Reno City Council
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What Happened
The Reno City Council held a regular meeting with 40+ agenda items, approving zoning changes, ordinances on billboards and parking, grants, and donations while deferring major decisions on parking enforcement and a school-site housing development.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — $800,000 grant from Nevada Department of Public Safety for Tiburon data collection system with Department of Transportation assistance — unanimous — Enhances city's ability to track public safety information
APPROVED — Ordinance 6283 converting Sky Vista PUD former school site to 338 single-family condominium units, increasing total planned development residential units from 1,948 to 2,286 — CONTINUED (vote pending) — Eliminates 19-year vacant public property; opponents raised density concerns
APPROVED — Ordinance 6281 rezoning 48.8-acre site south I-80 from large lot residential to community commercial — unanimous — Converts undeveloped land to commercial use with deed restrictions on off-premise signs maintained
APPROVED — Ordinance 6276 establishing moratorium on conversion of static billboards to digital billboards — Freezes billboard conversions pending further review
APPROVED — Senate Joint Resolution Number 3 supporting Nevada legislature's 10th Amendment sovereignty claim — 6-1 vote — One council member opposed as outside city jurisdiction
APPROVED — Community Pride Grants totaling $18,900: Desert Heights Elementary School PTA ($10,500), Smith Ridge Elementary School Boosters ($5,000), Good Luck Macbeth ($1,900), Nevada Humane Society ($1,500)
APPROVED — Appointment of Aspen Newhausen to Youth City Council; Stanley Ann Dowdy and reappointment of Mac Rossi to Senior Citizens Advisory Committee; Suzanne Adams reappointment to Urban Forestry Commission; Katherine Hoffman to Old Northwest Neighborhood Advisory Board — all unanimous
APPROVED — Donations to Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization ($1,000) and Truckee River Foundation ($500)
APPROVED — Donation to Fund Camp Inc for youth summer camp ($5,000) — 6-0 with Councilwoman Jardon abstaining due to board membership conflict
Debated But Not Resolved
Parking enforcement expansion — Council split on whether to expand Siemens sensor pilot program citywide; concern about $80,000 annual midtown cost and low citation collection rates (29%) versus cost-effectiveness — Staff to return March 13 with comprehensive parking plan including costs, CSO staffing needs, and funding sources
League of Cities policy on federal lands — Staff concerned resolution supporting local authority over public lands could restrict Burning Man's operations; council worried about $30+ million annual economic impact — Deferred; council to take neutral position pending review of specific legislation
Collective bargaining principles — One council member advocated adopting formal guiding principles for labor negotiations; others said city already follows these practices and needs to clarify current process first — Staff to present current practices before council decides whether to adopt formal resolution
What to Watch
$800,000 — Tiburon data collection system grant — Nevada Department of Public Safety
$292,000 — Cabela's Star Bond District reserves used for 2007-A and 2007-B bond debt service — Bond reserves
Sky Vista PUD vote — Council must vote on converting school site to 338 residential units. Residents opposed; developer argued it eliminates public nuisance and provides infrastructure improvements. Decision pending.
Parking system funding — Staff returns with full cost analysis for parking enforcement expansion. Decision blocked until council understands whether CSO hiring, technology costs, or both are required and how to fund it.
Collective bargaining negotiation authority — Council meeting February 27 in closed session to establish policy direction before labor negotiations begin.
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