Top headlines from the Board of County Commissioners meeting

by | Aug 25, 2026

image of five people with "meeting highlights" and Washoe County logo

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

1. Vote Centers for General Election announced: Registrar of Voters Andrew McDonald presented the locations to be used as Vote Centers during early voting and on Election Day for the 2026 General Election. Early voting begins Saturday, Oct. 17, and continues through Friday, Oct. 30, with 18 vote centers open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, 41 vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. A mail ballot drop box will be available at every vote center for voters who choose to return their mail ballot in person. Two additional standalone manned drop boxes will operate during early voting, and one additional standalone drop box will operate on Election Day. 

As part of this year’s Election Day plan, additional staff and voting equipment have been allocated to Depoali Middle School, Hug High School, Spanish Springs High School, O’Brien Middle School, UNR’s Joe Crowley Student Union and the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to increase capacity, reduce wait times and help provide a smoother voting experience.

2. Equine Business Code amendments: The Board voted to introduce and hold a first hearing of amendments to the county’s Equine Business Code. The amendments would eliminate the current “commercial stables” definition that applies to all equine businesses regardless of size, and adapt the code based on the size of the business. Commercial stables are a commercial use and require a business license and commercial parking, landscaping, and lighting standards.  

  • Small equine facilities – 1 through 8 horses 
  • Medium equine facility – 9 through 20 horses 
  • Large equine facility – 21 or more horses 

“What’s proposed is pretty much an overhaul to how we approach these business types, starting with the use-type definition,” Kat Oakley, Washoe County planner, said. “One of the main things we heard from the public was that the current one-size-fits-all definition was really challenging because it means that a very small business was treated the same as a very large business. So what we’re proposing is three tiers of size of equine facilities based on the number of horses. That allows us to scale the permitting requirements with the size of the business.” 

Additional updates include changing the classification of uses such as horse racing, and reclassifying equine uses from commercial to agricultural. Read the staff report for the full description of the amendments.

3. Board of County Commissioners meeting frequency: The Board voted to initiate an amendment to Washoe County Code to reduce the number of required Board meetings from three to two per month. The 2025 Washoe County Office of the County Manager Organizational Assessment found that meeting three times per month is unusual for government organizations in Nevada similar to Washoe County, which generally hold only two meetings per month. Reducing the number of required meetings would allow more time for commissioners and staff to prepare and to arrange quarterly work session. 

4. Homeland Security grant to fund Perimetermap: Washoe County received a Homeland Security grant through the Nevada Office of Emergency Management (OEM) to fund Perimetermap, a platform that allows first-responders to post road closures, evacuations, and other safety notices to a public-facing map in real time. The platform is used extensively in emergencies such as the recent wildfires. The $213,000 grant requires no match from the county and funds two years of access to the platform. 

In a separate action, the Board approved another grant from Homeland Security through OEM to fund a Continuity of Operations and Continuity of Government project. The $183,000 grant will help Washoe County Emergency Management maintain its plan to sustain local government preparedness and fund training and workshops.  

5. Distinguished Budget Presentation Award: The Board accepted the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for Fiscal Year 2025-26, awarded by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) to the Washoe County Budget Division. This annual award is designed to encourage governments to prepare budget documents of the highest quality to meet the needs of decision-makers and citizens. This award is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting and is the 24th year that Washoe County has received it. Additionally, this marks the second year that Washoe County has received special recognition for outstanding ratings in the Strategic Goals and Strategies category. Special recognition is given when all reviewers give the highest possible score in particular categories.  

6. OPEB Trust Fund Board appointment: The Other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB) Trust Fund is an irrevocable trust to provide an investment vehicle for participating employers to set aside money to fund the cost of future retirement benefits. The Board of County Commissioners approved the recommended reappointments of Christine Vuletich, retiree and vice chair; and Lori Cooke, Washoe County budget director and OPEB trustee, to serve two-year terms. They also approved the continuation of Chair Cathy Hill, Washoe County comptroller, for an additional two-year term ending June 26, 2028. 

7. Donations: The Board of County Commissioners approved the following donations:  

  • Approximately $23,800 to Parks & Open Space and the May Museum and Arboretum from various donors including Red Robin and Glen Atkinson; 
  • 50 Narcan kits valued at $2,250 from Quest Counseling and Consulting Inc. to Washoe County Department of Juvenile Services; 
  • One ModPod unit valued at $22,000 to be installed at Safe Camp; 
  • One Cadex TAC338 Precision Rifle and one Elite Iron Asset Suppressor from Perry DiLoreto, Perry Precision Arms, valued at approximately $8,000 to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team.

8. District Special Funds: The Board approved the follow allocations from District Special Funds: 

  • $2,000 to the Adopt-A-Vet Dental Program to provide free critical and life-saving dental care to impoverished veterans in Nevada;  
  • $2,000 to The Salvation Army to support meeting the needs of Washoe County residents struggling with food and housing insecurity and those impacted by the traumas of human trafficking. 

###