Top headlines from the Board of County Commissioners Meeting

by | Dec 13, 2022

Board of County Commissioners

The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:    

1. Commissioners Kitty Jung and Bob Lucey are honored for their service to the county: Commissioner Kitty Jung has served as county commissioner for District 3 for 15 years, one year as Board chair. She was honored today with a special recognition from the Board. Commissioner Bob Lucey has served two full terms, eight years, as county commissioner for District 2, and Board chair for three years, and was also honored for his contributions to the region and as chair of the Nevada Association of Counties. Former Congressman Jon Porter presented U.S. flags that were flown over the U.S. Capitol on Nevada Day 2022.

“This is a celebration and it’s the beginning of your next chapters,” Porter said. “Everything you’ve learned and given will be returned to you, and I still believe that local government is the most important level of government. You’re with the people every day… and we’re here to celebrate your service and recognize you from a national level. Today, on behalf of Congressman Mark Amodei, we have a flag that was flown over the Capitol on October 31, Nevada Day.” 

Commissioner Jung bid farewell to her fellow commissioners: “At the end of the day, I hope you all remember that this is a labor of love for a more perfect union, and most importantly we should still measure happiness in a community too and see where our quality of life is going. From the bottom of my heart, what means the most to me is I got to work with people about bettering the lives of others.” 

Commissioner Lucey was joined by his 4-year-old daughter as he accepted his recognition and said: “Commissioners, constituents, and staff, this is a special day for me, it’s been wonderful to serve District 2 and work with the wonderful people of Washoe County. It’s been my honor to serve, and I want to continue to serve in any capacity that I can help. I want to be sure the future commissioners have every opportunity to be successful and lead this county, state, and region.” 

Read the proclamation for Commissioner Jung here and Commissioner Lucey here.  

2. County Manager Eric Brown receives positive review and salary increase: The Board voted unanimously to increase County Manager Eric Brown’s salary by 10 percent and decided to defer contract negotiations to next year.

Brown was hired in 2019 and per his employment agreement must undergo a public review by the Board of County Commissioners every year. Washoe County Human Resources Director Patricia Hurley presented the results of a Performance Feedback Survey of 21 internal and external stakeholders. One hundred percent of feedback ranked Brown as “meets or exceeds expectations” for the three key areas of effective leadership, high personal standard and integrity, and effective communication.  

Brown noted in his presentation that the county has increased its revenue in the last year while spending less than it budgeted, despite large allocations to the Nevada Cares Campus and investments in employee wellness. 

“As the leader of the fourth largest employer in northern Nevada, you make me proud,” Commissioner Jung said. “You’re my favorite appointment I’ve ever made over 15 years of making appointments. I think you’ve transformed this community.”

3. Board approves appointment of new Registrar of Voters: The Board of County Commissioners concurred with Manager Brown’s recommended appointment of Jamie Rodriguez as Registrar of Voters. Rodriguez has worked for Washoe County since 2017 as Government Affairs Liaison and served as interim Registrar of Voters in the Primary and General Elections this year. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Nevada, Reno. Brown reviewed what the position is, how recruitment is conducted and how the finalist is selected.

“The scope of this job has changed dramatically in just the last two years,” Manager Brown said. “Sixty-two percent of ballots in the last election were cast by mail. That is a different model than we were used to before. Our systems aren’t structured to handle that.” 

“Jamie Rodriguez is a star. She has been working in our community her whole life. When she worked for Senator Harry Reid, she fought for people to keep their homes from banks,” Commissioner Alexis Hill said. “I am blown away by your grace, confidence, and certainty when speaking. What we as a board need to do is give you and your team support. I want to see how we can make the county better, the office better, and the next election better.”

4. Commissioners initiate ordinance amendment regarding unauthorized camping in public areas: The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) is seeking revisions to the county code related to camping and storage of personal property in public areas to align county code with municipal codes in Reno and Sparks. Per the Board’s direction today, the WCSO will work with the District Attorney’s Office to write an amendment to county code. The Board gave a target deadline of 90 days to craft the proposed language, and the next step is to bring the amendment to the Board for a first reading.

5. Board approves amendment to agreement for Lake Tahoe Bike Path Project: The Board approved an amendment to Phase 4 of the Lake Tahoe East Shore Path Project, a paved path from Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park along Lake Tahoe’s east shore. The amendment adds improvements including approximately 30 parking space north of the existing Tahoe East Shore trailhead parking along State Route 28 in connection with planned Nevada Department of Transportation roadway improvements. The amendment extends the term from the end of this year to December 31, 2026.

6. Washoe County enters into five-year agreement with Biggest Little Trail Stewardship: The Board approved an agreement with the nonprofit Biggest Little Trail Stewardship (BLTS) for the construction and maintenance of trails within the Washoe County Open Space and Regional Parks system. Washoe County has 167 miles of trails, and connecting parks with trails and trailheads was listed among the top four priorities of the 2019 Parks Master Plan. BLTS will work closely with the new Trails Program Coordinator on prioritizing trails in the region. The agreement formalizes the volunteer trail-building efforts by BLTS on Washoe County land, and adds BLTS to the numerous nonprofits that Washoe County already works with, including Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Nevada Land Trust, Great Basin Institute, and the May Arboretum Society. All of these non-profits provide services to the community and reinforce the strong public/private partnership that benefits the citizens and makes this a great place to work and live.

7. ARPA funding is allocated to numerous nonprofit organizations and county projects: The Board of County Commissioners approved the allocation of $7.5 million of the county’s ARPA-SLRF funding to 11 nonprofit organizations and two county projects. Washoe County received a total of $91 million in federal funding to allocate locally. The amounts are approximate for the projects below:

  • $500,000 to the Washoe County Human Resources Organizational Effectiveness Division to support a county-wide Civil Rights and Equity Engagement project to support compliance with federal, state and local accessibility laws 
  • $2 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to incentivize developers to build affordable housing in Washoe County through a competitive loan process managed by Washoe County and disbursed through the Community Foundation of Northern Nevada, which will receive $60,000 of funding to act as the fiscal agent of the funds 
  • An increase of $1.58 million to the Public Defender’s Office to address the critical caseload backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The award will increase funding for staff for an additional two years 
  • $255,500 to Note-Able Music Therapy Services to support musical therapy sessions and renovations to the organization’s new facility 
  • $110,550 to the Food Bank of Northern Nevada to support development of a community kitchen to support cooking lessons and nutrition seminars 
  • $483,000 to Catholic Charities of Northern Nevada to support soft skills development and job placement for low income and at-risk community members 
  • $97,000 to the Domestic Violence Resource Center – Flexible Childcare and Child Enrichment Program to develop a reliable childcare network for domestic violence survivors 
  • $243,200 to Nevada Legal Services – Holistic Law Project for Homeless and Low-income Residents of Washoe County – to support legal services to 450 residents with wraparound services to clients using holistic lawyering techniques 
  • $740,500 to Communities In Schools of Nevada to support K-12 student social-emotional health initiatives and one-on-one case management for intensive interventions that allow students to stay in school, fully participate, and achieve academically 
  • $323,750 to High Sierra Area Health Education Center (AHEC) to support youth 16 years old and up to become certified as Community Health Workers and develop skills that will increase healthcare workforce 
  • $568,000 to The Life Change Center to support a new pilot program to assist individuals trying to recover from fentanyl addiction 
  • $134,000 to ReDirect Youth Outreach to support 50 at-risk youth participation in boxing classes and training that allows them to channel their emotions positively 
  • $58,000 to The Empowerment Center to support women in recovery 
  • $345,400 to the Northern Nevada Literacy Council to support adult basic education and high school equivalency exam preparation

8. Commissioners approve allocation of District Special Funds: Washoe County budgets for special projects in each commission district, as recommended by the respective county commissioner. Today the Board approved the following funding requests:

“I want to thank Commissioners Hartung, Lucey and Jung. Your service to our community is amazing,” Commissioner Alexis Hill said. “Thank you so much for your commitment to our community.” 

9. Board approves grant for Animal Shelter Trailers: Washoe County Emergency Management received a grant for just under $124,000 from the Department of Homeland Security to purchase two Animal Shelter Trailers. The trailers will be used as mobile shelters for small animals such as cats and dogs during evacuations and can be shared with other jurisdictions in case of an emergency.