Reno City Council
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
What Happened
Reno City Council held a regular meeting on July 22, 2020, with roughly 40 action items, covering pandemic relief spending, police equipment grants, zoning amendments, and a new city manager hiring process.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — $250,000 National Endowment for the Arts CARES Act grant for local arts nonprofits — Unanimous — Provides pandemic relief when room tax revenue is down and artists face unemployment.
APPROVED — $36,000 Nevada Department of Public Safety grant for police crowd management helmets (final third of three-year replacement program) — Unanimous — Equips all RPD officers with protective headgear; some residents opposed citing police militarization concerns.
APPROVED — Regional stormwater quality monitoring contract along Truckee River — Unanimous — Tracks water quality and identifies projects to reduce nutrient loading.
APPROVED — Cordova Master Plan Amendment rezoning 23-acre west Verdi site from commercial to large-lot residential — 6-1 vote — Down-zones property; allows single-family development instead of higher-density uses.
APPROVED — Roadway abandonment between Maza Family Trust parcels — 7-0 — Allows property consolidation for estate planning without affecting neighbor access.
REJECTED — Settlement offer in Stand Project litigation — Unanimous — Council chose to continue evaluating the case through discovery and motions instead of accepting early settlement.
APPROVED — UNR parking garage design review exemption — 4-3 vote — Allows $33 million project to proceed without design review committee formation; permits faster timeline and ADA compliance; critics worried about process integrity.
APPROVED — City manager recruitment process timeline — Unanimous — Establishes July 24 application deadline, July 31 public record release, August 7 council rankings, and finalist interviews after August 12.
CONTINUED — Building Enterprise Fund advisory board composition and fund reallocation — No vote taken — Council members need more time to review proposed changes to committee membership and whether fund balance should go to general fund for essential services.
CONTINUED — CARES Act $46.7 million allocation (Phase 1 and Phase 2) — No formal vote — Staff presenting framework for pandemic relief spending; Council still debating priorities (mental health, homeless services, food distribution, business relief) and whether to hold special meeting for detailed deliberation given December 30 spending deadline.
Debated But Not Resolved
City manager hiring process — Disagreement over whether to screen 63 applicants before releasing names publicly versus letting all council members review all applications directly. Some fear public disclosure will cause qualified candidates to withdraw; others want transparency. Next step: Staff to screen candidates and allow 5-day withdrawal period before public release.
Reno Event Center shelter — Debate over continuing $10,000/day Event Center operations versus relocating unsheltered population to temporary Governor's Bowl site. RSCVA wants facility back by August 3. Council members disagreed on costs and logistics. Next step: Staff coordinating with temporary shelter at East Fourth Street site pending final decision.
Police equipment transparency — Council members requested GWAII report at next meeting to address concerns about military-grade equipment purchases and provide full annual equipment budget breakdown to community.
What to Watch
$250,000 — Arts nonprofits pandemic relief — National Endowment for the Arts grant
$50,000 — Deliver with Dignity meal program for vulnerable populations — Community Assistance Fund
City manager hiring timeline — Council still determining screening methodology and interview structure. Candidates narrowed to roughly 35 by August 7, with finalist interviews scheduled after August 12 council meeting. Pay attention to whether process remains transparent or candidates can be eliminated without council seeing names.
CARES Act spending plan — Council has December 30 deadline to spend $46.7 million federal pandemic relief. Priorities still unresolved: mental health crisis center, homeless services expansion, business relief, food distribution. Council may hold special meeting in early August for detailed deliberation.
Building Enterprise Fund reallocation — Council continuing discussion on whether to expand advisory board membership and redirect fund balance to general fund for parks/public safety instead of keeping as restricted building-related fund. Decision deferred without date certain.
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