Top headlines from the Board of County Commissioners Meeting

by | May 24, 2022

RENO, Nev. (May 24, 2022) — The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:

1. Board approves American Rescue Plan Act expenditures: The Board of County Commissioners approved today the allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in the amount of over $2.9 million to various county projects. The largest expenditure will be for the improvement of security for Washoe County Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $2 million, and over $500,000 was allocated to the Regional COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance Research interlocal agreement with the cities of Sparks and Reno to research and monitor SARS-CoV-2 presence in wastewater.

Additional approved ARPA allocations include to the Wilbur D. May Museum to compensate for lost revenue due to closure on account of the COVID pandemic, incentive programs for the purpose of recruiting and retaining county employees, and the creation of the Washoe Wellness Center, an on-site fitness facility for use by county employees in connection with work.

2. Funding approved for COVID-19 wastewater monitoring: Dr. Krishna Pagilla, Ph.D., and University of Nevada professor, gave a presentation regarding the SARS-CoV-2 prevalence and variants through wastewater surveillance, as part of an ongoing monitoring program. The presentation was a complement to the board’s approval of the funding of an interlocal agreement between Washoe County and the cities of Reno and Sparks for the sharing of costs for COVID-19 research. The board approved the use of ARPA funds through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to the City of Sparks for more than $500,000 for Washoe County’s regional share of the research and monitoring for the project. Previous board funding included the first phase of the research to conduct environmental surveillance of wastewater at the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (TMWRF) and in the collection systems by monitoring of COVID-19 marker during the pandemic in the region. The monitoring data was used to develop models that can indicate community prevalence and trends of COVID-19 in the population.

Dr. Pagilla noted, “We detected the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus in local wastewater on December 12, 2021 and the fist clinical case of Omicron in Washoe County was identified December 21. Wastewater is a tool that not only tells us the prevalence of a virus, but also the variant.” Dr. Pagilla continued by sharing that wastewater surveillance also assists public health professionals to assess other viruses of emerging concern such as the flu, while respecting the privacy of individual community members.

“I really want to thank our Chair, Vaughn Hartung, who was one of the first to donate to the Water Innovation Institute, more than five years ago,” said Commissioner Kitty Jung. “The way it turned out, you pivoted to show the value during the pandemic. This is a great step forward for the overall community health, and I’m so proud of the Chair and this Board that we were the first to get in front of this.”

Chair Hartung responded, “It’s easy to support brilliant people… all I can say is, thank goodness we have a team like yours working on this.”

The City of Sparks Council approved its share of the interlocal agreement for ongoing monitoring as part of phase two of the wastewater surveillance program on May 9, 2022, and the City of Reno Council approved its share on May 12, 2022.

3. New multi-use year-round trail approved for Gerlach: The Gerlach Trail Initiative grant awarded by National Park Services (NPS), Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program was approved by the Commission. Washoe County, in collaboration with multiple partner organizations, will work to develop a multi-use trail from the community of Gerlach in northern Washoe County across the playa, to the landmark of Guru Road on BLM property. The Gerlach Trail Initiative will focus on the creation of a kiosk, trail head and multi-use, year-round, trail that winds along the edge of the playa through dunes, wetlands, and sagebrush, traversing from near Highway 447 to County Route 34 to Gerlach Road.

The grant and the proposed trail are the result of years of discussion and with key stakeholders in Gerlach over the last several years, with the goal of creating a walking trail.

“Trails provide not only recreation and transportation opportunities, but also influence economic development,” said Gabrielle Enfield, Community Reinvestment Manager for Washoe County. “The trail will offer educational opportunities for residents and visitors alike, and will create a way for users to experience and learn about the environment and history of this area, year-round.”

The project is anticipated to begin June 1, 2022 and reach completion in 2023.

4. Washoe County becomes age-friendly community: Commissioners approved a resolution to join the AARP Network of Age-Friendly, Livable Communities. This resolution supports one of the county’s most vulnerable populations by providing an age-friendly, livable community for not only the elderly but people of all ages to participate in activities that keep the community healthy and encourage economic stability. It is a place where older persons can easily stay connected with others and remain independent. Age-friendly and livable communities have walkable streets, affordable housing, transportation options, and access to key services as well as other opportunities for residents at all life stages to participate in various activities. AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities is a global network of communities, affiliated with the World Health Organization.

The following planning and implementation processes will be done by the Washoe County Senior Advisory Board:

  • Conducting a community needs assessment with assistance from AARP
  • Developing an action plan and submitting it to AARP for review.
  • Implementing and working toward the goals of the plan.
  • Assessing the plan’s impact and providing progress reports and recommendations to the County Commission.

“The Washoe County Senior Advisory Board has been working tirelessly for years and years for our community to be designated as age-friendly,” shared Commissioner Kitty Jung. “This is important as we honor our elders. I’m so proud of this board and the Senior Advisory Board, they are a one-stop shop for protecting the vulnerable.”

5. Collective bargaining agreements result in approved recommendations: Through collective bargaining agreements between representative employee associations and human resources, the board approved the recommended cost of living adjustments to base wages for multiple departments within Washoe County. The following employee divisions will receive a 5% increase in base wage effective July 1, 2022, and a 3.5% increase to base wages effective July 1, 2023:

Unclassified Management and Non-Represented Confidential employees

District Court

Justice Courts (excluding Justices of the Peace)

Juvenile Services

Truckee River Flood Management Authority’s Executive Director and General Counsel

Alternative Sentencing and Chief Alternative Sentencing Officer

Washoe County Public Attorneys

District Attorney Investigators and Chief Investigator

Washoe County Nurses

Additional agreed-upon benefits for some departments will also include safety equipment allowances, shift differential pay, stand-by pay, a bilingual differential, one-time lump sum payments and additional personal leave, among others.

6. District Funds allocated to area nonprofits: Nonprofit organizations Urban Roots and the James D. Hoff Peace Officer Memorial received grants in the amounts of $5,000 and $10,000, respectively, from the Commission District Special Fund program. District 4 Commissioner Vaughn Hartung recommended a grant to Urban Roots to support its effort to connect community members to the food they eat through garden-based educational programming. The James D. Hoff Peace Officer Memorial maintains a memorial site featuring names of fallen Nevada police officers and conducts an annual memorial ceremony, and will benefit greatly from Commissioner Hartung’s donation.

7. Board Appointments: The following individuals were appointed to boards and commissions:

– Francine Donshick, a current member of the Washoe County Planning Commission, was appointed to the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Commission for a term beginning July 1, 2022 and ending June 30, 2025.

– Truckee Meadows Fire and Protection District Division Chief Chris Ketring was appointed to fill an unexpired term left by Deputy Fire Chief Alex Kukulus for the Washoe County At-Large position to the 911 Emergency Response Advisory Committee, a term to expire on June 30, 2023.