The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Board approves appointment of Interim Registrar of Voters: Washoe County Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula submitted her resignation effective July 31. The Board today accepted her resignation and approved the appointment of Government Affairs Manager Jamie Rodriguez to serve as interim registrar. Rodriguez has worked for Washoe County for five years and assisted during the 2022 Primary Election. She will serve as interim registrar while the County recruits for a permanent Registrar of Voters.
2. County acquires land from Reno Housing Authority for expansion of Cares Campus: The Board of County Commissioners approved the purchase of property at 1775 East 4th Street, Reno, for an amount not to exceed $5.5 million. The five-acre parcel is adjacent to the Cares Campus, Washoe County’s emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Washoe County is currently leasing the land from the Reno Housing Authority (RHA), and will amend the current lease, which expired June 30. Today’s action included a $350,000 subgrant back to the RHA to be used for affordable housing.
3. Board approves 5-year interlocal agreement with Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe for emergency response services in Gerlach: Washoe County Fire Services provides emergency response services north of Township 22, which is roughly 19 miles north of Interstate 80 and extends to the Oregon border. The County has struggled to provide the necessary staffing – two full-time fire protection officers – to serve this area that includes the town of Gerlach.
The Board today approved an interlocal agreement between Washoe County and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe (PLPT) in which PLPT will provide the two personnel located in Gerlach, and provide ground ambulance transport and the necessary coordination and administrative service. Washoe County will pay the salary and benefit costs of five full-time equivalent personnel; provide the use of equipment currently operated in Gerlach, the fire station, and county-owned living quarters; pay for supplies, licenses, fees, uniforms, utilities, phones, and internet; provide $35,000 toward dispatch services through the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office; and provide other forms of support as outlined in the agreement.
The Gerlach Citizens Advisory Board provided a letter of support for this agreement, as it provides better service to the residents of Gerlach, despite eliminating 2.4 full-time equivalent positions. The agreement is for five years with two-year extensions, and may be terminated by either party with 120-day written notice.
“I want to thank all the people who were involved in that, including our county manager and Chief Moore and the fire chief from the tribe. They all worked very hard to get this done and it was very difficult,” Commissioner Jeanne Herman said. “I am so relieved that now that we have fire season coming, that we’re going to have that service for the people of Gerlach.”
4. First Tee receives final approval to assume ownership of Wildcreek Golf Course: The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to transfer ownership of Wildcreek Golf Course in Sparks to First Tee of Northern Nevada, a nonprofit youth development organization, with management by Mazz Golf Management. Under the terms of the agreement, First Tee will be required to operate the golf course for charitable or civic purposes. First Tee teaches life skills through the game of golf to more than more than 2,000 youth, ages 5-18. First Tee will begin immediately to raise funds to remodel the current clubhouse so it can be used as an after-school tutoring center, and the course will be open to the public during daytime hours while kids are in school.
5. Board amends Washoe County Master Plan for two parcels in Verdi: In a public hearing today, the Board of County Commissioners approved an amendment to the Washoe County Master Plan to assign a designation of Industrial to two parcels in Verdi totaling just over 28 acres. The parcels are vacant and have been removed from the City of Reno’s Sphere of Influence and returned to Washoe County’s jurisdiction; the proposal is not anticipated to influence or impact any existing or planned developments because the industrial zoning is already in place. The Washoe County Planning Commission adopted the resolution to amend the Master Plan in May 2022 to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners amend the Master Plan.
“This has been a really difficult project and I know the community has gone through it with this project. I wish we had better processes in place,” Commissioner Alexis Hill said. “I can meet the findings. The owner has a vested right on this property. This property has been zoned industrial for 30 years. If we were to change this master plan use to commercial, the underlying zone is industrial and nonconforming. It has been brought up today that the county could go through and change that zoning but that is a very difficult legal situation for the county to put ourselves in. The issue is that it could be perceived as a ‘takings.’ I feel like the responsible thing to do is to work with the developer and staff after the master plan is approved to get the best project for the community.”
Chair Vaughn Hartung and Commissioner Jeanne Herman voted against the amendment.
“I’m concerned,” Hartung said. “I’ve seen these kinds of situations in Spanish Springs where you have increased truck traffic. It’s always a problem, it changes the nature of the whole area… I think that there’re some real problems here.”
6. Board appoints three members to Washoe County Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife: Three seats on the Washoe County Board to Manage Wildlife expired on June 30, 2022. Two seats represent hunters, trappers or anglers, and one seat is for the general public. Of nine applications, Board of County Commissioners appointed Ryan Browne and incumbent Steve Robinson for the two open sportsman seats, and incumbent Jim Rhea to represent the general public.
“I feel it’s very important to make sure that we have smart, intelligent, active sportsmen and women on this board for continued leadership and advice,” Commissioner Bob Lucey said. “There are so many benefits that come from conservation. Fuels management is a major issue in northern Washoe County… to maintain wildlife and their habitat, it’s not for the beauty of that but it’s very much a tool and part of our state so I want to continue to see that flourish in our area for many generations, for young kids to grow in the sport, for individuals who visit our community to see the beautiful outlying areas that are more than just our urban core.”
7. Board allocates District Special Funds for projects and programs in District 1: Each County Commissioner has a budget to allocate to nonprofit organizations and programs that benefit their respective districts. Commissioner Alexis Hill, District 1, recommended a total of $38,500 to be allocated as follows:
- $30,000 to Incline Village/Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau to support the Spring 2022 Tahoe-Truckee Area Regional Transit (TART) Connect Zone 3 project
- $5,000 to the Tahoe Fund to “Take Care Tahoe,” an ongoing sustainable tourism initiative
- $2,500 to Incline Village Crystal Bay Community & Business Association for expenses associated with the Local Heroes Celebration and IVCB Sky Show
- $1,000 to the Reno Bike Project to help recover costs for the 4th Annual Tri-Lab event that was held on June 9, 2022
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