Reno City Council
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
What Happened
City Council held a budget workshop for fiscal year 2021, presenting departmental budgets for Public Works, Public Safety Dispatch, and Police over roughly three hours with 20+ debated items left unresolved.
Key Decisions
[APPROVED] — Agenda — Unanimous — Cleared path for FY 2021 budget workshop presentations.
[CONTINUED] — $55 million sewer bond issuance — No vote — Bonds approved by voters; council discussed distribution between plants and systems, with councilmembers requesting spending breakdown by plant before final commitment.
[CONTINUED] — $6.4 million fire apparatus medium-term note — No vote — Scheduled for approval; $2 million already budgeted for FY 2021 equipment.
[CONTINUED] — Public Safety Dispatch staffing: 5 dispatchers + 1 supervisor ($560,000 request) — No vote — Council expressed concern about $315,000 annual overtime costs; debated whether this staffing increase or continued overtime is fiscally sustainable.
[CONTINUED] — Police Department 28-officer request — No vote — Police cited growth-driven call volume; council noted budget constraints and requested scenario modeling before decision.
[UNRESOLVED] — Public safety ballot initiative — No vote — Council requested details on what dedicated public safety revenue would look like; requires coordination with Washoe County Commission by July deadline.
Debated But Not Resolved
Senior Program Fees — Council members want fee increases to meet minimum wage costs; seniors and advisory committee want no increases on low-income seniors and proposed community partnerships instead — Advisory Committee will review financial impacts before May budget finalization.
Cost Recovery Policy — No city-wide policy exists; each department handles cost recovery independently — Staff committed to bringing comprehensive policy back to council.
Emergency Operations Center roof repair ($150,000) — Council questioned whether county should pay from regional sources rather than city general fund — Discussion continued on proper funding split between city and county.
Stormwater Inspection Fees — Building Enterprise Fund requested fee for pond inspections (40% of Swan Lake ponds non-compliant) — Implementation timeline to be determined; developers support necessity.
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) process — Councilmembers want greater participation to identify projects for constituents — Identified as process improvement for future cycles; currently handled through subcommittees.
911 Body Camera debt reimbursement ($537,000) — Council asked if 911 surcharge funds can back out this debt service cost — Staff to clarify with 911 committee whether reimbursement is dollar-for-dollar available.
What to Watch
$55,000,000 — Sewer bonds — General obligation bonds at 1.46% interest; distribution between treatment plants and distribution systems disputed.
$6,400,000 — Fire apparatus — Medium-term note at 1.7% interest rate.
$2,100,000 — General capital projects — 2% of prior year operating costs from general fund.
$700,000 — Parks capital maintenance — General fund.
$400,000 — Public Works capital facilities — General fund.
Public Safety Ballot Initiative — Council will request budget team analysis on dedicated revenue model (similar to Clark County's 2005 "more cops tax"); Washoe County Commission coordination deadline in July determines if advisory question goes on ballot.
Sewer Fund Workshop — Council demanded detailed presentation on $55 million sewer project spending by plant, debt service, and revenue projections; separate meeting required.
Budget Scenario Modeling — Council requested analysis showing impact of 50% revenue drop (matching 2008-2009 recession) combined with departmental requests; Finance to model using ten-year forecast to identify layoff avoidance options.
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