Reno City Council Meeting
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
What Happened
City Council met for approximately 5 hours and voted on 20+ items including employment benefits, redistricting maps, venue permits, and ordinance amendments. Public comment lasted over an hour on redistricting alone.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — Special use permit for Eden entertainment venue downtown — 7-0 — Allows new bar/nightclub with required noise limits, security cameras, lighting, and sound monitoring conditions.
APPROVED — Modified redistricting map (Map A with adjustments) — 4-3 — Creates new Ward 6 by adjusting ward boundaries citywide. Preserves Moana-Plumas-McCarran business district in Ward 2 with 4.4% population deviation.
APPROVED — Civil Service reclassification for appointed employees — 7-0 — Moves current appointed staff to civil service while preserving seniority and pay. Allows future hires to face competitive requirements.
APPROVED — Employee benefits increases for unrepresented and management staff — Unanimous (vote count not recorded) — Raises vacation accrual rates, adds longevity pay, increases education reimbursement, and adds holiday pay.
APPROVED — Pipeline crossing agreement for Comstock development project — Unanimous — Permits storm drain installation under railroad right-of-way; protects city through bonding requirements.
APPROVED — Lift station replacement contract with KJ Walters Construction — Vote count not recorded — Replaces two aging sanitary sewer lift stations (34 and 37 years old) at Germany and North Dakota locations.
APPROVED — Community Cats trap-neuter-release programs — Unanimous — Authorizes two animal control programs in Ward 1 funded by councilmember donations.
APPROVED — Cargill Park Senior Apartments zoning — 7-0 — Rezones 4.53 acres for 14 units-per-acre multi-family residential development.
Debated But Not Resolved
City Manager severance package — Councilwoman Brekhus opposed enhanced severance (up to one year salary) citing pending investigation into conduct and retaliation allegations. City Attorney declined to clarify how severance interacts with termination code section 2.24. Deferred for legal memorandum before final vote.
Employee benefits timing — Councilwoman Brekhus worried about "padding benefits incrementally" without waiting for Public Sector Personnel Consultants compensation study. Staff defended internal equity needs. Study exists but full results may not be final.
Virginia Street Midtown medians — Mayor says business owners want median cuts removed to restore left turns. Councilman Breakfast says only one bar owner requested this; Ward 1 residents prioritize traffic calming instead. Councilwoman Doer wants comprehensive crash data analysis (showing 85.7% reduction in crashes post-construction). Removal before March 2026 would trigger repayment of $40 million federal grant. Council voted to defer study to 2024-25 budget and revisit.
Ward 4 park equity — Councilwoman Ebert stated her ward has only 5 of 83 city parks, lacks adequate bus routes, and will lose community resources under all redistricting options. Other council members called this a budget issue, not redistricting issue.
What to Watch
$1.11 million — Employee benefit increases (vacation accrual, longevity pay, education incentives, holiday pay) — City budget approved earlier in 2023.
$40 million — Federal grant used by RTC for Midtown project in 2021 — At risk if Virginia Street medians removed before March 2026 deadline.
City Manager severance clarification — City Attorney must clarify in writing how Municipal Code 2.24 (termination procedures following investigation) interacts with enhanced severance terms. Affects whether severance protections remain valid if manager is terminated.
Virginia Street median study — Council ordered work program for comprehensive crash and safety data analysis, due by July 1, 2024. Will determine whether left-turn modifications or median cuts proceed before March 2026 federal grant deadline.
Redistricting ordinance introduction — Modified Map A goes to council August 23rd for formal introduction, then returns in early September for final adoption before September 1st Washoe County voter precinct deadline.
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