Reno City Council
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
What Happened
Reno City Council held a regular meeting lasting approximately 5 hours, voting on 30+ items spanning development approvals, fee systems, COVID-19 response, city management transition, and parks funding.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Jason Sodto transitions from Police Chief to Acting City Manager, starting June 1, 2020, triggering a six-month charter deadline to hire a permanent city manager — Unanimous — Sodto will name an acting police chief while maintaining his public safety PERS classification; current City Manager Newbie departs June 1.
APPROVED — Police Impact Fee System establishes new fees on residential and commercial development to fund police station construction — 7-0 — Single-family homes pay $125 per unit; multifamily $100 per unit; commercial ranges from $3 to $255 per 1,000 sq ft. Total police station project estimated at $33 million.
APPROVED — Greyhound property sewer connection fee deferral totaling $15.5 million over 5 years — 6-1 — Developer of 14-story mixed-use building with 200+ units defers sewer fees after occupancy. Council Member Breus opposed, citing no affordable housing restrictions.
APPROVED — Spanish Springs Construction contract for Mayor's Park Phase 2 Improvements — Unanimous — Council required explicit documentation that contractors comply with COVID-19 social distancing; debate unresolved on whether OSHA oversight is sufficient.
APPROVED — Charlotte Business Resource Center PUD amendment — Unanimous — Converts 2.44 acres from professional office to neighborhood commercial and multifamily uses. Traffic calming on Ambassador Avenue to be addressed separately.
APPROVED — WCSD Stead Boulevard zone change — Vote count not recorded — Rezones 34.1-acre school site from mixed-use to public facility zoning for O'Brien Middle School redevelopment; site plan review with public notice still required despite administrative zoning change.
APPROVED — Hamilton Medical/High Sierra Industries street abandonment — Unanimous — Supports continued medical device manufacturing and parking expansion.
APPROVED — 8-foot electrified fence variance for Caliber Collision property — 5-2 — Reverses planning commission denial; removes condition requiring first six feet be non-electrified. Council Members Derer and Breus opposed, citing insufficient hardship findings.
CONTINUED — Parks and Recreation fee schedule and senior age definition — Motion to table passed 5-2 — Council requested two-week delay to study fee increases needed to cover $180,000 minimum wage mandate. Options ranged from no increase to 50% increase with health and wellness pass for low-income residents. Senior age threshold for discounts debated between 60 and 62.
Debated But Not Resolved
COVID-19 response cost-sharing — Whether Reno should pay 35% of regional emergency response costs (testing, quarantine, shelter) when services benefit county — Referred to city manager and emergency manager for jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction cost classification.
Homeless shelter capacity — Record Street shelter capacity cuts in half due to social distancing; unclear how encampments will be managed during Phase 1 reopening — Regional discussions ongoing with no specific plan or timeline.
Antibody test reliability — Only 3-4 of 70 emerging tests are FDA-approved; accuracy rates as low as 60% create false confidence in negative results — Regional information center tasked with developing public messaging.
Police station as impact fee project — Whether impact fees should fund existing facility deficiencies (115-year-old station) or only new growth — City Attorney stated system is defensible; debate unresolved.
What to Watch
$15.5 million — Greyhound property sewer connection fee deferral — City sewer fund
$2.9 million — Police station construction from impact fees over 10 years — New impact fee revenue
$150,000 — EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch) system implementation — E911 Board reimbursement (100% in same fiscal year)
City Manager Search (May-November) — Sodto's six-month interim clock begins June 1. Council must approve permanent manager by December 1 or charter requires interim appointment to continue.
Parks Fee Increases (Early May) — Council votes on fee increase options within two weeks to meet May 20 budget deadline. Decision affects youth programs, seniors, and scholarship recipients.
Police Impact Fee Ordinance (May 13 and 27) — First reading May 13, final adoption May 27. Council will revisit whether consultant review is needed given rare use of impact fees for police stations in Nevada.
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