The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:
1. Board approves interlocal agreement with City of Reno for Crime Lab services: Today’s Board action approved an interlocal agreement valued at $1 million for crime lab services on behalf of the Reno Police Department performed at the Sheriff’s Office.
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office provides forensic services to federal, state, and local agencies throughout northern Nevada through a service contract. Services covered include all in-house laboratory analysis and fees are based upon the type of contract selected by the agencies and cover the cost of services.
2. Board approves new one-year lease for Incline Village Justice Court: The current lease for the Incline Village Justice Court and Constable is set to expire at the end of this month, and the property owner has notified Washoe County that it intends to put the property up for sale. The owner has offered the county a one-year lease to give the county time to find a new location for the court and office space. The board approved this short-term lease in the amount of approximately $94,000 for October 2021 through September 2022.
3. REMSA presents award to Health District and Washoe311 for COVID-19 Community Triage Line: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, local leaders recognized a critical need to provide accurate and immediate information on COVID, and to triage callers concerned about possible COVID-19 infections. Recognizing REMSA Health’s experience and expertise as an internationally accredited medical dispatch center, Washoe County and the Health District asked REMSA Health to establish a 24/7 call center for residents. Within five days, the triage line was staffed and active, utilizing Washoe County Health District and Washoe311. Today, Adam Heinz, executive director of Integrated Healthcare at REMSA Health, presented an award to Washoe County on behalf of the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration. This award recognizes the willingness of Washoe County’s leadership to partner with a private organization to provide a solution in a time of crisis.
“This is validation that government bodies and private organizations that share a commitment to innovation and excellence can achieve improved public health outcomes,” Heinz said. “Congratulations to Washoe County on receiving the Excellence in EMS Integration Award from the Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration.”
4. Board approves monthly report on Incline Village property tax settlement payments: The Commission approved an update on the Incline Village property tax settlement through August 31. The full repayment amount may be up to $56 million, to be paid by several local government entities that benefited from the overpayment of property taxes. The refunds began in July of this year, and must be completed by June 21, 2024. Since the last monthly update in August, the county has repaid just over $2.3 million.
5. Board declared Sept. 28, 2021, as National Voter Registration Day: Recognizing the right to vote as one of the most fundamental rights of U.S. citizens, the Board of County Commissioners passed a proclamation declaring Sept. 28, 2021, as National Voter Registration Day. Registrar of Voters Deanna Spikula accepted the proclamation.
“I wanted to update you that since we’ve written this proclamation, we now have over 320,000 registered voters, and our registration numbers are going up as the community grows,” Spikula said.
6. Board declared September National Hunger Action Month: The Board of County Commissioners has a collaborative partnership with the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, and reaffirmed its commitment to make policy to improve access to food and make it more equitable for all residents of Washoe County. The Board passed a proclamation naming September as National Hunger Action Month, and in doing so recognized the Food Bank of Northern Nevada, which distributed more than 7.4 million pounds of food to assist more than 700,000 individuals and families in 2020. The child food insecurity rate in Washoe County reached 14.4 percent in 2020.
“I had a chance to tour the Food Bank recently, and they are doing amazing new programs for seniors: a basket program so seniors get out of their houses and socialize and pick up food, and I know they’re looking at additional services in Sun Valley, so I’m very excited and honored to present this proclamation,” Commissioner Alexis Hill said.
“I want to put on the record our heartfelt thank you for all the support we’ve received from this Commission over the 30 years the Food Bank has been operating in northern Nevada,” Shane Piccinini with the Food Bank said. “We’re still serving over 100,000 individuals every single month, and we don’t see this need going down as the economy recovers. I think it’s going to be a while before we’re able to dig our community out of this hole. I know for a fact that because of your support, we’ve literally been able to save people’s lives by granting them access to food.”
7. Emergency Manager presented Board with emergency management accreditation: Washoe County Emergency Management received re-accreditation in Emergency Management (EMAP) in 2020. Only 43 counties out of more than 3,000 are accredited. Only 17 counties, Washoe County among them, have received consecutive accreditations.
The county first achieved this prestigious recognition in 2015. This process helps emergency management programs create safer communities through measurable standards of excellence. County Emergency Manager Kelly Echeverria presented the Board with an overview and plaque commemorating the county’s EMAP. EMAP is a set of 64 standards by which programs that apply for accreditation are evaluated. The Emergency Management Standard is designed as a tool for continuous improvement as part of the voluntary accreditation process for local, state, federal, higher education and tribal Emergency Management programs.
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