners Dan Kees, Nita Holley, and David Orr. Bill Noonan was absent.
There were no initial public comments, and John Evan of Landmark CPA Firm presented the Year 2019 audit of internal control over financial reporting and compliance with generally accepted government accounting standards.
The auditor’s report found that the financial statements produced by District Manager Lawrence Blood and his staff are free of material misstatements and are presented fairly.
“It’s a good, clean, unqualified opinion of the financial statements – we noted no major issues or problems,” Evan said.
Incorporation and new commissioners are separate elections
Election-day for HISID commissioners will be Tuesday, Dec. 1, not to be confused with the general election on Nov. 3 where Holiday Island property owners will be voting For or Against incorporation.
There are two HISID positions to be filled as Nita Holley and Bill Noonan are rotating off the commission. At Monday’s nomination meeting there were three nominations for candidates to fill those seats—Linda Peterson, Bob Dyar, and Suzanne Childers.
Manager’s Report
Water leak repairs are still going well, and Blood said that the PRV replacement for leakage prevention is proving very successful with a savings of 8 million gallons comparing January with September 2020.
“We are not looking for big leaks now, we are looking for small leaks,” he said. Blood said staff is using listening devices to help detect leakages for sourcing areas for repairs.
He also stated there was a vehicle accident on Haddock Creek Bridge and although there was no structural damage to the bridge, there was guardrail damage. “It appears he had valid insurance, and HISID is identified as the victim,” Blood said. He cautioned that the guardrails have not yet been fixed, but the bridge is open.
2021 budget discussions have begun and will proceed next month as the district is facing a $169,667 deficit unless they cut the budget or come up with new revenue. A potential solution could come as soon as Nov. 3 if property owners vote in favor of incorporation. Incorporation would bring Holiday Island financial relief beginning Jan. 1, as the sales and use tax earnings within city limits would be directed to the city creating a new and steady revenue stream.
And finally and emphatically – the dumpster across the street from HISID offices is strictly for corrugated cardboard only – not Styrofoam.