The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Board approves County Manager’s review and awards bonus: Human Resources Director Patricia Hurley and HR Manager Elizabeth Jourdin presented County Manager Eric Brown’s annual performance evaluation. The evaluation process begins in August, with Commissioners and direct report staff surveyed at the end of October. Manager Brown’s evaluation was rated “effective” with the majority of criteria ratings coming in as “effective” and “highly effective.”
Manager Brown then presented his overview of achievements and described 2024 as a year of follow-through on strategic priorities identified by the Board in January 2024: seniors, mental health, and innovation.
“It’s been an absolute joy to serve in this position over the last five years,” Brown said. “This year has been a year of serious challenges, but we’ve also made serious progress on our strategic plan priorities.”
The Board voted 4-1 to approve a salary adjustment aligned with what other county employees received in the last year, and a one-time 10 percent bonus of approximately $34,000.
“Before us today is an opportunity for a bonus and a salary adjustment that Washoe County employees also received,” Chair Alexis Hill said. “Manager Brown, it’s been a tough year, a challenging year, but I think that the County has really risen to the occasion, and I really appreciate your leadership with that.”
2. Washoe County obligates entire ARPA funding by end-of-year deadline: In two actions today, the Board approved the de-obligation of unspent ARPA funds and approved the final allocations of Washoe County’s nearly $92 million in federal COVID-recovery funding.
Just over $4.5 million was de-obligated, and $4.7 million was allocated. Of those allocations are:
- $3.2 million to the transformation of the previous West Hills Hospital into a new Behavioral Health Center.
- $100,000 for consultant services to write grants and develop competitive proposals to access federal funding.
- $50,000 for the Human Services Agency GenArete Pilot Program, which will utilize a dynamic tool to create high quality, individualized learning plans for children with developmental disabilities.
- Just under $500,000 for the “Future of Work” capital improvement projects at County offices.
- $100,000 for Senior Center renovations.
- $750,000 for the Tenancy Support Program providing case management for tenancy support and a shallow rental assistance subsidy to move people into independent housing and keep them stably housed.
3. Board awards construction contract for Lemmon Valley Park ball fields: Lemmon Valley Park is getting a new ball field, and the Board of County Commissioners approved a contract with MKD Construction Inc. not to exceed $512,777. The scope of work is to replace existing restroom facility with new prefabricated restroom, install drainage components for the ball fields, and install concrete sidewalk improvements. Lemmon Valley Park is an 11-acre neighborhood park with lighted ball fields, a group picnic area, playground, batting cages, fields, restroom and concessions. The improvements to the ball fields were approved in the Capital Improvement Projects budget in May this year.
4. Senior Nutrition contract re-awarded to TRIO Community Meals, LLC: The Human Services Agency (HSA) Nutrition Programs provides meals at the senior centers, home-delivered meals, and other nutrition services. Bids for the $3.1 million per year contract were reviewed by a seven-member evaluation panel, which identified TRIO Community Meals, LLC, as the highest-scoring bidder. The RFP was designed to cover six areas, and respondents could respond to any combination of the six areas:
- Senior Congregate Meals: This includes a daily meal service, Monday through Friday, serving approximately 115,000 meals annually in a congregate setting at the Reno Senior Center, Sparks Senior Center and an additional 10 satellite sites throughout Washoe County.
- Senior Home Delivered Meals: This includes seven weekly meals delivered to the homes of seniors and other house-bound individuals, serving approximately 321,500 meals annually to clients’ residences.
- Shelf Stable Meals: This includes shelf stable meals that are provided to new home delivered meal clients to ensure immediate meal access as the client is integrated into the regular delivery route.
- Incline Village General Improvement Area Home Delivered Meals: This is the same home delivered meal service described in item two (2) above but is specific to Incline Village residents. The distinction is only based on delivery constraints associated with its location that may require additional contingency planning, delivery coordination, and staffing resources. Approximately 8,425 meals are delivered annually.
- Our Place Campus/JOY Home: This includes daily breakfasts, lunches and dinners provided to residents at the Our Place Campus and JOY Home, the county’s women and families and senior shelters.
The RFP was sent to 231 potential bidders, only three began the process, and only one, TRIO, demonstrated ability to execute the contract. Based on feedback from seniors, improvements to the food service will include higher quality ingredients, new options for special dietary needs, more variety in meals, fewer prepackaged meals, expansion of the soup program, and support from a certified dietician to improve the visual appeal of meals. The contract is for two years with up to four one-year renewal options.
5. Board approves opioid settlement subgrant to support the CrossRoads Families project: The Board voted to approve a subgrant of Washoe Opioid Abatement and Recovery Fund (WOARF) to Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE) to support the new CrossRoads Families project. This project allows families to stay together while parents are in recovery from drug dependency. The subgrant of $856,000 will provide a facility where parents reside with their children to engage in recovery together. The program addresses the needs of families impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) through a comprehensive, family-centered approach implementing child welfare best practices to support family stability, promote family reunification and prevent child removals.
6. Board approves allocation of District Special Funds: The Board approved an allocation of just over $36,000 from the District 1 Special Fund to be granted to the Tahoe Transportation District to support and develop multi-modal transportation projects and transit services in the Washoe County portion of Lake Tahoe.
7. Eloy Ituarte appointed to District Board of Health: The District Board of Health is the policy-making body that oversees Northern Nevada Public Health. It is composed of two representatives each from Reno, Sparks and Washoe County, in addition to a physician licensed to practice medicine in Nevada. The District Board of Health, through Northern Nevada Public Health, has jurisdiction over all public health matters in the Health District. Dr. Eloy Ituarte was appointed to fill the non-elected member seat for a four-year term beginning January 1.
8. Two candidates appointed to Board of Equalization: The Board voted to appoint Rost Olsen and Michael Gratz to the Board of Equalization (BOE). The BOE hears appeals filed by property owners who disagree with the value placed on their property for tax purposes by the County Assessor. The hearings are held annually each February.
Rost Olsen, a 30+-year resident of Washoe County who works for the State of Nevada, was appointed for a three-year term, and Michael Gratz, retired, was appointed for a one-year term.
9. Commissioners assigned to serve on various local boards and commissions: The Commissioners voted on their assignments to various local boards and commissions, with the assignments largely remaining the same. Commissioner Mariluz Garcia will step off the Animal Services Advisory Board and the District Board of Health, and Commissioner Clara Andriola will pick up those appointments.
