Reno City Council & Redevelopment Agency Board
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
What Happened
Reno City Council and Redevelopment Agency Board approved the city's 2013-14 budget and special assessment district taxes, with roughly 15 budget items debated over spending priorities.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Fiscal Year 2013-14 city budget totaling $164,000,000 — Unanimous — Sets spending plan for all city departments and services
APPROVED — Downtown Special Police District budget of $1,337,554 at $0.9097 per $100 assessed value (down from tiered rates of $1.03-$0.718) — Unanimous — Funds police services in downtown area via property tax on district properties
APPROVED — Downtown Maintenance District budget of $205,715 at $0.291 per $100 assessed value (up from $0.273) — Unanimous — Funds street and area maintenance downtown via property tax
APPROVED — $52,500 for restored programs: $5,000 for Senior Advisory Board, $12,500 for Art Town Festival, $35,000 for Council discretionary funds — Unanimous — Reinstates previously cut programs using ending fund balance; reduces reserve from $6,506,683 to $6,454,183
APPROVED — $900,000 bond for southeast Reno fire station construction — Unanimous — Capital improvement; City Manager recommended bond over using stabilization fund (currently $1.7 million, down from $2.8 million)
CONTINUED — RDA budget public hearing — Continued to June 5 — Publishing notice requirements not met; needs proper public notification timeframe
CONTINUED — Downtown assessment public hearing (Days 1-2) — Continued to June 5 — Allow adequate notice period for public comment
Debated But Not Resolved
Downtown special assessment fairness — Business owner Shannon Dobbs supported expansion but demanded better use of funds for pavement repair and tagging removal. Jim Galloway opposed assessment structure, arguing downtown should be funded by all city residents, not individual property owners — Assessment approved; concerns noted for record
Police hiring and staffing — Council expressed concern about 10 police vacancies; management committed to filling 6 approved positions and 4 currently vacant positions if economy improves — Decision deferred to future budget cycle
Budget sustainability — Financial Advisory Board warned budget relies on non-sustainable one-time cost-saving measures that won't be available next year — City Manager committed to strategic planning and fund policy review; decision deferred
What to Watch
$164,000,000 — Total city operating budget — General fund and departmental revenue sources
$1,337,554 — Downtown Special Police District annual budget — Assessment district tax
$205,715 — Downtown Maintenance District annual budget — Assessment district tax
$900,000 — Southeast Reno fire station construction bond — Bond financing
RDA budget hearing June 5 — The Redevelopment Agency budget public hearing was continued due to notice problems. Watch whether council approves RDA budgets and how that affects downtown projects.
Stabilization fund depletion — Fund balance dropped from $2.8M to $1.7M. Council may need to make bigger cuts next year if one-time savings measures aren't available.
Parking system decision pending — Council hasn't decided on new parking system, free parking, or enforcement model. This decision will determine whether parking revenue covers costs or requires stabilization fund use.
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