Reno City Council
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
What Happened
Reno City Council met on March 4, 2020, and approved seven items including liquor licenses, a sewer fee deferral, and recruitment processes, while leaving multiple decisions about city manager and HR director hiring unresolved.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Beer and wine license for Hub Coffee Roasters at 131 Pine Street — Unanimous — Coffee shop can now serve alcohol on premises
APPROVED — Sewer connection fee deferral for California Avenue project up to five years — 6-1 vote — Developer can delay paying sewer fees after occupancy; Councilmember Breakfast opposed due to $55 million city sewer debt
APPROVED — Continue Rose partnership to manage downtown ballroom and bowling facilities — Unanimous — City covers losses for nonprofit events through 2028
APPROVED — Full recruitment process for HR Director with CPS HR — 7-0 — Comprehensive search including candidate profile development and stakeholder meetings
APPROVED — Three appointments to Neighborhood Advisory Board: Patrick Fisher, Tyler Langdon, Steve Schwarzer — 7-0 — Additional candidates will be considered at next meeting
Debated But Not Resolved
Sewer fee deferral equity — Councilmember Breakfast warned that locking in deferrals for select projects creates unfair fee structures for other projects and makes it harder to pay for future sewer expansion as 15 million square feet of industrial development is planned — Concerns on record; item approved
City Manager recruitment vendor and scope — Council split between using previous vendor Ralph Anderson versus new firm CPS HR, and disagreed on whether to pay $7,000 (outreach only), $20,000 (partial), or $30,000 (full services). Also debated depth of background checks on candidates — Council directed staff to notify recruiter of comprehensive background check intentions; vendor selection continues
Candidate profile approval — Councilmember Breakfast requested council formally approve a candidate profile at next meeting before recruitment launches, noting previous profile required 12-27 years city manager experience — Staff to present profile for approval at next meeting
Bowling garage parking — Councilmember Jordan noted parking garage did not open during recent nonprofit events, forcing attendees to park far away — Staff committed to opening garage for all future events
What to Watch
No spending items over $50,000 were voted on in this meeting.
City Manager recruitment decision — Council must choose between three service levels ($7,000–$30,000) and select a recruitment firm; decision delayed pending candidate profile approval at next meeting.
Candidate profile approval — Councilmember Breakfast requested formal council vote on job requirements and qualifications before recruitment begins.
Rose partnership agreement review — Council may revisit partnership terms before 2028 expiration, particularly around property tax generation and entity changes.
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