TUESDAY 10:00 A.M. JANUARY 23, 2024
PRESENT:
Nathan Edwards, Assistant District Attorney
The Washoe County Board of Commissioners convened at 10:00 a.m. in regular session in the Commission Chambers of the Washoe County Administration Complex, 1001 East Ninth Street, Reno, Nevada. Following the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our Country, County Clerk Jan Galassini called roll and the Board conducted the following business:
Chief Judge Lynne Jones said she wanted to attend a Board of County Commissioners’ (BCC) meeting since she knew the cleaning contract for Washoe County courts would be on a forthcoming agenda. She would most likely be absent when the item was on the agenda due to a trial. She thanked Commissioner Clark and explained that she approached him at the Elks Club to share her concerns about how cleaning at the courts impacted the public. She said cleaning and sanitizing occurred at the courts when juries were present. She noted that on a jury of 12 with 2 alternates, a lot of money would be spent to retry the case if 3 people got sick. She expressed appreciation that the Board visited the court. She expressed gratitude for the Board’s attentiveness, which had been initiated by Commissioner Clark and embraced by all Commissioners. She found it odd that a cleaning contract sparked so much dialogue and stated the Board granted a voice for the courts to make necessary corrections. She recounted her experience with a former employee named Joe and thanked the Board for its attention. Chair Hill thanked Chief Judge Jones for attending and confirmed that the updated contract resulted in improvements. Chief Judge Jones agreed.
Mr. Roger Edwards said he was thrilled to see the invocation on the agenda at the previous BCC meeting but noted it was not on the current meeting’s agenda. He had asked County Clerk Jan Galassini for clarification, and she explained the invocation took place on the second meeting of each month. He questioned the policy and declared the Board should ask for help every time it served the public. He proclaimed an invocation should not be devil worship but a request for guidance. He wished to see an invocation at
every public meeting. He questioned if the Gerlach area needed $600,000 when it hosted one event per year.
Ms. Elise Weatherly described a correlation between her original music compositions and KUNR Public Radio. She stated she would most likely not vote for President Biden, former President Trump, or herself. She compared herself to Roseanne Barr and discussed happiness. She said her Homeowners Association (HOA) gave her a
$9,000 fine for telling the truth. She thought her ex-father-in-law was murdered and that the murderer had died. She shared a quote by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and announced she wrote a song called “Does It Matter?” She said death was not the end of things and thought it was probably common knowledge. She shared that her bank claimed her 1098 had conflicting information on it.
Mr. Terry Brooks recited an original poem that addressed the relationship between mental health and homelessness. He commented that poor mental health could lead to homelessness, which was worsened by COVID-19 (C19). He said C19 caused more homelessness, mental illness, and stress. He discussed fears surrounding illness and death due to C19 and stated it had caused people increased difficulty in communicating their feelings. He said a life of fear could lead to more depression and declared that the C19 vaccines were a source of inspiration and alleviation.
Ms. Penny Brock said Reno received negative attention from the previous BCC meeting’s invocation. She inquired if the Board saw that the event received nationwide news coverage and she mentioned observing news coverage from Europe. She stated Reno received continuous negative attention because of what took place there, even though it was a great community with wonderful people. She displayed a document, a copy of which was placed on file with the Clerk. She alleged the Board violated its own policy, which was a big deal. She asserted that no member of the Commission, public, or government should be required to participate in an invocation. She recommended that the public be warned so they could leave Chambers if desired. She believed an apology to the public and staff was appropriate because they had to listen to the previous invocation. She spoke about the invocation’s legality and discussed an article by legal analyst Andrea Picciotti-Bayer. She shared Ms. Picciotti-Bayer’s view that certain Satanic displays would not be protected by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
Mr. Scott Finley displayed a document, copies of which were distributed to the Board and placed on file with the Clerk. He stated he was a resident of Washoe County and had a military background in the United States Air Force (USAF). He declared the Board had to eliminate invocations by the public. He pointed out that Commissioner Andriola introduced invocations by the public and each Commissioner on the Board voted in favor of it. He opined the Board had to take corrective action by limiting invocations to be performed by only elected officials. He suggested that invocations be rotated amongst the Commissioners at each meeting and said this would allow for religious freedom. He mentioned an experiment from the 1970s called “The Philip Experiment” that was published in The New Horizons Journal. He explained the experiment was performed by researchers in Toronto, Canada to see if hauntings were caused by hallucinations and could
be controlled. He described the occurrences reported in the journal and noted that the researchers concluded an entity was created as a psychokinetic manifestation of the human mind. He claimed that Commissioner Andriola invited evil into the Chambers because even if a deity did not exist, it could be manifested through will power. He asserted there was power in words.
Ms. Sandee Tibbett displayed a picture, a copy of which was placed on file with the Clerk. She expressed gratitude to Vice Chair Herman and Commissioner Clark for being strong voices in the community. She claimed there was an inexcusable display of self-importance and cruelty at the previous BCC meeting. She mentioned an argument of poor attendance at Board meetings and said it was a hollow attempt to justify retaining Chair Hill as Board Chair. She alleged the Board contained an orchestrated alliance to deny Vice Chair Herman the position of Chair and declared the Board did not represent the will of its constituents in that regard. She said public comments that supported Vice Chair Herman’s election to Chair were blatantly dismissed.
Ms. Janet Butcher spoke about Agenda Item 12J1 from the previous BCC meeting. She quoted the agenda item’s Staff Report and stated it was not accurate. She said the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) Election would not replace the caucus. She further discussed that only delegates selected at the caucus would go to the Republican National Convention (RNC). She stated voter identification, same day voting, and same day counting occurred at the caucus. She said she received a message that stated ballot tracking would not occur during the PPP. She displayed a document, a copy of which was placed on file with the Clerk. She declared that an acquaintance of hers had a Republican and a Democrat in their household and each received a mail ballot. She noted one of their mail ballots displayed pink through the envelope’s hole and the other did not. She requested clarification and speculated that ballots received in the mail could be identified as Republican.
Ms. Renee Rezentes said Chair Hill claimed some community members were opposed to certain actions because of racial discrimination. She alleged that no one racially discriminated except for Chair Hill and that Chair Hill should adopt legitimate reasons for defending County Manager Eric Brown. She stated the PPP was intended to confuse people. She requested mail ballots be eradicated and asserted the caucus was the safest way to vote. She thought taxes used for the PPP did not yield benefits.
Ms. Shawn Comstock announced she was an Incline Village resident who had lived behind a Catholic church for the past 30 years. She displayed documents, copies of which were placed on file with the Clerk. She inquired if anyone had experienced a yellow card campaign via mail. She said the campaign began when the engineering firm DOWL sent a postcard notification to her home that informed of a meeting at 701 Mt. Rose Highway. She declared the postcard did not mention a church. She stated a campaign was started at the meeting. She mentioned that students and teachers of St. Clare’s Tahoe (SCT) and The Village Church were present at the meeting and informed that children filled out comment cards there, but none of the neighbors knew what the meeting was about. She later found out that certain items were submitted to the County, including comment cards
that neither she nor her neighbors filled out because they did not know where the cards were going. She explained she and her neighbors began their own campaign and petition by canvassing in the Wood Creek Regulatory Zone. She referenced a map she displayed and noted it showed Mt. Rose Highway. She remarked that forefathers of Incline Village built schools in the middle of town for fire safety and emergency evacuation purposes. She said both The Village Church and a Catholic church were located on Mt. Rose Highway. She stated SCT had been at the church for two years through temporary permits granted by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). She asked the Board to read letters she and her husband submitted that opposed the proposed Washoe County Code (WCC) amendments. She asked the Board to review the petition that contained 50 signatures from neighbors within the regulatory zone that documented their opposition to the WCC amendments. She said property rights, noise disturbances, garbage, and increased traffic were all impacted. She said church business used to take place for a few hours on Sundays and there was now constant business occurring at the two church properties. She mentioned a conflict of interest.
Mr. Russell Bierle spoke in favor of Agenda Item 13. He thanked the Board for its consideration and discussed the requested funding for a wastewater infrastructure capacity upgrade in Gerlach. He explained there was a yellow line and red line wastewater capacity and said the yellow line capacity was reached twice within the past two years. He said statutes required that remedies for capacity be sought. He mentioned the agenda item was one avenue of several that was being explored. He thanked the Commissioners for their consideration, service, accountability for decisions they did not make, and willingness to attempt to remedy grievances that were beyond the scope of their authority. He called them inspirations.
Commissioner Garcia disclosed that in November, the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO) Board of Directors recommended her for an appointment. She announced she was part of a newly established statewide commission that was a result of Senate Bill No. 425 (SB425). She said there was a meeting in Las Vegas the prior week that consisted of educators from K-12 and higher education, businesspeople, and elected officials from throughout Nevada. She informed the Commissioners she would be happy to meet with them if they had ideas or items they wanted to share with the new commission. She offered to share the PowerPoint presentation from the recent meeting.
Commissioner Clark stated he was glad Chief Judge Lynne Jones provided an update. He hoped the cleaning service effectively incorporated the feedback it received. He said the Board did not monitor or inspect the Courts but he thought entities served by vendors had to have a method to remedy any issues.
Commissioner Clark requested to be informed on how groups were chosen to deliver invocations, as he did not know how they were picked or if there were geographical limitations. He inquired about the number of religious groups that had applied and suggested the group be listed on the agenda so the Board and public knew who would be present in Chambers. He questioned where the line of appropriateness was drawn and if the invocation should continue. He asserted he had voted in favor of it with the other Commissioners and said he believed it would be peaceful. He discussed unintended consequences and claimed the area was a laughingstock. He stated the Reno Satanic group used the event to burnish the County’s reputation.
Commissioner Clark proclaimed support for Vice Chair Herman’s Clean Elections resolutions and said he was unaware of their status. He understood the District Attorney’s (DA) Office had vetted her request and announced that his own inquiries the prior week were not addressed. He thought the request was legitimate but noted that he heard a County spokesperson report to the media that the resolutions were possibly illegal, so he desired clarification.
Commissioner Clark referenced a prior comment he made about the Governor appointing a Commissioner. He informed that a DA provided him with the Nevada Revised Statute (NRS) for that topic, per his request. He said the NRS clearly explained the partisan nature of the position and that the appointed Commissioner had to be a registered member of their political party. He mentioned the NRS discussed what happened when the appointment expired if the appointee did not get elected in the next cycle. He said this correlated with a question he had pondered since he was sworn in. He explained that the traditional swearing in date was the first Monday after the election in January. He stated the Chair at that time and the County Manager changed the swearing in date with no explanation. He reported that he refused to come in on the alternate day and arrived on the traditional day but other elected officials, such as the Assessor and Treasurer, were sworn in early. He wondered why the County attempted to overrule State law and moved the swearing in date in 2023.
Commissioner Clark remarked Chair Hill was unanimously elected to Board Chair the prior year and that she lost 40 percent of votes at the recent Chair election. He stated the Board was divided and said he was not provided direct answers. He questioned the information provided to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) by the County regarding the area’s homeless count. He declared the article was used as a platform to share information with the public and it had reported a 40 to 50 percent reduction in homelessness. He wanted to be provided with those statistics. He alleged that the County continuously exaggerated and underreported. He thought it was important for the public to understand what occurred. He said people observed what happened in their community and he wondered if people saw the reduction reported in the media article.
Commissioner Clark said he was made aware of the Dandini Spectrum development project over 14 months ago. He asked when progress on the project would be made and declared that moving slowly did not help the community. He spoke about a recent luncheon he attended at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), where the Economic
Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) discussed a housing shortage. He advocated for the project’s timeliness, stating it would stabilize the market. He observed that 440 workforce housing units were on the drawing board for several years and were approved by the City of Reno, but the County had not yet heard or passed the item. He said EDAWN was researching the project and its implications and that seniors were also examining the project. He opined the languid pace of accomplishment was a disservice to citizens and builders.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Chair Hill announced that Agenda Items 6, 7, and 5 would be heard in that
order.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam reported a suicide had occurred at the detention facility the previous quarter, which had not happened since April 2019. He explained the inmate was able to place their sheet behind the light fixtures located in housing units (HU) 1 through 9. He stated the light fixtures had been at the facility since it was built. He mentioned that walkthroughs had occurred with the Community Services Department (CSD) and contractors to explore solutions, including anti-ligature light fixtures. He informed that every death in the jail was evaluated. He highlighted that the Washoe County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) intervened in 1,146 cases of attempted suicides and suicidal ideations the previous year.
Captain Andrew Barrett-Venn announced he would present statistics from the second quarter. Based on previous feedback, he provided a packet that the Commissioners could review on their own time. He stated he would review certain statistics he thought were of interest then facilitate a presentation about one of the jail’s functions the Board was potentially not aware of.
Captain Barrett-Venn shared that the jail’s average daily population (ADP) decreased 47 percent from Quarter 1 and noted an average of 1,177 inmates daily. The average length of stay (ALOS) increased from 7.07 to 7.27 days, which was within the margin of error given the disparate difference in ADP. There were 120 inmates on mental health segregation, which accounted for 10.2 percent of the entire jail population. This had decreased from between 15 to 16 percent two years prior, which was before the aggressive realignment that involved the courts, Judge Egan Walker, and the Detention Services Unit (DSU). He shared a statistic that he said was not positive but was important to be aware of. There were 977 male inmates in custody at the detention facility, 307 of whom were
validated gang members. This meant 31.5 percent of the facility’s total male population were members of at least 25 gangs. When reviewing the information, he stopped counting at 25 gangs, but he assured there were more. He asked that when the Board addressed inmate housing, it considered the difference between bed space and available space, as well as various gangs. He explained that keeping those inmates separated was one of the WCSO’s chief mandates.
Captain Barrett-Venn introduced Detention Chaplain Travis Sharpe, who worked in the Programs Division and was the assistant chaplain under Detention Chaplain Sarah Johnson. He said Chaplain Sharpe was responsible for the tremendously successful Getting Ahead While Getting Out (GAWGO) program. Captain Barrett-Venn reported that 60 male inmates recently signed up for GAWGO classes, which resulted in a doubling of available classes.
Chaplain Sharpe conducted a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed slides with the following titles: Getting Ahead While Getting Out; Latest in the Getting Ahead Series; There Are More Than 200 Getting Ahead Communities of Practice; Getting Ahead Evaluation Results; Since April of 2021; Welcome to Self-Sufficiency; Socio-Economic Lens; Bridges Construct; Barriers to Change: Generated by Poverty; Getting Ahead Is Different Because; What Do Investigators Learn in Getting Ahead (2 slides); Discussion- Based Learning; Students Create Mental Models; Mental Model of Resources; The Getting Ahead Restoration Plan; Guest Speakers & Success Stories; We Have 4 Graduations Per Year; Moving Forward.
Chaplain Sharpe stated he had been teaching GAWGO since 2019, first as a collaboration with TMCC while he was instructor there, then as a full-time chaplain in the detention facility. He said Getting Ahead While Getting Out, a book by Phillip Devol, Michelle Wood, and Mitchell Libster, was published in 2015 and revised in 2021. The workbook used in GAWGO classes was an adaptation of the book Bridges Out of Poverty by Ruby Payne. He announced GAWGO was in every region in the United States and in some international sites, like Canada and Slovakia. He informed that GAWGO facilitators met on a quarterly basis to discuss success stories and best practices. There were five peer- reviewed, published articles that highlighted GAWGO’s evidence-informed nature. He mentioned he was conducting his own informal data gathering. He referenced the “Getting Ahead Evaluation Results” slide and said it represented results from a study performed by Dr. Beth Wahler. The slide demonstrated positive outcomes in mental health, self-efficacy, and overall functioning of program graduates.
Chaplain Sharpe stated that 178 inmates had completed the GAWGO program at Washoe County’s detention facility since April 2021. Of those graduates, only
12.4 percent had recidivated or returned to the facility within a one-year follow up period. He observed a 44 percent national average of recidivism and pointed out Nevada had a better performance at 24.6 percent. He indicated that the program’s graduates were doing well.
Chaplain Sharpe referenced the “Welcome to Self-Sufficiency” slide and stated that exiting poverty was not simple or merely about getting a job. He said GAWGO tackled poverty on a personal and systemic level, and he noted a direct correlation between poverty and incarceration. GAWGO addressed recidivism through a socio-economic lens. During classes, participants were asked what they thought caused poverty in America, which resulted in valuable conversations. Instead of using federal guidelines of income to define poverty, they used the definition shown on the “Bridges Construct” slide. This definition allowed them to discuss larger issues faced by the community.
Chaplain Sharpe explained there were many barriers to change, including housing, mental health, and resources, and all those considerations could be overwhelming. He stated that when in survival mode, people prioritized things like food availability over skills training. He explained that GAWGO was unique because students were recognized as problem solvers and their perspectives were needed for class progression. Autonomy and self-sufficiency were encouraged. He said unique mental models were created in classes based on personal situations. The 11 mental model resources were discussed in classes and students performed self-evaluations that were used to build 3 plans prior to graduation.
Chaplain Sharpe said classes featured guest speakers and he noted a recent guest speaker was a former program graduate. This individual was a student at Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) who would shortly graduate with two associate degrees. The individual was booked at the jail 19 times prior to completing GAWCO. He mentioned community agencies like TMCC and JOIN Inc. presented information in classes. There were four graduations per year and in each one, individuals from administration came to congratulate the graduates.
Chaplain Sharpe said class expansion was desired for the future. He noted that graduates worked towards life stabilization upon release and developed reentry plans. After release, a lot of them questioned where they would find support. He said the County provided many support avenues, but graduates wanted to learn more about ideas related to exiting poverty. He desired to build a weekly support group class, comparable to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), that would provide support for graduates after their release.
Chair Hill shared that she attended two graduations and remarked it was an inspiring experience. She commended Chaplain Sharpe for his incredible work and said the County was lucky to have him. She wanted to explore how the Board could provide additional support moving forward.
Commissioner Garcia thanked Chaplain Sharpe for sharing information about GAWGO with those who had not witnessed it in person. She commented that he should be proud of the impressive recidivism rate, especially when it was compared to the national average. She observed that 178 inmates had completed the program since 2021. She asked him to explain how many classes occurred and how participants were recruited. Chaplain Sharpe noted recruitment occurred by word of mouth and said there were four classes per year. He mentioned there was a challenge with graduating classes because they
consisted of detainees who often awaited a court date or additional programs. He wanted to more accurately track the number of GAWGO attendees versus graduates. He explained that graduating groups were at least 50 percent smaller than when the class started. He noted that GAWGO was also advertised on tablets that were available to inmates. Commissioner Garcia asked if recruitment was voluntary to which Chaplain Sharpe affirmed. He commented that the program only worked when an individual desired it and he did not want to force it on anyone.
Chair Hill commented that GAWGO was associated with early release. Chaplain Sharpe said all graduates received a pizza party and a five-day early release, if the courts could allow it. Chair Hill asked if the program was correlated with TMCC. Chaplain Sharpe stated there was an initial partnership when he was employed at TMCC. If education was part of a graduate’s SMART Plan, he would facilitate a connection with Chad Venters of TMCC’s re-entry program.
Chair Hill asked Chaplain Sharpe to keep the Board apprised of how it could support him. She explained the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) was being built but additional programming could be explored if he had specific needs he wished to communicate.
Captain Barrett-Venn indicated that Chaplain Sharpe was humble regarding recruitment. He commented that Chaplain Sharpe assigned homework to students that they brought back to their units. He explained that the voluntary completion of homework was a strange concept in that environment and pointed out that class discussions initiated conversations about similar experiences, hardships, and life stories among inmates. He said GAWGO provided benefits to individuals who were not in the class because it shifted discussions from jail politics to shared challenges outside the facility. He reported that the classes were one crucial component in the overall strategy to connect inmates with resources prior to release. He thanked the Board for its support and remarked that its support of the DSU demonstrated a significant community impact.
Chair Hill thanked Captain Barrett-Venn for his work and expressed support for inmates to have a positive future in the community. Captain Barrett-Venn explained that a portion of the program’s funding came from the Commissary Fund, so commissary money spent by inmates was reinvested in themselves.
Aaron Smith, Business Technologist IV with the Community Services Department (CSD), conducted a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed slides with the following titles: Infrastructure Scorecard – over $2.8 billion; Infrastructure Scorecard
FY22; Infrastructure Scorecard FY23; Projected Stormwater Needs; Water Pipe, Sewer Pipe, Storm Drain Pipe.
Eric Crump, Operations Division Director of CSD conducted a PowerPoint presentation and reviewed slides with the following titles: Parks; Roads Funding Source; Figure ES1: VMT compared to fuel tax deposits to the state highway fund; Annual Road Resonstruction Capital Needs; Stormwater Work Activity; Overall Grade.
Mr. Crump noted that the Infrastructure Health Scorecard was developed several years ago and it was used throughout the Country to illustrate the status of public infrastructure for various asset types. A letter grade was assigned based on a variety of criteria. He mentioned that some Commissioners saw the scorecard during a Strategic Planning Workshop a few years prior. He would provide an overview of the most recent scorecard based on budgeting and decisions from the previous fiscal year (FY).
Mr. Smith declared his role was to connect decision makers with data, insight, and evidence so they could make better decisions. He announced his work decreased uncertainty surrounding infrastructure the County owned, operated, and maintained for its citizens. He said the Infrastructure Health Scorecard was developed two years prior to improve infrastructure investment and service delivery for the County’s $2.8 billion worth of assets. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) developed infrastructure scorecards at state and national levels, and the same methodology was utilized for the County’s scorecard and applied to its infrastructure. The methodology categorized the County’s asset classes into groups, then provided a score based on certain metrics. Those metrics graded factors that influenced service delivery. The factors included capacity, condition, funding, future needs, ownership of maintenance, public safety, resilience, and innovation. When the scorecard was developed and presented to the Board two years prior, it was determined that the service level in Parks and Facilities was not meeting expectations. He said the challenge was in funding infrastructure end of life renewals. He shared that successful improvements were due in part to the Board’s policy direction. He pointed out changes in the recent update and stated capital funding had allowed certain backlogged projects, like failed building roofs and outdated playgrounds, to be addressed. He noted the Parks grade increased to a C because of short-term funding improvements. The addition of maintenance staff, ranger staff, and a new Trails Coordinator helped absorb some deferred maintenance. He said Facilities scored a C plus due to improvements in capacity, condition, funding, and future need. He mentioned the Regional Public Safety Training Center received heating, ventilation, and air conditioning upgrades. The Jan Evans Juvenile Justice Center received fire suppression upgrades. He said there were improvements in sewer treatment and capacity with the expansion of South Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility. The expansion increased the plant’s size by 48 percent and proactively addressed the region’s need for its projected population in the year 2040.
Mr. Smith asserted maintenance staff took pride in their work and had preserved the existing infrastructure and extended its useful life. He said the Roads Department completed 78 miles of stormwater, ditch, and pipe cleaning the previous year.
It also completed more than 5 million square feet of pavement treatments and plowed more than 100,000 miles of snow. He shared that almost 12,000 work orders were completed in Facilities in 2023. In the second quarter of 2022, Facilities had a customer satisfaction level of 100 percent. He shared that in Parks, 13,000 acres were kept clean, safe, and open to more than 8 million visitors. In Equipment Services, an industry-leading 94 percent on- time planned maintenance rate was reached. In Sewer Collection, crews decreased the backlog of overdue pipe flushing from 49 percent to 8 percent. He opined that people should be proud to live in Washoe County and stated its infrastructure scored higher than average when compared to state and national levels, with the exception of Parks and Stormwater. They had discovered that asset classes with dedicated rate-payer funding and well-defined levels of service tended to score higher. These asset classes included Fleet, Sewer Collection, Reclaimed Water, and Sewer Treatment.
Mr. Crump said he would speak about asset types that scored relatively low. He noted that the asset classes with dedicated, sustainable funding sources scored better than the classes that either competed for General Fund dollars, such as Parks and Facilities, or those where the funding source was not sustainable, like Roads and Stormwater. He referred to the slide titled “Parks” and mentioned the graph was taken from the 2019 Regional Parks and Open Space Master Plan. He explained the red line denoted the Parks Actual Budget before and after the Great Recession and the orange line displayed the recommended budget by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) for similar sized agencies. He advised a key takeaway was the impact of the aggregate budget gap over time compared to the County’s population growth. He said they had been historically successful in finding one-time dollars to either acquire new land or build new facilities within Parks. He said there were challenges around secured funding for operation and maintenance. He announced that requests in the coming year and past several years focused on operational dollars.
Mr. Crump discussed the slide titled “Roads Funding Source.” He said the Roads fund was primarily funded through fuel tax, which represented over 70 percent of the fund’s revenue. Other sources included a $2.5 million transfer from the General Fund and a $1.9 million transfer from Capital Facilities. He explained expenses were projected to outpace revenue by over $5 million during the current FY. He said the sustainability of fuel tax supporting road maintenance was a challenge being faced by governmental agencies across the nation. He announced the graph on the “Figure ES1: VMT compared to fuel tax deposits to the state highway fund” slide displayed the basic problem. The dark blue line represented the vehicles miles traveled (VMT) throughout the State, which would continue to grow. He stated fuel tax had declined and would not match the pace of VMT. The decline in revenue was primarily due to electric vehicles and higher fuel-efficient vehicles. He asserted fuel-efficient vehicles were great from an environmental standpoint, but the resultant wear on the roads had increased without being supported by fuel tax revenue. He explained that Washoe County maintained 740 lane miles of paved road and it used a pavement condition index (PCI) to score each section of pavement, which had been done for many years. Scoring information was used to allocate pavement maintenance and preservation resources, such as patching and various types of surface treatments that extended the life of the roadway. Even though roadway longevity increased through the
maintenance program, pavement had a life cycle and would eventually need full reconstruction. He said reconstruction costs were expensive and could cost over $6.00 per square foot. He pointed out that half of Washoe County’s roads were constructed more than 25 years prior. He announced the projected funding gap included approximately $4.2 million in maintenance and $10.5 million in unfunded reconstruction costs when the modeling methodology kept the PCI target at 73.
Mr. Crump mentioned drainage and stated maintenance of the stormwater system was funded by the Roads fund. The only exception was a small area in North Spanish Springs, the North Spanish Springs Floodplain Detention Facility, which was funded through a separate assessment by those who lived in the area. He said maintenance of the County’s drainage infrastructure represented 25 percent of all the work done within Roads. Given the challenges in fuel tax funding, a trend to fund stormwater maintenance through other sources had grown throughout the Country. He noted there was a focus on gathering critical data associated with the County’s drainage infrastructure over the past year.
Mr. Smith announced a milestone occurred in the stormwater maintenance program the previous year. A stormwater inventory and condition assessment had been completed, which examined storm pipes for factors that impacted their service delivery, like debris and pipe deterioration. He said the County was in a constant battle with Mother Nature, who deteriorated its metal and concrete assets and tried to fill its stormwater ditches and pipes with everything from sediment to shopping carts. Similarly to Roads, there had been an increase in asset replacement needs and maintenance needs. He noted that pipes had almost reached the end of their useful life and there had been increased intense localized stormwater events that impacted sedimentation. He declared that Roads Supervisors reported only 51 percent of the planned maintenance they wished to accomplish was being completed. Because of this, they implemented stormwater maintenance prioritization methods. This allowed them to complete the highest value work, accomplish more through work planning, and predict the future with more certainty. He stated taxpayer dollars were used where they provided the most value. He said upstream issues were proactively addressed before they became big and expensive. He declared they were changing how stormwater was treated and pointed out it was an opportunity to use the scorecard to have conversations about service level expectations, the willingness to fund those services, and what the funding mechanisms should be.
Mr. Crump noted that a copy of the full scorecard was provided to the Commissioners. It included descriptions of each asset type, evaluation criteria, and important facts. He highlighted that the County’s overall infrastructure scores were very good compared to the State and Country, as depicted in the graph on page 3 of the scorecard. He stated his department and its budget were utilizing information to make data- driven decisions. He hoped the tool provided the Board with valuable information to make policy decisions.
Vice Chair Herman mentioned the amount of new construction taking place in the community and posited that the County’s infrastructure should benefit from funding
by developers. She thought developers should participate more since the County was getting behind. Mr. Crump said it was an interesting scenario. He informed that developments installed infrastructure and paid for things like roads, sidewalks, and sewers. Developments paid for initial investments and, in theory, taxes covered ongoing operation and maintenance. He affirmed that had been the case for considerable time, but the end of life cycles had been reached for some large infrastructure, which had been funded primarily by developers and was costly to install. He noted that similar situations had occurred throughout the Country, which created the need to find alternative funding sources.
Commissioner Clark agreed with Vice Chair Herman that the abundance of new construction should create more funding for certain projects. He found the score of D minus for Operation and Maintenance in Facilities to be troubling. He said water did more damage to real estate than fire. He was concerned about protecting assets and wanted to ensure buildings, especially roofs, were maintained on all County facilities. He wanted to ensure the Board could provide support to Mr. Crump to help raise the grade to at least a
C. Mr. Crump agreed with Commissioner Clark’s comments and noted that the scorecard brought those types of issues to light. He said Facilities was an area that competed for General Funds. He asserted there had been a lot of progress in terms of funding and capital, and the scorecard and discussions that day would benefit the County.
Commissioner Garcia referenced the slide titled “Parks” and said it depicted the region’s growth. She declared parks, open space, trails, and all recreation were valuable assets, as seen in the recently approved Master Plan. They benefited the economy and were loved by constituents. She thought every dollar dedicated to Parks was a dollar well spent because it increased tourism, health, and wellness. She said Parks and Stormwater were both important regional issues. She asked for an update on regional conversations regarding Parks. She knew Parks was discussed by the Open Space and Regional Parks Commission, but she was curious about what other jurisdictions were discussing or doing regarding Stormwater. Mr. Crump believed that legislative action taken in 2017 allowed the formation of Park Districts. He stated they had been working with a group of dedicated former park employees who were enthusiastic about bringing a potential Park District to the community. Park Commissions in the City of Sparks, City of Reno, and Washoe County had agreed to examine the possibility. He anticipated bringing an item to the Board within the calendar year. The item would relate to a regional service plan and regional funding to evaluate the potential feasibility of a Park District.
Mr. Crump reported there was movement across the Country to fund Stormwater through alternative methods. The current use of fuel tax was not a sustainable source. He said North Spanish Springs was a great example of how the County could fund Stormwater through a stormwater utility. He explained everyone who lived in the contributing area and benefitted from the stormwater paid a monthly assessment, which could be examined for the rest of the County. He said Reno had similarly examined a stormwater utility.
Commissioner Andriola noted that she brought up the regionalization of sewer and wastewater treatment several times. She thought it would create efficiencies that
would utilize funding effectively and she thought all jurisdictions should be involved. She looked forward to those discussions and hoped they would provide effective solutions with far-reaching impacts.
Chair Hill summarized that the Board displayed an interest in hearing from staff regarding options for additional revenues for Roads, Parks, Stormwater, and Facilities Building Maintenance. She suggested a follow-up discussion related to building the budget or a potential discussion at a future retreat. She mentioned that tax policies were difficult for local governments. She commended Mr. Crump and Mr. Smith for their work and was pleased to see the County had increased its scores. She supported the continuation of work to support that movement.
Chair Hill welcomed Judge Kendra Bertschy, Justice of the Peace Dept. 2, and stated she had been looking forward to the presentation.
Judge Bertschy thanked the Board for the opportunity to honor the 39 graduates of the 2023 Reno Justice Specialty Courts. She commended the graduates for their successful graduation from the specialty court therapeutic programs. She explained most specialty court participants were sentenced to a misdemeanor crime. Sentencing options consisted of fines, incarceration, probation, or completion of a specialty court. She stated specialty courts were evidence-based, problem-solving courts. They provided enhanced judicial oversight while individuals engaged in evidence-based treatments that addressed substance use, alcohol, or mental health issues. She said the courts implemented weekly judicial oversight, daily illegal substance and alcohol testing, law enforcement supervision, and individualized counseling or treatment based on individual needs. Program length depended on the individual, with a minimum of twelve months. She mentioned specialty courts were determined to be powerful and effective tools in addressing mental health and drug crises.
Judge Bertschy informed that Reno Justice Court had three therapeutic dockets. These included Young Offender Court, the Community Assistance Program (CAP) Court, and Diversion Court. These courts served high-risk, high-needs participants and aimed to break the cycle of addiction, restore prosocial behavior, and address mental health and behavioral needs. Over the years, the courts had also focused on commercial exploitation, women in need, domestic violence, and compliance courts. Through positive change, participants could reunite with their families, provide services to the community, engage in educational endeavors, and obtain sustainable employment. She said specialty courts enhanced community safety, saved money, and saved lives.
Judge Bertschy referred to a study published in 2022 that revealed specialty courts reduced recidivism by 35 to 40 percent. She said the study found specialty court
participants were less likely to reengage in criminal activity, even if they did not graduate from the program. She noted that studies in Nevada showed its specialty courts did extremely well. According to recent data, 97 percent of 2018 CAP Court participants did not commit a subsequent offense within three years.
Judge Bertschy said besides participants, specialty court programs consisted of a team. The team included Judge Scott Pearson, Chief Judge Ryan Sullivan, and Washoe County’s Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS). She introduced two members of DAS, Officer Mark Wickman and DAS Case Manager Annie Faubion, who were responsible for supervising participants and ensuring their compliance. She announced Reno Justice Court had 260 active participants in 2023. She recognized the Washoe County District Attorney’s (DA) Office, Washoe County Public Defender’s Office, service treatment provider Craig Merrill, staff members and court clerks at the Reno Justice Court, Justice Court Administrator James Conway, Assistant Justice Court Administrator Jeremy Wilson, and Specialty Court Case Manager Liz Mendez for their involvement in the programs.
Judge Bertschy stated studies indicated that for every $1.00 invested in drug courts, taxpayers saved as much as $3.36 in criminal justice costs. When consideration of other offsets like reduced victimization and healthcare service utilization was incorporated, studies showed that taxpayer benefits increased to $27.00 for every $1.00 invested.
Judge Bertschy declared the most important people in the specialty courts were the participants, who came from every walk of life. She said each graduate overcame extreme adversity during the program. She announced that two graduates were present to represent the 39 graduates. She introduced Mr. Michael Laird and Ms. Raquel Casarez and stated they would hear words from Mr. Chris Gary.
Mr. Laird thanked the Board for the opportunity to speak and announced that specialty court changed his life. He said his life was in disarray since he was a young teenager through his late twenties. He shared that he was in countless rehabilitation programs and mental health facilities. He stated treatments were not successful for him due to their lack of structure. He said CAP Court effectuated structure in his life and helped him with transitioning, which he thought was the hardest step of recovery. He commented that most people could get sober when locked in a room, but making shifts while transitioning was what truly created changes. CAP Court was the first program he felt was truly effective. He expressed gratitude to his mother, Angela Laird, for providing tremendous support. He thanked his family and Judge Pearson, who was one of the best judges he had ever met. He also thanked Officer Wickman for checking in on him. He offered gratitude to the Board for supporting CAP Court and for helping to give people like him and his community the opportunity to live a better life.
Ms. Casarez disclosed that she struggled with a long history of drug issues. She shared that she was on a downward spiral when she went to CAP Court. When she entered CAP Court, Office Wickman displayed an enthusiasm for her that she had not encountered in a long time. His encouragement and Ms. Faubion’s support motivated her.
She said CAP Court helped her gain accountability and motivated her to enroll in a program. Prior to that, she participated in a court-ordered outpatient program that consisted of weekly counseling, but she knew the treatment would not be sufficient for her. She participated in 4 programs over the course of 14 months. When she completed CAP Court, she became employed at Bristlecone Recovery Center (BRC) and obtained her Peer Recovery Support Specialist Certificate. She would be joining the CrossRoads program as a Community Support staff member. She commended her recent accomplishments and expressed gratitude to CAP Court, Judge Sullivan, Officer Wickman, and staff for helping her attain her successes. She recited a quote by Wes Angelozzi about love, transformation, and empowerment and said it reflected her feelings towards the people who encouraged and supported her throughout her journey.
Officer Wickman announced Mr. Gary granted him permission to read a letter he wrote. He apologized to the Board on behalf of Mr. Gary, who thought the meeting would be held the following week. Officer Wickman informed that Mr. Gary had struggled with a heroin addiction and was someone who attracted judgment due to his appearance and his multiple tattoos. He said they recognized the light in Mr. Gary. He commended Mr. Gary’s writing skills. Officer Wickman read an excerpt from Mr. Gary’s letter, which spoke about Mr. Gary’s experience, trust, and his respect for Judge Pearson. Officer Wickman explained that each graduate in Judge Pearson’s court was asked to write a graduation letter, and the excerpt he read was part of Mr. Gary’s graduation letter. He reiterated that Mr. Gary was sorry he could not appear in person and said that Mr. Gary was a successful and productive member of society.
Judge Bertschy thanked the Board for supporting Reno Justice Court, its programs, and the DAS, and for the opportunity to help the Commissioners’ constituents.
DONATIONS
through January 4, 2024; and direct the Comptroller’s Office to make the necessary budget amendments. Human Services Agency. (All Commission Districts.)
There was no response to the call for public comment. Second
On motion by Commissioner Garcia, seconded by Vice Chair Herman, which motion duly carried on a 5-0 vote, it was ordered that Agenda Items 8A1 through 8A3 be accepted and directed.
CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS – 9A1, 9A2, 9B1, 9C1, 9D1, 9D2, 9E3
3) direct the Washoe County Treasurer to correct the error(s). [cumulative amount of decrease to all taxing entities $486,964.78]. Assessor. (All Commission Districts.)
Court), 125-243-33 and 34 (Susan Court), 125-232-27 (Ida Court), 125-
174-12 (Dorcey Drive), 125-163-29 (Douglas Court), 125-161-16 (Cynthia Court), 125-041-07 (Allison Drive) and 123-134-02 (Amagosa Road). The License is for an initial term of five years commencing on the date the License is fully executed and includes one extension for one additional term of five years [$3,000.00 annually]. Community Services. (Commission District 1.)
Regarding Agenda Item 9D1, Commissioner Garcia disclosed that her sibling worked in snow removal. She explained the license in question was strictly operational and had no impact on his salary or position. Therefore, she would vote on the item.
On the call for public comment, Ms. Katherine Yriarte discussed Agenda Item 9E3. She operated Team Yriarte Horsemanship with her husband, Daniel. She stated they were a well-established, state licensed business that had operated since 2016. She explained their program included full care training and boarding for up to 14 horses, 5 lessons for visitors per week, and 6 annual education events. She thanked the Board for
prioritizing equine businesses and for recognizing their valuable contributions to the economy. She declared the diverse nature of the equine industry in Washoe County could not be overstated. She informed that she began the Washoe County business license and special use permit (SUP) process in late August. She said the SUP process was arduous and expensive. She spent over 80 hours preparing for a Board of Adjustment (BOA) hearing and had dedicated countless hours to preparation since then. She said they had spent thousands of dollars on application fees and compliance improvements. She said even though their SUP was approved on December 7, they still did not have a County business license because additional tasks had to be completed. She asked the Board to include equine business owners in the process of changing code surrounding commercial stables. She mentioned her experience and asserted it was imperative that daily equine business managers were included in the process so that code changes would reflect the unique challenges presented by horse behavior and safety requirements. She believed since business models varied greatly from small, hobby boarding facilities to large, professional training and show barns, representation from the entire spectrum should exist. She opined that having one person collect and communicate the views of the equestrian community was insufficient to obtain a complete picture of a problem and its potential solutions. She said most, if not all, building and development planners did not have a background in stable management. Therefore, they were not equipped to write codes that reflected the challenges and opportunities it presented. She stated she would welcome the opportunity to attend stakeholder meetings or organize a working group of equine business owners and lay people who were affected by equine businesses to work with the Planning and Building Department (PBD). This would ensure codes that governed commercial stables were enforceable, sustainable, and safe for horse owners and Washoe County residents. She remarked that she did not want the topic to waste any more of the Board’s time and mentioned that she repeatedly visited the Board to request the same waivers. She thanked the Board for putting the item on the agenda.
On motion by Commissioner Andriola, seconded by Commissioner Garcia, which motion duly carried on a 5-0 vote, it was ordered that Consent Agenda Items 9A1 through 9E3, with the exclusion of Items 9E1 and 9E2, be approved. Any and all Resolutions and Interlocal Agreements pertinent to Consent Agenda Items 9A1 through 9E3, with the exclusion of Items 9E1 and 9E2, are attached hereto and made a part of the minutes thereof.
Commissioner Clark inquired if Truckee Meadows Tomorrow (TMT) could provide a presentation prior to a vote. Chair Hill said staff were present but noted that individuals were signed in for public comment. Commissioner Clark said he wanted more
information from TMT or staff. Chair Hill advised she would open public comment then refer to staff.
On the call for public comment, Mr. Edward Estipona announced he was President of TMT’s 2024 Board of Directors. He thanked the Board for its consideration. He said TMT was Northern Nevada’s hub for quality-of-life data for more than 30 years. He stated TMT was an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and a trusted community data resource. He explained TMT was nonpartisan and unbiased. Its top priority was to maintain the validity and reliability of its data and make it accessible to the community so the Board and other community leaders could use it to inform decisions that improved quality of life and community wellbeing. He announced TMT handled five core areas. First, it provided free access to data via its community data portal, Nevada Tomorrow. Second, it produced a biennial community progress report. He noted the report would be published in September. Third, it was a key partner in the Washoe County Community Health Assessment (CHA). Fourth, it offered a fee for service work to develop custom data dashboards and research-based presentations for community partners. Fifth, its newest initiative was to perform data and impact storytelling. He informed it was his second time serving on the TMT Board of Directors. He first served about 25 years prior under the direction of TMT Founder Lynn Atcheson. He said TMT’s value to the community had remained constant throughout time and it continued to provide data to the community and various stakeholders that helped them make informed decisions. He was excited about the organization’s future, including the addition of data and impact storytelling. He thanked the Board for its time, service, and consideration.
Ms. Kylie Rowe announced she was TMT’s Executive Director and a constituent of District 1. When she began as Executive Director, she met with 100 people in 90 days. She had asked the organization’s board, partners, and community leaders the same questions because she wanted to understand the community’s needs and where TMT could fill a gap. She primarily heard that TMT had vast amounts of data that more people had to know existed. She also received feedback that TMT should increase its awareness and perform data storytelling, so a shared vision was built. With the Board’s prospective support, she noted they could announce a public, private, and social partnership between Washoe County, SilverSummit Healthplan, and TMT to support its community data and impact storytelling initiative. She commended Community Reinvestment Manager, Gabrielle Enfield, for her support and expressed excitement for the prospective work that could be accomplished. She said the project’s purpose was to engage with the community in more meaningful ways. They wanted to provide data visualizations, informatics, infographics, and narrative impact storytelling because it would empower the community to make more informed, data-driven decisions. She shared the initiative had three goals. First, TMT would become an expert in data and impact storytelling and provide visualizations paired with narrative. It would highlight trends and make data-driven insights more meaningful. She stated the grant would allow them to add a new staff member to their team. They were currently in the final round of interviews for their new data architect and storyteller position. Second, TMT would maintain valid data in its community portal, Nevada Tomorrow. They were in the process of developing a TMT data advisory group, called the DAG. It would consist of public, private, and nonprofit data experts that
had knowledge in at least one of the ten core indicator areas. Third, they would increase organizational awareness, expand to a wider audience, and target changemakers and leaders such as the Board.
Commissioner Clark requested that Ms. Enfield provide information about the award. Ms. Enfield explained that the grant began with the Community Reinvestment program’s examination of how it could better support the strategic goal of increased nonprofit capacity. She said the area of data and performance measures was identified. TMT was identified as a leading community nonprofit in this area and its potential project was recognized. She communicated that there was a desire to better communicate the success of state and local fiscal recovery projects. She stated the grant would allow them to work with data storytelling. It would also enable the outcomes of the recovery projects to be more accessible to the public and other stakeholders.
On motion by Commissioner Garcia, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 3-2 vote with Vice Chair Herman and Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 9E1 be approved and directed. Any and all Resolutions pertinent to Agenda Item 9E1 are attached hereto and made a part of the minutes thereof.
$125,687; Fiscal Year 2024 impact $62,844]. Manager’s Office. (All Commission Districts.)
Commissioner Clark questioned the use of Opioid Settlement funds for the new full-time position because he did not know how long those funds would be available. He asked how the position would be funded when Opioid Settlement funds were no longer available.
Community Reinvestment Manager Gabrielle Enfield indicated there was a timeline planned for the receipt of Opioid Settlement funds from entities that were parties to the settlements. It had been identified that Washoe County would receive the funds over the next 20 years. She said this would allow staff to implement, distribute, and manage the Opioid Settlement funds.
Commissioner Clark discussed that a newly hired employee could potentially stay with the County for 30 years, during which they would be provided salary, benefits, and retirement. He noted the employee could work for the County for over 20 years and he questioned the sustainability of using one-time funds for the position. He referenced the presentation given during Agenda Item 7 and stated more funding was needed to support the County’s infrastructure. He asked what would occur after 20 years concluded.
Chair Hill asked Ms. Enfield if the County informed applicants that positions were grant-funded when they hired for those positions. Ms. Enfield affirmed that applicants were informed. She said it was identified in the employee’s offer letter and the funding timeline was explained.
Commissioner Garcia thought the position was critical as the County embarked on a significant regional mental health journey. She believed the position could help with oversight and be a huge asset in addressing the root causes of homelessness and other issues.
Commissioner Clark observed that an employee in a grant-funded position still received benefits associated with being a County employee. He asked if an employee was informed that they had to leave if funding ended. He stated his inquiry regarded multiple positions within the County. Ms. Enfield responded that an employee in a grant- funded position was still a full-time employee who received benefits like the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). She noted a plan was developed in the event the position ended or was no longer needed. If the position was still needed, she said more funding would be requested through the budget process. She indicated that continued funding was never guaranteed.
Commissioner Clark asked Ms. Enfield if she knew how often an employee was let go due to the cessation of funding and inquired if Human Resources (HR) could provide him with that information. He observed that in many situations, an employee continued to work in a different area. Ms. Enfield stated she did not possess that information. She said it was common for grant-funded employees to pilot a project or program to determine its ability to successfully meet the County’s needs. If the work was determined to be necessary, the employee’s position could potentially be funded by the General Fund. Commissioner Clark assured that he knew Ms. Enfield did not have the statistics he requested.
On the call for public comment, Ms. Penny Brock thanked Vice Chair Herman and Commissioner Clark for voting against Agenda Item 9E1. She expressed concern regarding grant money that was allotted to help certain populations but was used for employee salaries. She questioned the number of grant writers the County employed. She asked how the Board knew an additional grant writer position was needed and suggested that current grant writer positions could absorb the additional responsibilities associated with the agenda item. She asked the Board to vote against the agenda item.
On motion by Commissioner Garcia, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 9E2 be approved and authorized.
BLOCK VOTE – 10 THROUGH 13
$637,946.00]; and approve a separate project contingency fund [in the amount of $60,000.00]. The Project is located near Evans Creek Drive and will replace a failed metal corrugated culvert with reinforced concrete pipes to achieve long term sustainability of the Washoe County roadway and drainage network. Community Services. (Commission District 2.)
There was no response to the call for public comment.
On motion by Vice Chair Herman, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 10 be awarded and approved.
$122,595.00 county match] retroactively from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024; authorize the Director of the Human Services Agency to execute the grant award documents retroactively; and direct the Comptroller to make the necessary budget amendments. Human Services Agency. (All Commission Districts.)
There was no response to the call for public comment.
On motion by Vice Chair Herman, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 11 be accepted, authorized, and directed.
$196,289.60 annually Office of the County Manager) as reviewed and evaluated by Korn Ferry; and authorize Human Resources to make the necessary changes. This position will be responsible for serving in a collaborative leadership role focusing on regional behavioral health. Among other things, it will include the mapping and implementation of a regional system of care for mental health services in Washoe County, working with departments, community providers of all types (nonprofit, acute care, clinical, substance use), the State of Nevada, and other entities
to define gaps in service, develop strategies for securing facilities and programs, and a legislative plan for funding and duty-transition given mental health has been a State-led focus in Nevada. [Total fiscal impact
$67,430; Fiscal Year 2025 impact $202,289]. Manager’s Office. (All Commission Districts.)
There was no response to the call for public comment.
On motion by Vice Chair Herman, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 12 be approved and authorized.
Commissioner Garcia expressed gratitude for the Sidehill Drive Pedestrian Safety Improvements Project and for partners at the Sun Valley General Improvement District (SVGID). She was pleased the project would come to fruition and remarked that Sun Valley constituents desperately needed the improvements and investments in infrastructure.
There was no response to the call for public comment.
On motion by Vice Chair Herman, seconded by Commissioner Andriola, which motion duly carried on a 4-1 vote with Commissioner Clark voting no, it was ordered that Agenda Item 13 be approved and authorized.
County Clerk Jan Galassini read the title for Bill No. 1901.
Chair Hill asked if the Board wanted a presentation on this agenda item and it was determined that no presentation was needed.
On the call for public comment, Ms. Anibal Cordoba Sosa was not present when called to speak.
Mr. Aaron Harding declared he was a homeowner and parent that lived in Incline Village. He stated he and his family felt Incline Village needed St. Clare’s Tahoe (SCT) to provide faith-based education to the community. He asserted there were no other faith-based K-8 or K-12 schools in Incline Village, which forced residents to travel over 25 to 40 miles to receive a faith-based education. He stated SCT provided a premier education and filled the community’s fundamental faith-based educational needs. He supported the proposed Washoe County Code (WCC) amendments.
Mr. Will Phillips was not present when called to speak.
Mr. Donald Ferrell stated he was an elder of The Village Church and supported the proposed WCC amendments. He said Lake Tahoe’s North Shore provided no faith-based educational options. He declared that The Village Church and Saint Francis of Assisi provided the area’s only two practical opportunities for faith-based education. He said when parents wanted their children to have faith-based education, home schools were the alternative, not public schools. This meant parents were willing to drive their children many miles for faith-based education. He referenced Mr. Harding’s comments as an example and thought the reason for that was because parents wanted to instill good prayer habits in their children, like good study habits. He believed parents wanted to provide their children with quality education, humility, love, gratitude, and service, which could only happen with a daily regimen that was not possible in public schools due to statutes. He said The Village Church had poured millions of dollars into building its grounds in recent years. Those efforts included a preschool facility they wished to expand and facilities for grade school classrooms they had proposed to start. He said preschool tuition did not charge rent and there was no capital recovery for invested funds, which would remain consistent at the Christian academy. He declared it was a gift to community members who desired a faith- based education. He stated tuition was low because it covered only out-of-pocket expenses like salaries, supplies, and custodians. He noted their tuition was one-third of standard private school tuition.
Mr. Timothy Gilbert stated he was a member of The Village Church and thanked the Board for its work. He said they wanted to raise their kids with a faith-based education and have them grow up with knowledge of Jesus Christ, which was not allowed in other venues. He asked that the proposed WCC amendments be approved to allow schools at The Village Church and Saint Francis of Assisi. He stated the two churches were at the edge of the Wood Creek Regulatory Zone. He wanted to remain cognizant of their neighbors’ concerns and assured they would be addressed. He informed that motivation for the school was not based on currents events; they thought it was a great idea for some time.
Mr. Joe Farrell declared his support for the proposed WCC amendments. He shared that his background in education dated to the 1970s when he obtained his undergraduate degree in education. He and his wife raised their children in California during the early 1980s, when public schools were among the top five in the Country. He said Nevada currently ranked 49th out of 50 in public education. He believed it was important that every Nevada family be provided an opportunity to attend private or faith- based schools and he thought everyone should have free choice in education. He informed that he served as an elder of The Village Church. He hoped the Board saw it was an easy decision to give Incline Village’s citizens opportunities for faith-based education.
Ms. Edie Farrell said she appreciated the Board’s work, and she supported the proposed WCC amendments to allow a school at The Village Church. She explained that the agenda item began when parents approached The Village Church during COVID- 19 (C19) to start a social pod when schools were closed. She said the parents had a teacher but needed space and had asked the church if they could use its space. The church approved the request. She felt the school was needed by parents and the community.
Ms. Patricia Moser Morris stated she resided in Incline Village. She urged the Board to approve the agenda item and said K-12 in Nevada consistently rated 49th or 50th in the nation. She declared additional funding had not improved the situation. She posited that only increased competition would be impactful and thought an alternative to the public education system was the only way to incentivize the improvement of public schools. She said all children deserved an education that prepared them to succeed. She believed success in life had a crucially important spiritual dimension and that parents should have the option to send their children to a Christian school. She noted the proposed WCC amendments would enable applications for two Christian schools and observed that future applications would be evaluated during the special use permit (SUP) process. She said SUP applications could not be submitted until the proposed WCC amendments were adopted and asked the Board to approve the agenda item.
Mr. Peter Larson announced he was a teacher at SCT and said appearing at the meeting was very important to him. He referenced an earlier public comment that voiced safety concerns with the school and mentioned he wanted to offer counterpoints. He said the area’s public elementary school was not originally located in its current position. It was not built at the town’s center, but on the perimeter of town, on top of an earthquake fault line. He stated zoning changes had occurred to relocate the school to its current position. He commented that Saint Francis of Assisi had been in the neighborhood for six decades, longer than most of its neighbors. He stated during that time, the Church functioned peacefully and hosted more activities involving traffic and children than the addition of a school would bring. He said services occurred four times per weekend, and mentioned weddings and funerals were held most weekends. Additionally, weekly religious education classes with over 100 kids took place, as well as community events such as concerts and public talks. He observed the church’s capacity of approximately 300 people. He advised that the proven safe activities had barely gotten the neighbors’ notice and they constituted far more activity and traffic than a small school would. He posited that
proximity to a major thoroughfare would improve access regarding evacuation and emergency services, not impede it.
Ms. Paige Roodhouse stated she and her husband were cofounders of SCT and she was its current director. She thanked the Board for its time and informed that SCT was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that had served the North Lake Tahoe area for almost six years. She said the school operated out of a Hebrew congregation in Tahoe Vista for its first four years. SCT was a small school that served 22 families and 45 students. It was a licensed childcare provider, so it served the community in that critical area of infrastructure need. It admitted children as young as two and half years old. She opined the school’s Montessori method enriched the community because it provided access to a world-renowned education model that was based on a self-paced differentiated learning model. She informed that SCT charged less than half the tuition of other private schools in the Lake Tahoe area and said it offered aggressive financial aid to enable attendance by families experiencing financial hardship. She announced 25 percent of current students received full financial aid scholarships and that the church already functioned as a major community use building, with hundreds of people consistently visiting. She said the school optimized the building’s use by conducting its business between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm. Many activities were conducted after that such as weddings, religious education classes, funerals, and community events. She noted the building was a bustling hub that accommodated the traffic from all its activities. She stated Washoe County had a precedent of collocating Catholic schools with Catholic churches and noted that the area’s four Catholic schools were collocated with their Catholic church. She opined that was because people participated in sacraments through their churches and part of religious education entailed allowing student participation in the church’s sacraments. She declared that running a nonprofit was not easy because it was costly and involved time and sacrifice. She said they gave their lives in service to the community, which she loved. She posited nonprofit organizations were needed because they enriched the community. She noted locations and options for building schools in Incline Village were limited. She mentioned the school did not have millions of dollars to spend and it received a $100,000 grant earlier in the year from an initiative by the Governor to promote more childcare options. She informed that a lot of the grant money had been used.
Ms. Gia Rauenhorst commented that she held a Master of Education in elementary education and was licensed as an early childhood educator in Nevada. She explained that her family immediately became registered members of Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church when they moved to Incline Village in 2015. When her son entered third grade, he joined the fledgling SCT school because she and her husband wanted their children to have a high quality academic and faith-based upbringing. For nearly six years, her son thrived at SCT, especially during the past two years when the school was housed at Saint Francis of Assisi. She said the school had always been Catholic, first under the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento when located in California, and currently as a fully recognized Catholic School in the Diocese of Reno. She opined the school benefitted from being in the parish, as it gave children access to mass services during the week. She declared that most parish members embraced the school and offered support in both qualitative and quantitative ways, as evidenced by school donations, parishioner poll
numbers, and positive comments about her son. Her son was set to attend Bishop Manogue Catholic High School as an honor student the following year despite his long-term struggle with dyslexia. She said SCT was an integral part of Saint Francis of Assisi’s community and stated the parish, pastor, and diocese wanted to see the school become a permanent part of the Incline Village community. She asserted families in Incline Village and North Lake Tahoe needed SCT’s unique educational and childcare options and declared its families were dedicated to its long-term success. She asked the Board to make the appropriate decision to allow SCT to continue to thrive in its location at Saint Francis of Assisi’s Church.
Mr. Alex Roodhouse stated the number of people taking time away from their responsibilities to attend the meeting demonstrated support and significance, especially given the unfixed timing of agenda items. He noted the agenda item had received pushback from the local community because some people thought a school would add traffic to the neighborhood or create safety issues. He said that when the overlay of the Wood Creek Regulatory Zone was examined, parcels that allowed schools were not in residential areas. They were all on the zone’s outskirts and bordered Mt. Rose Highway or NV-28. He noted the parcels that were big enough to qualify for an SUP were owned by the two churches, the State, the County, and the Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID). He said there was no possibility of schools springing up in single family neighborhoods and noted that someone could not turn their house into a school if it was on a parcel larger than three acres. He said there would be no impact to the regulatory zone’s residential core. He wanted to highlight that as the Board considered the day-to-day implications, various activities had been taking place at the church for decades and it was a very manageable process. He thanked the Board for its consideration.
Ms. Penny Brock stated she was shocked to see the item on the agenda because it concerned a constitutional issue regarding religious freedom. She said no government entity had the right to tell a church what service it could offer. She asserted the Board could not issue a license for Bible studies or children’s programs and opined that a school was no different. She said the group could hire an attorney if the agenda item was denied. She informed that she could help in that area because she started two private Christian schools in Reno and knew the laws. She encouraged the Board to approve the agenda item, although she thought it did not have the right to determine the church’s ability to have a school. She believed the Board was exceeding its boundary and opening itself to lawsuits.
County Clerk Jan Galassini advised the Board she received one emailed public comment which was placed on file.
Bill No. 1901 was introduced by Vice Chair Herman, and legal notice for final action of adoption was directed.
County Clerk Jan Galassini read the title for Bill No. 1902.
Chair Hill asked if the Board wanted a presentation on this agenda item and it was determined that no presentation was needed.
There was no response to the call for public comment.
Bill No. 1902 was introduced by Commissioner Andriola, and legal notice for final action of adoption was directed.
45 & 47; 046-131-24; 046-132-06; 046-133-15 & 17; 046-180-12, 14 & 15;
154-011-07; 156-040-09, 10, 14 &15; 156-111-23; 156-141-04.) If
approved, authorize the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners to sign the Development Agreement. Community Services. (Commission District 2.)
Chair Hill opened the public hearing.
County Clerk Jan Galassini read the title for Ordinance No. 1710, Bill No.
1900.
Chair Hill asked if the Board wanted a presentation on this agenda item and it was determined that no presentation was needed.
On the call for public comment, Mr. Ken Krater said he represented St. James’s Village, Inc. and announced he would address points brought up during prior public comment. He noted concern about the development’s gate and emergency access. He said the fire department controlled the gate and its keys. If there was an emergency, the fire department had full authority to open the gate as it saw fit. He pointed out concerns that the gate eliminated access to Highway 395 from Joy Lake Road and stated there were some important reasons for that, primarily that the road was old and did not have ideal geometry. He discussed a hairpin curve located down the hill and west towards the freeway and mentioned a recent incident where someone was run off the road. He stated the closed gate provided increased safety because it prevented vehicles from speeding down the hill. The project was over 50 percent developed and he believed homeowners wanted the project to be built out. He said the water system was previously approved by the Washoe County Water Resources Department, but Truckee Meadows Water Authority (TMWA) had different standards. He was confident an agreement with TMWA would be reached.
County Clerk Jan Galassini advised the Board she received one emailed public comment which was placed on file.
On motion by Vice Chair Herman, seconded by Commissioner Clark, which motion duly carried on a 3-0 vote, with Commissioners Andriola and Garcia absent, it was ordered that Ordinance No. 1710, Bill No. 1900, be adopted, approved, and published in accordance with NRS 244.100.
Ms. Penny Brock requested that paper ballots and hand counted ballots be used and Dominion Voting machines be eliminated. She said she would continue her request until the primary election because voters could vote how they wanted, which was a right granted by the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS). She asked that her request be put on an agenda. She reminded she brought a case to the Board’s attention in November regarding Dominion Voting machines in Atlanta, Georgia. She commented that a demonstration the previous Friday showed votes on the machine could be altered using an ink pen. She stated the case’s judge wanted fair and honest elections and was appointed by former President Obama. She said the judge intimated she would not favor electronic voting systems, particularly Dominion Voting machines. She observed that Washoe County utilized Dominion Voting machines and asserted that voters wanted paper ballots and hand counts. She stated she was a part of the Election Integrity Committee the past two years and said it repeatedly found that voter fraud occurred in Washoe County. She
displayed and summarized a document, a copy of which was placed on file with the Clerk. She said she would follow the ongoing case and report back to the Board.
Ms. Janet Butcher stated there would be no delegates sent to the Republican National Convention (RNC) from the Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) Election. She opined the PPP wasted $5 million and acknowledged that the Board was not responsible for its occurrence. She encouraged the Board to request that legislators stop wasting money. She asked for Dominion Voting machines to be eradicated and said any competent programmer knew that code could be written to eat itself, which she had performed herself to prove it.
Ms. Terri Donohue stated she enjoyed Mr. Michael Laird’s comments about his life being turned around by people who cared. She questioned why certain commenters did not receive the same response during Agenda Item 14. She posited that those commenters’ children would most likely not need the programs offered to Mr. Laird.
Vice Chair Herman said she wanted to examine annexation and posited that a bill should be created to slow annexation that lacked responsibility. She requested that the Board prepare a bill or information for a bill regarding annexation for the forthcoming Nevada Legislature because the issue had caused many citizens grief.
Commissioner Clark expressed support for Vice Chair Herman’s request and said annexation into the City of Reno came with unfulfilled promises. He thought annexation was a disservice to the County’s citizens and said he wanted the topic addressed as well. He wanted Vice Chair Herman’s Clean Elections resolutions to be heard and asked when they would be on an agenda. He encouraged the other Commissioners to support the request and said he wanted the public to understand the Board’s position on the topic.
County Manager Eric Brown said Vice Chair Herman’s Clean Elections resolutions were pending clearance at the Nevada Secretary of State’s (SOS) Office. He noted they were reviewed by Washoe County’s legal team then forwarded to the SOS’s Office, who they would continue to work to receive clarification. Chair Hill thanked Manager Brown for his diligence.
* * * * * * * * * * *
ATTEST:
Washoe County Commission
Minutes Prepared by:
Kendra DeSoto-Silva, Deputy County Clerk