The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Washoe Opioid Abatement and Recovery Fund update: Washoe County has received $11.43 million from the statewide opioid settlements, creating the Washoe Opioid Abatement and Recovery Fund. Grants and Community Program Analyst Lauren Beal provided an update on how funds have been spent and future plans on the community’s top needs to combat the effects of opioid addiction.
Beal presented the programs that have been funded to serve those priorities, including the creation of an opioid treatment program at Northern Nevada Hopes’ new Fourth Street clinic ($984,000); a program through Join Together Northern Nevada to bridge gaps in transportation and resources for unhoused individuals and a media campaign to raise awareness ($250,000); and the creation of CrossRoads Families, a therapeutic living community for families impacted by opioid use disorder ($1 million). More information on the projects and their outcomes can be found on the website dashboard.
The Board approved an updated needs assessment in December 2025, which identified the following priorities for funding:
- Conduct targeted outreach to disconnected communities to connect people to existing resources, coordinate care, and provide navigation support throughout the continuum of care;
- Expand housing services to support people with OUD;
- Evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of existing programs and services for people who use substances;
- Provide mobile health care clinics that include comprehensive health and dental care for people who use or are at risk of using opioids;
- Create peer-led mental health supports to prevent burnout among peer workers, providers, and professionals working in the field
- Overdose prevention outreach and education;
- Supporting families impacted by substance use.
Projects funded under these priorities will be brought to the board at the conclusion of the current Notice of Funding Opportunity process.
2. Alternative Sentencing Update: In December 2025, the Board of County Commissioners voted to dissolve the Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS) and move its essential programs into other departments. Today, Chief Financial Officer Abbe Yacoben presented an update on the dissolution of the department and was joined by subject-matter experts to provide details on pretrial services, post-sentence probation, and the STAR Program (Support in Treatment, Accountability, and Recovery).
Pretrial services were absorbed by the Second Judicial District Court, which has added four new pretrial services officers to keep up with the added caseload. This month, they served just over 1,100 clients, an increase from approximately 600 in December.
Alternative Sentencing was moved into the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, moving seven personnel into the WCSO. WCSO is currently in the process of hiring a case manager to allow civilian staffing in case management so commissioned staff can remain in the field.
Washoe County Human Services Agency CrossRoads works with the Sheriff’s Office and Reno Justice Court’s therapeutic courts to administer the STAR Program. They have spent the last several months refining the funding and staffing of the program and ensure that the program remains true to its original concept. Admissions into the program resumed this month, and there are currently three individuals in the program.
3. Citizens Advisory Board bylaws, maps, and resolutions amendments: Today’s Board agenda included two items related to updates to the Citizens Advisory Boards (CABs), as required by Washoe County Code (WCC) Section 5.427. The code requires that CAB resolutions identify the purpose for each CAB’s creation, establish the number and categories of members serving on the CAB, and define each CAB’s geographical area of responsibility. The Board also reviewed proposed updates to the CAB bylaws, which were developed with significant community input. Both agenda items were unanimously approved.
As part of the approved changes, all CAB boundaries are now contained within a single commissioner district. The updates also eliminate neighborhood “pockets” that were previously excluded from any CAB area of responsibility, helping ensure that all residents are represented within a CAB boundary. In addition, residents who live within one mile of a CAB boundary may now be considered for appointment to a neighboring CAB that better aligns with their sense of community or neighborhood identity.
“I remember learning that as people were applying, they weren’t eligible because they were in pockets, and realigning those maps to the districts I think is really important to give the entire community that is represented in that district a voice and the ability to participate,” said Commission Chair Clara Andriola. “It warms my heart that everyone now has an opportunity.”
The approved updates to the CAB resolutions, maps, and bylaws provide clearer definitions of the CABs’ purpose and bring the documents into alignment with current practices. Future efforts related to the CAB program will include updates to the CAB Handbook.
4. Gift card purchase approval: In December 2025, Washoe County launched a program to engage unsheltered individuals in cleanup efforts in the vicinity of the Nevada Cares Campus. The individuals earn prepaid gift cards, which has proven successful for the individuals and for the businesses in the area. The purchase of gift cards – in this case, $12,400 for the street cleanup program – must be approved by the Board of County Commissioners.
5. TRPA board appointment: The Board of County Commissioners appointed Chris Wood to serve as Washoe County’s alternate member of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board, replacing Vice Chair Mariluz Garcia in the alternate position. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board includes representation from member jurisdictions under the Bi-State Compact. Commissioner Alexis Hill serves as the primary member from Washoe County.
6: Donations: The Board approved a $4,000 donation from Russell Horning to the District Attorney’s Office to support travel expenses for training of staff of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Nevada. The Board also approved the donation of audio/visual equipment valued around $36,000 from the Washoe County Honorary Deputy Sheriff’s Association to be used in the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Conference/Situation Room for meetings and critical incident oversight within the Special Operations Division.
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