Reno City Council Meeting
Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Note: This summary is based on the meeting transcript (minutes were unavailable or not used).
What Happened
The Reno City Council held a regular meeting covering 20+ items, including street funding, police leadership, live entertainment rules, voting access, and redevelopment agency powers.
Key Decisions
APPROVED — $2,000,000 interlocal agreement with Washoe County Sheriff's Office to provide acting police chief and departmental support during ongoing investigation into Reno Police Department misconduct — Unanimous — The city will pay for temporary leadership while Nevada Department of Public Safety completes independent investigation. Investigation details cannot be discussed under Nevada law.
APPROVED — $6,000,000 University East Phase 2 street rehabilitation program — Unanimous — Streets in the University East neighborhood will be repaired.
APPROVED — River Mount septic-to-sewer conversion program for 100+ homes using $3 million state grant and $1.3 million federal funding — Unanimous — Homes will be converted from septic systems to sewer service with grant funding reducing resident costs.
APPROVED — Ordinance 6736 rezoning 0.23-acre property at 595 Crystal Park Road from Public Facility to General Commercial — Unanimous — Property zoning changed to allow commercial use.
APPROVED — Councilmember Doerr reappointment to Western Regional Water Commission — 6-1 vote — Provides continuity on regional sewer project through November. Councilmember Ebert voted no.
CONTINUED — $1,000 contribution to Help Save the Bees Foundation — Not yet voted — Supports pollinator habitat restoration and educational programs.
Debated But Not Resolved
Live entertainment regulations — Business community wants faster approval process and clearer standards; some residents want stricter enforcement on bad actors. Council directed staff to develop temporary conditional use permit stay proposal modeled on Miami Beach and return with fee structure options in April.
Using redevelopment agency funds for police services — Council wants to fund targeted police presence in blighted downtown areas; city attorney says Nevada law limits RDA powers and recommends requesting formal Attorney General opinion before proceeding. Council directed staff to prepare AG opinion request package.
Neighborhood Advisory Board operations — Councilmember Schrimpf wants longer meeting times (extend past 7:30 p.m. end time) and more flexible formats; councilwoman committed to consulting boards on operational changes. Unresolved how to balance statutory timelines with community input needs.
Fourth of July celebrations — Mayor wants parade; organizer says insufficient coordination time available. Council expressed support for both parade and alternative events but needs to allocate special events funding on next agenda.
Voting location access — Ward 1 has limited voting facility options despite election office providing 100% more early voting and election day locations than state law requires. Elections official offered to work with council member offline to identify additional vote centers.
What to Watch
$6,000,000 — University East street rehabilitation — City funds
$3,000,000 — River Mount septic-to-sewer conversion — Nevada Department of Environmental Protection grant
$1,300,000 — River Mount septic-to-sewer conversion — Federal delegation earmark
$2,000,000 — Sheriff's Office police leadership support — City funds
Live entertainment rule changes (April agenda) — Staff returns with temporary conditional use permit pause proposal, fee structure options, and security plan framework. Affects Midtown business licensing.
Redevelopment agency police funding (TBD) — City attorney to request Attorney General opinion on whether RDA can fund targeted police services in blighted areas. Outcome determines downtown revitalization strategy.
Special events funding allocation (Next agenda) — Council must decide how much city money supports Fourth of July parade, Dancing on the River, and Dancing in the Streets event ($107,000 budget).
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