The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Board hears preliminary financial outlook for Fiscal Year 2027: Budget Manager Lori Cooke presented an overview of the previous year’s budget and presented the financial outlook for the upcoming fiscal year, 2027, which begins July 1, 2026.The presentation provided context for next week’s Board of County Commissioners Budget Workshop at which the Board will prioritize strategic objectives for the best use of the budget for the coming year.
“In the words of someone I respect a lot, I’ll do my best to not ‘bury the lead,’” Cooke said. We ended up better financially than anticipated so that is good news. Most finance people are extremely risk-averse so when we come in better, it gives us a better sense of what happened and how that lends itself our current year and going into the future.”
FY25, which ended June 30, 2025, closed out with revenues higher and expenses lower than expected, which meant that the anticipated fund reduction of $12.9 million did not occur.
Washoe County is currently in the middle of FY26, and cost growth continues to outpace revenue growth, so Washoe County is prioritizing net-zero or reallocation funding requests. Departments are encouraged to continue resource-sharing and leveraging existing resources, or proposing one-time investments that results in overall savings or other efficiencies.
At the Budget Workshop next week, Commissioners will look at the national, regional, and local economic factors, and provide strategic planning direction to departments. It will also look at the Capital Improvement Projects Scorecard in order to identify the most pressing projects for the coming year.
2. Board approves creation of a Special Improvement District Policy: The Board approved a policy overseeing the creation of Special Improvement Districts (SIDs), a mechanism for funding public infrastructure in unincorporated Washoe County. SIDs enable property owners or developers to initiate and finance the construction of eligible public improvements such as streets, water, sewer, and flood control facilities through the assessment of benefited properties and the issuance of special assessment bonds.
This approach is intended to address infrastructure needs that support new development or provide regional benefit, while ensuring that the financial responsibility for such improvements rests with those who directly benefit from them, rather than the general taxpayer base.
The approved policy establishes additional criterial and procedural safeguards and specifies that only publicly owned infrastructure is eligible for SID financing, and that improvements must be consistent with the County’s Comprehensive Plan or Capital Improvement Program. It also requires that proposed projects demonstrate a regional or off-site benefit, and that property owners provide evidence of financial capacity, environmental due diligence, and compliance with all applicable land use and permitting requirements. The policy further outlines the need for financial guarantees to mitigate risk to the County, and mandates that the County’s general fund or taxing power shall not be pledged to SID bonds.
“Housing is our No. 1 priority, it has essentially been supported by many of the ordinances we’ve passed, and I really think it’s important that everyone understand that this is not going to be on the backs of the homeowners, in the sense that those savings are actually going to be extended to those homeowners,” Chair Andriola said. “Looking at putting infrastructure first is a wonderful opportunity to extend the housing that is so needed, and to look at trying to keep those costs attainable for those homeowners.”
3. Board approves grant for Mobile Crisis Response Team: The Nevada Department of Child and Family Services created the Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) to provide crisis intervention and stabilization services for youth in psychiatric crisis and their families. The Northern Unit of the MCRT moved under the management of Washoe County Human Services Agency in July 2024. The Board approved a grant of nearly $2.4 million from the State of Nevada to Washoe County HSA for the FY26 MCRT.
4. Board proclaims February 2-6 as National News Literacy Week: Commissioner Mariluz Garcia read a proclamation declaring February 2-6 as National News Literacy Week, noting the work of the local News Literate Community Initiative represented by steering committee member Rachel Tillotson. The News Literacy Project is a national effort to teach students how to be informed consumers of news and information and differentiate trustworthy, reliable sources from unverified sources. The goal is “to prepare students to think for themselves and grow into well-informed adults who are ready to take part in their communities and in society.”
5. Commissioners appoint member to Open Space and Regional Parks Commission: The Board appointed Nicole Flangas to the Washoe County Open Space and Regional Parks Commission to serve a four-year term effective immediately. Flangas works in government affairs and currently serves on the Nevada Outdoor Business Coalition.
