The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Registrar of Voters presents “Project Plain Sight”: Washoe County has launched an election security pilot project with the Center for Internet Security (CIS), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to data integrity. Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald presented “Project Plain Sight,” a public-facing data transparency tool providing the public an opportunity to independently verify the integrity of the voter registration system.
“Mr. McDonald and his team are laying the groundwork for greater confidence in the future of Washoe County elections, but I truly believe that when this pilot has been proven, and when it’s been extended beyond just this pilot phase and applied to the entire election system, this project will echo all over Nevada and across the entire nation,” Chair Clara Andriola said. “I believe we’ve started something here that will have a huge impact.”
CIS was launched by a former National Security Administration (NSA) data expert to implement best practices in data integrity across numerous industries. CIS worked with Washoe County to build a pilot project specifically to validate voter registration data, not ballots, through a system of controls that can be viewed by the public.
“I truly believe that Washoe County is about to change the course of history. Election security challenges have never been solved because every attempt to solve them has failed because they lack something critical: proof of performance for election systems as a whole and a focus on process and people and not products,” Andriola said. “Mr. McDonald’s project is putting our eye on process-oriented monitoring and reporting.”
The cost of the project is staff time only, and the dashboard will be available on the Washoe County website here.
“We push the boundaries now in Washoe County and in the Registrar of Voters Office. Innovation is part of our mission statement. When I came here, I wanted to push the boundaries of making sure that we can give the public what they needed: the confidence in the election process – integrity,” McDonald said. “With this tool, they can go out and do the work themselves to verify it.”
2. Board approves contract for operation of Safe Camp and Resource Center: The Board approved a contract to run Safe Camp and the Resource Center at the Nevada Cares Campus to the Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE). RISE will provide staffing, program management, and administrative oversight for a two-year term through June 30, 2028, with an option of three one-year extensions. RISE was selected as the most responsive and responsible respondent to a Request for Proposals, and the contract will include the final two weeks of June 2026 at a cost of $38,750, and annual compensation of just over $2 million for each year of the contract beginning July 1.
3. Board acknowledges Code Enforcement complaints on abandoned properties: Washoe County staff, at the direction of the Board of County Commissioners, have been tackling the issue of abandoned privately owned parcels – largely concentrated in Sun Valley – that have no discernible owner responsible for cleanup efforts. Code Enforcement brought forward complaints against 11 such parcels for the Board’s acknowledgement and to set a date for a public hearing to designate those parcels as public nuisances. Code Enforcement has documented conditions on these parcels including, but not limited to, the accumulation of debris, rubbish, refuse, abandoned or junk vehicles, and property maintained in a state of disrepair or deterioration that could cause harm to persons or damage to property.
“These are very complex issues with owners who are deceased,” Commissioner Mariluz Garcia said. “I think the assumption is that the County doesn’t care or that we’re turning our back, but that’s not the case because if you look at any of these parcels, they’ve had multiple complaints, multiple warnings issued. In many cases, a lot of intervention has taken place already with removing vehicles and cleanups, but you just can’t tell. Often, these are so bad that those efforts go unnoticed, so I just wanted to publicly acknowledge all the hard work that goes into addressing these, and we’re off to a great start.”
4. Board adopts zoning change to allow residential in commercial zones: The Board voted unanimously to approve a new code that will allow multifamily residential use in commercial zones and will prescribe requirements and standards for these uses. The addition of Article 403 complies with a new law passed during the 2025 Legislative Session (AB241) that mandates that Washoe County permit the development of multi-family uses in commercial zoning districts. The new code also accommodates Washoe County’s strategic priority to increase the supply and affordability of housing.
5. Board approves donations to county departments and programs: The Board approved the following donations:
- $18,500 from the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada on behalf of the Paul and Gwen Leonard Charitable Foundation as a legacy bequest for support of Rancho San Rafael Regional Park.
- Cash donations from numerous donors totaling just over $25,500; animal food and treats valued at approximately $22,500 from SPCA; and various food and goods valued at approximately $6,800 from various donors to Washoe County Regional Animal Services.
6. Board presents proclamations recognizing special causes: Commissioners read three proclamations recognizing special groups and causes in Washoe County.
- May 10-16 was designated Police Week to honor the dedication and sacrifices of law enforcement professionals.
- May was proclaimed Treatment Court Month, and Judge Kendra Bertschy was present to receive the proclamation and recognize the more than 1,500 individuals served by treatment courts in Washoe County each year.
- May was also proclaimed Educator Appreciation Month to honor the educators in our schools and educational institutions.
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