Community Development Block Grant Subcommittee Meeting
Monday, March 23, 2026
Note: This summary is based on the meeting packet (minutes and transcript were unavailable or not used).
What Happened
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Subcommittee met for about three hours on March 23, 2026, to review spending priorities and approve past meeting minutes.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — FY 2023/2024 CDBG spending including $180,000 for pedestrian ramps, $100,000 for school zone flashing beacons near Echo Loader and Libby Booth Elementary Schools, and $50,000 for audible signals at intersections — vote count not recorded — these projects improve ADA accessibility and school safety.
APPROVED — February 20, 2025, meeting agenda and April 18, 2024, meeting minutes — unanimous with Member Schieve absent — procedural approval to move forward.
Debated But Not Resolved
School zone flashing beacons responsibility — Chair Ebert questioned whether the school district or Reno Transit Commission (RTC) should pay for beacons on city roadways rather than the city using CDBG funds. Staff explained the city owns the right-of-way and works with schools during development. Unresolved; Chair Ebert noted she personally paid for beacons at O'Brien Middle School that weren't installed.
Virginia Lake Park west shoreline stabilization priority — Chair Ebert wants this $1.6 million project prioritized due to costs rising $600,000 in one year. Member Reese prefers deferring it to year three to fund smaller projects first. Staff is exploring alternative funding sources like water quality grants and the Truckee River Fund. Final decision pending.
Fire station and parking lot projects — Members Reese and Martinez expressed low priority for fire station funding requests and suggested removing Mira Loma parking lot improvements to focus on parks and ADA work instead. No vote taken.
What to Watch
$180,000 — Pedestrian ramp replacement (seven ADA-compliant ramps) — CDBG FY 2023/2024
$100,000 — School zone flashing beacons near Echo Loader and Libby Booth Elementary — CDBG FY 2023/2024
$50,000 — Audible signals at seven intersections — CDBG FY 2023/2024
$100,000 — Additional audible signals (14-15 intersections) — CDBG FY 2024/2025
$688,946.50 — School zone flashing beacons (141 beacons covering 90% of Reno school zones) — CDBG FY 2024/2025 and Community Project Grant
FY 2025/2026 project priorities final vote — The subcommittee expects to receive the federal HUD allocation by April 2025. Approximately $1.6 million will be available after administrative fees from an anticipated $2 million federal grant. Fourteen projects requested a total of $8.6 million, so the subcommittee must decide which get funded. Virginia Lake shoreline stabilization ($1.6 million) remains the main point of contention.
Alternative funding for Virginia Lake — Staff is researching water quality grants and other sources to reduce pressure on the CDBG budget for this major project.
Raleigh Heights Park sidewalk repair — Chair Ebert raised a project in her district that staff was unaware of. City staff will review options and report back.
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