Reno City Council
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
What Happened
Reno City Council met June 2, 2021, for a regular session covering 20+ agenda items, including housing bonds, board appointments, and state legislative impacts.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Stonegate Special Assessment District No. 2 bonding for sanitary sewer and water infrastructure (Bill 7176 and Ordinance 6596) — vote count not recorded — authorizes tax-exempt bond issuance for public infrastructure serving the Stonegate housing development; interest savings estimated at $16.7 to $44.2 million depending on market conditions; repayment through property assessments on district properties.
APPROVED — Staff report on state legislative impacts (AB-116 traffic decriminalization, AB-341 cannabis lounges) — unanimous — city will track implementation of decriminalization law and coordinate with cannabis compliance board on lounge regulations.
APPROVED — 16 appointments to citizen boards and commissions — unanimous — filled vacancies on Access Advisory Committee (Kathy Price Toby, Forrest Shepard), Civil Service Commission (Yvonne Allen, Sharla Honey), Recreation and Parks Commission (Carla Werninghouse), Arts and Culture Commission (Eric Fong), Senior Citizen Advisory Committee (Barbara Devers), Urban Forestry (Gary Gentickton, Krista Wanfrid), Planning Commission Ward 1 (Sylvia Villanueva), and Neighborhood Advisory Boards for Wards 2-5.
Debated But Not Resolved
Stonegate bonding structure and risk — Council member Breckus expressed concern about city putting its "faith and credit" behind the special assessment district, comparing it to past debt problems from the baseball agreement and redevelopment agency. Supporters cited Financial Advisory Board review and need for housing. Council voted despite concerns remaining.
Community Benefits Agreement disclosure to bond investors — Breckus questioned why the inducement agreement won't be disclosed in bond official statements. Finance director stated no change to disclosure policy.
Bond counsel review of inducement agreement — Breckus requested bond counsel opinion on whether the community benefits agreement has legal relationship to bond issuance. Bond counsel was not present; question deferred.
AB-116 fiscal impact on municipal court — Reece wants full analysis of how traffic decriminalization affects court revenue. Staff indicated collections should remain similar with new tools available. Detailed report due later.
What to Watch
$212,667 — SAVE volunteer program labor value saved in 2020 — city savings from volunteer labor.
AB-116 implementation — Council awaits detailed municipal court budget impact analysis showing whether traffic decriminalization affects revenue and operations.
Cannabis lounges timeline — City staff coordinating with state cannabis compliance board; lounge regulations and implementation schedule pending state guidance.
Stonegate bond sales — Bonds will be sold on open market; actual issuance timing and interest rates to be determined.
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