The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Deputy Registrar presents update on General Election during first week of early voting: Deputy Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald presented an overview of the new ballot-processing equipment, voter check-in Poll Pads, and voter registration platform called VREMS, as well as staffing and security. Ballot sorting began on October 15, and mail ballot extraction and processing begins today. The Registrar’s office hired 652 election workers for this election cycle, including staffing for the 24 early voting Vote Centers and 55 Election Day Vote Centers. 
Residents can still register to vote online at the Secretary of State’s website or in person. Results will be reported after the last voter in the State of Nevada votes. The first set of results will include early voting and mail-in ballots. The next set of results will be Election Day in-person results only. Subsequent updates of results will be mail-in ballots and provisional ballots.
The Commissioners each expressed their gratitude to the employees and temporary staff for the part they play in exercising democracy through the election process, while noting concern about long lines at Vote Centers.
“I would emphatically reiterate to the public to go to the website and see what the wait times are,” County Manager Eric Brown said. “Spanish Springs, South Valleys, Northwest: they’re going to have lines, and if you go to the website it will tell you where there is no wait or where the waits are shorter. Please do yourself a favor and check the website, it works.”
2. CSD Director provides stormwater infrastructure update: Community Services Department (CSD) Director Eric Crump, Director of Engineering and Capital Projects Dwayne Smith and Division Director of Operations Aaron Smith provided an update on the region’s stormwater infrastructure, focusing on design standards, maintenance and the recent flooding in Hidden Valley. In July, two storms in Hidden Valley collided resulting in a 0.5% chance storm event causing a flow of mud and debris from the adjacent mountain range and natural drainage. CSD responded immediately, ultimately racking up 3,377 labor hours and $1 million in labor, equipment, and contractor costs. They prioritized life safety, access for residents and emergency vehicles, and re-establishment of critical infrastructure, followed by debris removal and cleanup.
“Thank you to everyone’s hard work, and especially the folks who were out there just pushing that mud to essentially allow for roads to be cleared. That seems miniscule but it’s huge,” Commissioner Clara Andriola said. “I’d also like to thank staff for their dedication to listening to residents and acting on that. I want to recognize the amount of inquiries about how things could be navigated, and staff’s response should be commended for doing everything we could to address them.”
3. Board provides direction regarding gift to Sky Tavern for sewer connection fees: Sky Tavern, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation, is working to connect its property on Mt. Rose Highway to the Washoe County South Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility as part of its sewer system upgrade project. Sky Tavern requested a waiver of the $87,000 in connection fees, but that is not feasible according to the function of utility enterprise fund, so staff presented the request as a gift to Sky Tavern. The City of Reno has committed approximately $207,000 to Sky Tavern’s infrastructure improvements, and the Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to find a way to fund the request from underspent budgets.
“I would love to join in with the City of Reno in supporting the investment into this incredible program that’s been around for almost 100 years now,” Commissioner Mariluz Garcia said. “I do believe it has enhanced the recreational opportunities throughout the region, improved community engagement, it provides a substantial long-term public benefit, it complies with all our legal and regulatory frameworks, so I’d love for staff to go dig in the couch cushions and find the best pot of money for this.”
4. Board approves contracts for Capital Improvement Projects: Washoe County has contracted with Sparkflight Studios LLC for approximately $338,000 for the River House Remodel Project. The River House is home to the Women’s Crossroads Program at Our Place and provides housing and recovery services for women in the Washoe County community. The remodel project will provide required tenant improvements and include new construction. Sparkflight Studios will provide the required architectural and engineering design and plans, as well as permitting and engineering support during the bidding and construction administration.
Another Capital Improvement Project will progress with today’s approval of a contract with Houston Smith Construction Inc. for work on the 220 South Center Parking Garage. The seven-story, 392-space parking garage is used by the Human Services Agency, the Public Defender’s Office, and the Alternate Public Defender’s Office, as well as employees of adjacent offices.
The improvements include new vehicle and pedestrian security gates and associated fencing of the ground level openings to secure the garage from unauthorized vehicles or pedestrians. The improvements also include new security cameras at each entry point and on each floor, with new high output LED lighting to further enhance security and safety. Construction will improve roof drainage to prevent ice buildup on the east side of the building. Two companies submitted bids, but one was deemed non-responsible, so the lowest, responsible bidder is Houston Smith Construction in the amount in just over $867,400.
5. October proclaimed National Community Planning Month: Commissioner Clara Andriola read a proclamation to declare October as National Community Planning Month. As stated in the proclamation, this is an opportunity to publicly recognize the participation and dedication of the members of the Washoe County Planning Commission, the Washoe County Board of Adjustment, the Washoe County Parcel Map Review Committee, Citizen Advisory Boards and other citizen planners who have contributed their time and expertise to the improvement of Washoe County through the creation and implementation of the County’s Master Plan and Development Code.
6. Board approves donation to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Mounted Horse Unit: The Washoe County Mounted Horse Unit Auxiliary donated a Conex storage container to the Mounted Horse Unit to store equipment, tack, and training supplies. The equipment will be protected from weather and rodents and provide a central storage place. The Mounted Horse Unit responds to a variety of large special events for crowd control and patrol of hiking trails and remote areas that are inaccessible by vehicle. The storage container is valued at just under $4,000.
###
