Reno City Council
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
What Happened
City Council held a special budget review meeting covering public works, utilities, courts, community development, and administrative departments over two days. Dozens of items advanced through budget review with multiple major staffing and infrastructure questions left unresolved.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Storm water utility implementation timeline — unanimous — City will present a final storm water utility rate to council within one year for approval and implementation. Timeline begins now; ditch companies invited to engage in the process.
APPROVED — IT storage migration to Metric Center facility — unanimous — System transition completed successfully with positive user feedback on centralized servicing and reliability.
APPROVED — Maintain municipal code provider — unanimous — City continues current codification platform (described as industry standard). Alternative platforms under discussion for future year.
APPROVED — Sewer bond payoff strategy — (vote count not provided) — Finance department will present resolution April 28 to pay off 2010 sewer bonds instead of refinancing. Payoff saves $9 million in interest versus $160,000 annual savings from refinance option.
Debated But Not Resolved
Utilities Division staffing — Council member Breuss stated current part-time positions (0.4–0.5 FTE) cannot handle sewer expansion projects and rate studies. Staff says org chart reflects current functions. Meeting scheduled with city manager to discuss strategic staffing needs; decision deferred to "round two."
Sewer capacity blocking housing — Council member Duerr raised concern that small-diameter pipes in Ward 2 (McCarran to Moana area) prevent affordable housing and infill projects. Staff acknowledged bottleneck exists. Offline discussion requested; no timeline for resolution.
Utilities Division organizational structure — Council member Breuss stated org chart does not reflect complexity of managing Cold Springs joint ownership, Storf county agreement, joint Sparks plant, and pending litigation. Breuss warned improved chart must be presented by May or "it will be a problem."
Southeast Connector speed increase — Council member requested speed increase with conditions: proper fencing to prevent horses entering roadway and lower speeds on Veterans Avenue in residential areas. Public Works to provide fencing status memo.
Code enforcement staffing priority — Council divided on whether department should prioritize senior code enforcement officer over parking enforcement. Department actively hiring; timeline unclear.
Pedestrian coordinator priority — Council member said pedestrian safety coordinator (currently listed as fourth priority) should rank higher and embed in public works. Public Works to provide memo on revised federal traffic control standards.
Civil Service and HR consolidation — Councilwoman Derer raised whether Civil Service Commission could consolidate with HR Department. Civil Service Commission Chief defended separation as check against political influence. No decision reached.
What to Watch
$9,000,000 — Interest savings from sewer bond payoff (no rate impact) — Sewer fund reserves
$1,400,000 — Cathy Woods litigation settlement recovery — Insurance funds
$600,000 — Specialty Courts federal grants (newly secured) — Federal grants
$5,000,000 — Business relief program (previously approved) — Economic stimulus funds
May deadline for Utilities Division org chart — Councilwoman Breuss explicitly stated if improved organizational structure reflecting sewer system complexity is not presented by May, "it will be a problem." City manager must coordinate with Public Works on strategic staffing plan.
April 28 sewer bond decision — Finance department presents resolution to pay off 2010 bonds instead of refinancing. Decision affects long-term sewer fund strategy and rate structures for Verdi area trunk line.
Storm water utility rate approval (one year) — Council will vote on final rate structure by spring 2022 after master planning completed.
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