Reno City Council & Redevelopment Agency Board | Wednesday, August 26, 2026

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[0:08] Okay,
[0:10] >> Naomi, do you want to come sit over
[0:12] here?
[0:17] » Madam clerk,
[0:22] » are you ready?
[0:23] >> Yeah. Okay.
[0:25] >> No, no, no. It's It's just up to you. I
[0:27] didn't know if you felt far away.
[0:30] All right. Good morning, everyone. Um,
[0:35] what is that noise?
[0:39] » All right. Um,
[0:42] good morning. Thank you so much for
[0:44] being here. I, um, I want to start off
[0:48] by recognizing the amazing work of our
[0:51] first responders, our firefighters. They
[0:54] have, they're still in this active
[0:57] incident. um this very catastrophic fire
[1:01] and as you know
[1:04] we just came off of the bug fire and so
[1:07] back-to-back events um have been
[1:10] incredibly challenging.
[1:12] So I would just ask everyone please um
[1:16] keep them um in your thoughts and
[1:18] prayers because they have just worked
[1:21] tirelessly
[1:23] and done an outstanding job protecting
[1:25] human life. Um and so I also want to
[1:29] acknowledge the victims of this fire and
[1:32] all the people that have been displaced.
[1:35] Um
[1:38] fire is very personal to me. So I um can
[1:42] understand
[1:43] how challenging and how their lives have
[1:45] changed literally overnight. We also
[1:48] have someone over here um who's also
[1:51] been impacted by devastating fires and
[1:53] she's been a tremendous advocate and
[1:55] that's Hannah Hoop. You're thank you for
[1:57] being here today. Uh I really appreciate
[2:00] everything that you do and your advocacy
[2:04] um when it comes to fires. So thank you
[2:07] so much. Um, I also want to acknowledge
[2:10] all the jurisdictional teams um for, you
[2:14] know, working together, working around
[2:17] the clock, non-stop. Um, JW, you were
[2:21] absolutely my rock through everything.
[2:23] You're just amazing and kind and caring
[2:26] [snorts] and compassionate.
[2:28] >> Is the meeting started? I can't hear
[2:29] anything.
[2:30] >> So, I I just want to acknowledge you as
[2:34] my MVP. So, thank you.
[2:36] >> Thank you. Um
[2:39] there are so many people to thank. I
[2:41] can't even begin.
[2:43] And I don't want to
[2:45] forget anyone. And um because now we we
[2:49] start a lot of the recovery.
[2:52] [snorts] Um and that's going to be long
[2:55] and difficult and people are going to
[2:57] need your support.
[2:59] A lot of people are going to need your
[3:00] support. So, if you could please please
[3:05] um do anything, please reach out to the
[3:08] community foundation. They are taking
[3:11] donations. Um we have a lot of work to
[3:14] do. It's a little overwhelming right
[3:16] now, but we have to keep everyone in our thoughts and prayers.
[3:22] Um
[3:25] Naomi, thank you for
[3:28] helping me. Sure.
[3:30] Well, [snorts]
[3:32] we just had a couple of days where um
[3:35] I'm just grateful and my council members
[3:38] and so thank you guys. I really
[3:39] appreciate your grace and your mercy.
[3:42] And I would just ask everyone else to
[3:44] please at this time.
[3:49] Do everything you possibly can to help
[3:51] our community get through this. There
[3:54] [snorts] are 47 homes that were lost and
[3:57] that absolutely is devastating.
[4:01] [snorts]
[4:02] So, um we have a lot of work to do. Um
[4:05] everyone is still jumping in in action.
[4:07] So, please know that um
[4:11] it it's extremely active, extremely
[4:14] active on all fronts. Um even from our
[4:17] state partners, our legislators, uh the
[4:20] county, so many. I also want to
[4:22] acknowledge the Floyd family.
[4:25] My my heart goes out to them
[4:31] and so please keep them in your thoughts
[4:32] and prayers too.
[4:37] Anyway, um I just like a little moment
[4:39] of silence. I apologize for being
[4:41] emotional,
[4:45] but [snorts] I guess for me it's just
[4:48] very
[4:50] it triggers a lot of emotions that I
[4:53] probably have suppressed for a long
[4:55] time. So anyway, just a moment of
[4:58] silence. So, thank you everyone for
[5:00] being here today and thank you. There's
[5:02] so many of you that have reached out and
[5:04] donated and just showed this community
[5:06] support. people like opening their homes
[5:09] to people they didn't even know, didn't
[5:11] even know. They just said, "Come on,
[5:13] come into my home." It was really, miraculous, but that's who we
[5:17] are. So, I [snorts] I just want you to
[5:19] know how grateful I am for
[5:22] this entire community.
[5:25] The biggest little city is very special.
[5:27] So, thank [snorts] you to all of you.
[5:30] Thank you.
[5:32] Okay, give us a minute and [snorts] uh
[5:35] I'll get in a better
[5:37] transition um so we can get on with our
[5:40] meeting. So, [snorts] just a moment of
[5:42] silence, please.
[5:53] [snorts]
[6:14] » [snorts]
[6:15] >> Okay.
[6:20] All right. Um, as we shift [snorts]
[6:23] into,
[6:24] um, something to be extremely proud of,
[6:28] I have a very, very special guest here
[6:31] with us today [snorts] and I'm excited.
[6:34] She is
[6:35] >> Yes.
[6:36] >> Um, if I may, um, I just want to share
[6:39] that, you know, a lot of members in my
[6:41] community are still actively being
[6:43] affected by the fire. I know that um my
[6:47] family and I um were in a mandatory
[6:49] evacuation zone and we were evacuated
[6:52] from Saturday until
[6:55] yesterday. Um, and I it was very
[7:00] traumatic for myself, for my children,
[7:03] for my family, for my neighborhood to
[7:06] have um police on loudspeakers on our
[7:09] streets telling people to leave to find
[7:12] out later they were knocking on doors
[7:14] and telling people to leave and they
[7:16] couldn't get anything but their purse
[7:18] and go. Um, and I just want to say like
[7:22] I
[7:23] am heartbroken for the people in my
[7:26] community that lost their homes. And
[7:29] there are people that are still without
[7:32] resources that feel like they have um
[7:36] been neglected
[7:38] um by the communication efforts and
[7:43] resources.
[7:44] And I'm also just disappointed to see
[7:48] that there's so much compassion for
[7:51] other council members and my colleagues,
[7:55] but I didn't receive so much as a phone
[7:57] call from my colleagues. I know you
[7:59] called once, Hillary, but I tried to
[8:01] call you several times and sent you a
[8:04] text message asking you to call me and
[8:08] no one communicated with me. So, this is
[8:11] an extremely difficult time and I had to
[8:14] see homes in my ward with people I
[8:17] represent that had burnt down on social
[8:20] media before I was informed officially.
[8:23] This has been extremely traumatic for my
[8:26] community. And I I I'm just um really um
[8:33] devastated with the way a lot of this um
[8:38] played out for our community. And um you
[8:43] know I I I hope that in the future um we
[8:47] can get a little um
[8:51] additional support and care particularly
[8:54] from my colleagues especially now that
[8:57] we have had two fires in a row. Um the
[9:02] evacuation process is getting
[9:04] significantly worse with each fire. I
[9:07] personally was probably one of the first
[9:10] to evacuate and it took me um over an
[9:13] hour to get from Military Road to Golden
[9:16] Valley to get on the freeway. Um our
[9:18] only access point was closed from PAR to
[9:23] Red Rock um for a significant amount of
[9:26] time um while people were being told to
[9:29] evacuate.
[9:31] uh this this communication I know was
[9:34] not handled by us. We were not the ones
[9:38] in charge and our firefighters have done
[9:41] an amazing job. Uh this is not a
[9:43] reflection on them at all. Um but there
[9:48] there's been a lot of comments made by
[9:52] me about um a necessity for additional
[9:56] infrastructure for public safety. um
[9:58] it's been largely dismissed. Um I've
[10:01] been reminded that there's been, you
[10:03] know, billions of dollars put into my
[10:05] community. Um which we're all grateful
[10:08] for. But, um the timing of having the
[10:12] majority of our major access roads under
[10:15] construction at the same time when we
[10:17] all have to evacuate
[10:20] is just um makes everything that we had
[10:24] to go through exponentially worse. So, I
[10:27] just want to say like we're all
[10:30] devastated. Um, I'm personally sick to
[10:33] my stomach about all of it. Um, and
[10:36] still having a difficult time sleeping
[10:38] because I'm so upset about it. Um, there
[10:41] are people that can't get their
[10:42] medications that have evacuated that
[10:45] have been told to go get emergency
[10:48] prescriptions filled because they can't
[10:49] go home, but they cannot afford to pay
[10:52] for additional medications. There are
[10:55] people that are afraid to leave because
[10:57] they have large animals that they're not
[11:00] able to evacuate with. And so therefore,
[11:04] they're at home and ran out of supplies
[11:07] and the the shopping that they were able
[11:10] to access ran out of supplies. No
[11:12] additional supplies were able to come to
[11:15] the area.
[11:16] um we had a a severe
[11:19] um breakdown of support for the people
[11:23] out here that couldn't leave for any
[11:25] number of reasons. And I know we want
[11:28] people to leave evacuation areas, but um
[11:31] I think part of it is because, you know,
[11:34] if a fire gets close to a resident, uh
[11:37] there's only one access route, so we
[11:40] have to be proactive and u evacuate
[11:43] people before it gets too close.
[11:46] But because of that, a lot of people end
[11:49] up in a mandatory evacuation zone that
[11:52] maybe are a bit away. Um, so they feel
[11:55] comfortable staying with their
[11:58] livestock.
[11:59] um but then end up in a position where
[12:01] they have no power for days, are not
[12:04] able to get gas for generators, and
[12:08] their food has spoiled, their local
[12:11] stores are out of supplies, and uh it
[12:14] was extremely difficult, especially as a
[12:17] representative, to not be able to um
[12:22] coordinate to get additional resources
[12:24] to these areas for them. So, I just
[12:27] wanted to let everyone know like this is
[12:30] still ongoing for areas of my community.
[12:33] I know the majority of the areas have
[12:35] now been changed to yellow. People can
[12:37] go home, but there are still areas that
[12:40] are um not allowed to come and go as
[12:43] they please. So, just a reminder, this
[12:45] is not over for my community, and we've
[12:48] lost many homes out here. Um, so again,
[12:52] huge thank you to the firefighters and
[12:54] everybody that joined in to help. Um,
[12:57] but I think we also need to remember
[13:00] that um there's other things that need
[13:03] to happen um in a in a major emergency
[13:06] like this. So, um just wanted to um say
[13:10] that as the war representative um who um
[13:15] you know continues to have this happen
[13:18] and also was personally affected um you
[13:22] know and and the entire time having to
[13:24] answer questions to my children about
[13:26] whether or not our house had burned
[13:27] down.
[13:28] >> Okay.
[13:28] >> So, thank you.
[13:30] >> Thank you, Megan. Are are you safe?
[13:33] >> We are safe. Okay. I just want to make
[13:36] sure that you're safe. Thank you very
[13:38] much. I appreciate your words.
[13:58] Okay.
[14:02] Now something to be um very much
[14:06] celebrated. I have a very special guest
[14:10] with me and everyone I would love to
[14:12] introduce you to. Um
[14:16] this is Kayla Duncan and she is Miss
[14:20] Nevada and guess what? She is going to
[14:23] be competing on the national stage in
[14:26] Las Vegas in November. So, um hello
[14:30] future I said mayor and then I said no
[14:32] we need future president right future
[14:35] president um we are very proud to have
[14:37] you here representing the great state of
[14:40] Nevada. Um, I would love for you to
[14:42] start our meeting um with the pledge of
[14:45] allegiance and uh then I would love for
[14:48] you to tell everyone um about who you
[14:51] are, why you're doing what you do and
[14:53] Hannah I think did you were you
[14:56] pageantry I thought at one Yeah. No.
[15:01] [laughter]
[15:02] >> Why?
[15:02] >> I was a dancer.
[15:05] >> That's right. you were you're a a um
[15:07] professional dancer
[15:09] and country extraordinaire.
[15:12] Anyway, [snorts]
[15:13] um [clears throat] um we have been very
[15:16] supportive of a lot of the um women that
[15:20] uh do compete. I think it's a probably a
[15:23] very very difficult job, way harder than
[15:25] my job, but um please lead us in in the
[15:29] pledge.
[15:40] I pledge algiance to the flag of the
[15:44] United States of America and to the
[15:46] republic for which it stands, one nation
[15:50] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[15:53] justice for all.
[15:56] >> Great job. Okay, Kayla, I would love for
[15:59] you to tell everyone a little bit about
[16:02] yourself and your platform and um and
[16:07] you know how we can support you. So,
[16:10] take it away.
[16:11] >> Thank you so much. It's truly such an
[16:13] honor to be here with you all today.
[16:15] Hello, my name is Kayla Duncan. I am
[16:17] Miss Nevada United States and I will be
[16:19] competing for the title of Miss United
[16:21] States in November. So, I'm extremely
[16:24] excited and grateful for this
[16:26] opportunity to represent the silver
[16:27] state at on the national stage. I would
[16:30] say my story with my platform that I
[16:33] created called Beauty Within Bravery
[16:35] actually started right here in Reno. I
[16:38] was a college student at the University
[16:40] of Nevada. Go Wolfpack. And I graduated
[16:43] with my undergraduate degree in
[16:45] psychology in 2020. And right now, I'm
[16:48] pursuing my graduate education there as
[16:50] well. And I found a lot of support in
[16:55] the biggest little city here.
[16:58] One example of the amazing support I
[17:01] found was a professor that I had for one
[17:04] of my courses. And I spoke with her
[17:07] about being a trauma survivor.
[17:10] And she brought me into freestyle
[17:12] martial arts, which was the gym she
[17:14] owned at the time, and gave me my first
[17:17] lesson in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
[17:19] And as a survivor of sexual assault and
[17:22] domestic violence, that sparked a new
[17:25] era of healing and transformation for
[17:26] myself. I then went on to work at Uriah
[17:30] Faber's Ultimate Fitness in Sacramento
[17:32] for years, and that is a very
[17:35] well-known, prestigious mixed martial
[17:36] arts gym that has housed many successful
[17:39] UFC fighters. I've been able to learn so
[17:43] many valuable skills about self-defense,
[17:45] which has caused me to feel my most
[17:49] confident after trauma. Now, through
[17:52] Beauty Within Bravery, I teach free
[17:54] self-defense seminars to the public
[17:57] because I want to give other people the
[17:59] gift that I've been given through this
[18:01] newly instilled confidence and sense of
[18:03] safety and security. I'm also very proud
[18:06] to be partnering with Safe Embrace, one
[18:08] of the many incredible organizations
[18:10] right here in Reno, to be able to help
[18:13] reach many survivors. It's for
[18:16] everybody. I have taught these seminars
[18:19] to kids as young as six. I've taught
[18:21] people upwards of 60. It's for men and
[18:24] women. You don't have to be a survivor.
[18:26] I always say that if you don't end up
[18:28] utilizing these skills, which I hope
[18:30] nobody does. I hope nobody ever has to
[18:32] be faced with an unimaginable situation
[18:35] that would cause them to have to use
[18:36] these preventative safety skills. But
[18:38] you can teach it to a loved one. You can
[18:41] do it for fun. I've had many people take
[18:44] the class and say that they were able to
[18:46] teach their mom or their sister more
[18:50] strategies to defend themselves in
[18:51] public. I've also had survivors tell me
[18:54] because of these seminars, it was the
[18:55] one reason they felt safe enough to go
[18:57] to the gas station that day after
[18:59] surviving a trauma there. So, this work
[19:02] is extremely important to me. I'm so
[19:05] grateful and excited to be able to
[19:06] expand it. My goal is to make this
[19:09] education as accessible as possible. And
[19:12] I want to help heal and and empower
[19:14] other survivors the way that others have
[19:16] poured into me in this community in the
[19:18] past. Thank you.
[19:19] >> Wow. So, I'm taking it that we should
[19:23] not mess with you. [laughter]
[19:26] >> You can kick some. You know what?
[19:29] >> I'm little, but I'm pretty tough and I'm
[19:31] grateful for all the mentors that have
[19:33] poured into me to help make me so much
[19:35] stronger than I am.
[19:37] >> You are impressive and we are excited
[19:39] that you are going to be representing
[19:41] us. And what's the date of that? And
[19:43] typically they air that nationally. So,
[19:45] how do we how do we all get to tune in
[19:48] and root you on?
[19:49] >> Yes. So currently waiting on the updates
[19:52] in terms of live streaming or if it'll
[19:54] be broadcast on television, but it'll be
[19:56] November 12th through 15th in Las Vegas.
[19:59] So very grateful to be able to represent
[20:00] this beautiful state and be the hometown
[20:02] girl for that event.
[20:03] >> Wow. Well, we're very proud because I
[20:05] can only imagine that pressure must be
[20:07] just enormous. But anyway, well, thank
[20:11] you for being here today, uh, mayor for
[20:13] the day. Um, so we're excited to have
[20:16] you.
[20:16] >> Where are you from?
[20:17] >> Thank you.
[20:18] I'm originally from Northern California,
[20:20] but lived here for six years.
[20:22] >> Okay. All right. [laughter]
[20:24] So, are we calling Reno home then?
[20:26] >> Yes.
[20:27] >> Going back and forth here between Las
[20:29] Vegas and Reno as well as visiting home
[20:32] >> Switzerland. I got you. Right.
[20:34] [laughter] Well, I will say when I'm in
[20:36] Vegas, I still rep my Nevada gear. It
[20:39] can be a little bit of hostile territory
[20:40] sometimes, but I will always always
[20:42] proudly represent the Wolfpack.
[20:44] >> Okay. Thank you so much. All right.
[20:47] [snorts] I love it. Um, okay. Um, I'm
[20:50] going to hand it back to you, Madame
[20:52] Clerk, because uh, we need to call the
[20:54] role.
[20:55] >> Yes. Uh, so we are calling role for the
[20:57] Wednesday, August 26th, Reno City
[20:59] Council meeting. Council member Taylor
[21:01] >> here,
[21:01] >> Council Member Der
[21:02] >> here,
[21:03] >> Vice Mayor Martinez
[21:04] >> here,
[21:04] >> Council Member Eert
[21:06] >> here,
[21:07] >> Council Member Reese is absent, Council
[21:09] Member Anderson
[21:10] >> here,
[21:10] >> and Mayor Sheibi
[21:12] >> here.
[21:12] >> You do have a quorum.
[21:13] >> Okay. Thank you so much. At this time,
[21:15] I'm going to ask council members uh to
[21:18] approve the agenda.
[21:19] >> Oh, we need to take public comments.
[21:21] >> Sorry. Um
[21:23] there was one other thing I wanted to
[21:24] do.
[21:25] >> Hold on. Before we got there.
[21:29] >> All right. Never never mind. Go ahead.
[21:32] >> Okay. Madame Mayor, our first item today
[21:34] is public comment. It should be noted
[21:36] for those in attendance that comments
[21:37] are to be addressed to the mayor and
[21:38] council as a whole. Comments heard under
[21:40] this item will be limited to three
[21:42] minutes per person and may pertain to
[21:44] matters both on and off the council's
[21:45] agenda. Council may not take action upon
[21:47] any matter not agendaized on today's
[21:49] agenda. When you are called on for
[21:51] public comment, please state your name
[21:53] for the record and begin speaking. The
[21:55] timer will begin when you say your name
[21:56] and you will be afforded three minutes.
[21:58] For those participating in chambers in
[22:00] accordance with council rules 6.3.11
[22:04] while in this room, please be
[22:05] respectful. Disruptive behavior from
[22:07] audience members like clapping, yelling,
[22:09] whistling, etc. which impede the meeting
[22:11] may result in a warning issued by the
[22:13] presiding officer. If the behavior
[22:15] continues, you may be removed from
[22:17] chambers. If you are an attendee in the
[22:19] Zoom meeting and would like to make
[22:20] public comment, please raise your hand
[22:21] at this time.
[22:23] Hannah Hubar, followed by Kamal Abuhan,
[22:26] followed by Terry Brooks.
[22:33] Good morning, mayor. Good morning,
[22:34] council. Um, I'm here to share. You
[22:37] probably all have seen Project Bear Hugs
[22:39] is responding. We originally were
[22:40] responding to Bug, Fred Mountain, and
[22:43] Stallion Fires. While we were holding an
[22:45] event to help those that were affected
[22:47] and to honor Eddie and Charie Floyd, we
[22:51] um saw the Hawk Fire start and we are
[22:53] responding to them as well. If you know
[22:56] of anybody that are in your wards that
[22:58] have been evacuated that need help,
[22:59] please reach out to Project Bear Hugs
[23:01] and we can give them items. we can give
[23:02] them support, resources, um any of that.
[23:05] And that goes from short-term all the
[23:07] way to longterm. Um so they can reach
[23:09] out to us either on our Facebook page,
[23:12] website, projectbearhugs.com.
[23:14] If you have any questions, um you guys
[23:17] can reach out to me there. I'm not going
[23:18] to give my public phone number even
[23:20] though it's already publicized.
[23:21] [laughter]
[23:23] >> Um and just so everyone knows, Hannah's
[23:25] been doing this work for I don't know,
[23:27] probably 15, 20 years.
[23:29] >> Almost 14 years.
[23:30] >> Is it 14 years? Yep.
[23:32] >> Yeah, it's impressive. You're you're
[23:34] really you're really amazing, Hannah.
[23:36] What What else um when you say what are
[23:39] the things that people can donate? Like
[23:42] what what would be most needed?
[23:43] >> Um right now we're collecting anything
[23:45] from toiletries, baby items. Um we are
[23:49] collecting anything from animal food,
[23:51] animal dog bowls, um animal toys. That
[23:54] is a huge need right now. Um we are in
[23:57] contact with a lot of the families that
[23:58] have been affected and we are giving
[24:00] them items. Um and in those normally is
[24:02] like a box that we give a pillow,
[24:04] blanket, um stuffed animal for kids or a
[24:07] stuffed animal for animals. Um we give
[24:09] an activity for kids to do whether it be
[24:12] a coloring book, um something for
[24:14] elderly. We give them something that's
[24:16] not going to hurt their hands, anything
[24:18] like that. So we are collecting um
[24:20] pretty much everything except for
[24:21] clothes and we are not accepting
[24:23] anything used. Okay, good to know. Are
[24:26] you still doing your show?
[24:28] >> Yes.
[24:29] >> I got your guest. [laughter] All right.
[24:32] Thank you so much for being here.
[24:36] » Kamal Abuhan, followed by Terry Brooks,
[24:39] followed by Jerry the Pizza Man.
[24:45] » Hi. For the for the record, Kamal
[24:46] Abuhan, pleasure to see everyone. This
[24:48] is actually a serious matter. Um, Mayor
[24:51] Shibi, I loved your NewsNation uh
[24:54] interview just recently. Uh, I thought
[24:56] you were absolutely spot on. So, I'm
[24:58] going to just address non-compliance.
[25:00] I'm in fire zone 359.
[25:03] Uh, we just got lifted from on the on
[25:06] August 24th, we just got lifted from
[25:08] yellow level two to white. Thankfully,
[25:10] everyone's starting to return. But I
[25:12] have a problem with my landlord and my
[25:15] uh my I have a I gave it I own a u a
[25:18] sheet here. They've took it upon
[25:20] themselves to start a construction
[25:22] project during a level two.
[25:25] They blocked roadways on the uh on the property, coned off the ability
[25:32] for these residents to exit and enter
[25:35] the property, leaving one area which is
[25:38] a very very largely densed area where
[25:40] the people can come in and out of the of
[25:42] the property. Everything around it's
[25:43] gated.
[25:45] When it comes to non-compliance and fire
[25:47] code, it's very very important that we
[25:49] follow the rules. When when you see a
[25:51] yellow or red, you either got to get out
[25:53] or you got to be ready to get out. I can
[25:54] tell you when we got the order to get
[25:55] out was it was like August 21st or 22nd.
[25:58] You can hear the the the pets. Meow.
[26:01] Meow. The the people, you know,
[26:04] getting together. The was it like was it
[26:06] like 9 or 10 o'clock at night, right?
[26:08] And they were you could just see the
[26:10] people were already getting ready. We
[26:11] were in the yellow zone. They were
[26:12] getting ready to get out. Uh, I was
[26:15] ready. I used, that's why I have a
[26:16] camper. I'm back in my truck because
[26:18] it's real easy, you know? I can live in
[26:19] it. Everything's already ready to go. I
[26:21] got one go bag. Boom. I'm out. Came back
[26:24] from my ride in Mount Rose. I roll my mountain bike in Mount Rose. And
[26:28] I couldn't believe what I was seeing at
[26:30] the property on the 23rd. The mountain
[26:32] was still smoldering. You'll see it in
[26:33] the picture. The mountain was
[26:34] smoldering. And you have the property
[26:36] manager
[26:38] coning off sections of the of the
[26:40] driveway. On the 24th in the morning at
[26:42] zero 0600, I get a knock. God bless my
[26:44] neighbors. I get a knock on the door.
[26:46] Hey, they're going to tow your your your
[26:47] car. They have tow trucks in a yellow
[26:50] zone on the 24th in the morning of the
[26:52] 24th. It's towing cars.
[26:55] The car is designed as an egress. Any
[26:58] I'm a firefighter for maritime. I was
[27:00] trained in firefighting. I know what
[27:01] it's like to fight a fire using buckets
[27:04] of with a people chain up the hill for a
[27:06] twoacre fire. We had the perimeter fire.
[27:09] was out 8 acres.
[27:12] Everyone was back in. They were back in
[27:15] their houses and the fire reignited to
[27:17] create what the worst one of the worst
[27:20] costly fires for that area in
[27:22] California. So, I'm asking the city
[27:25] council, please take this seriously. I
[27:26] gave you the documents. You have the
[27:28] documents in here. We cannot allow con I
[27:30] went to the form and I went to my chain
[27:32] of command. I made the phone call to the
[27:34] police. I I called I went to the
[27:36] landlord. I sent emails. I was laughed.
[27:38] I was kicked off the work site
[27:42] during a level two.
[27:46] So the culture is real. Ma'am, your
[27:48] non-compliance issue is not only with
[27:50] the residents, but it's also with our
[27:53] informal leaders.
[27:54] >> Thank you.
[27:56] >> Um sir, you said you have um
[27:58] documentation.
[27:59] >> Yes, sir. Ma'am, we I gave you I have a
[28:01] packet that I It's a formal complaint.
[28:03] >> Okay, perfect.
[28:04] >> And you'll see Okay, just just two a
[28:06] minute. When you see a cone, right, and
[28:09] you're evacuating, [clears throat] you
[28:11] we I can't speak for what another
[28:13] person's going to do when they evacuate.
[28:15] There's no way to tell what an
[28:16] individual will do when they're fight
[28:18] when the fight for flight is active.
[28:20] When your visibility comes down, that's
[28:22] why I'm even if you see cones in this
[28:24] picture, oh, you it's not really
[28:26] blocking, but I can't say how a person's
[28:29] going to interpret this. I can't say
[28:30] whether their flight will be, oh, no,
[28:33] they automatically think, let me get out
[28:34] of the way of the cones. Let me go to
[28:35] the one the one exit point in a 200 what
[28:40] populated by 300 people in less than
[28:42] half an acre.
[28:45] This is an absolute fire danger that's
[28:47] been precipitated by leadership by
[28:50] informal leaders of our community. Not
[28:52] the residents who want to shelter in
[28:53] place as I've heard over the radio.
[28:56] >> Okay.
[28:56] >> Right.
[28:56] >> Um
[28:57] >> wait. So you have those documents. Is
[29:00] your contact on there?
[29:01] >> Yes, ma'am.
[29:02] >> Okay. I will be reaching out to you
[29:04] directly.
[29:04] >> Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.
[29:06] >> Good job. Good job.
[29:09] >> Terry Brooks, followed by Jerry the
[29:10] Pizza Man, followed by Steven White.
[29:16] » Terry,
[29:18] good morning.
[29:19] >> Good morning. It's me, Terry Brooks
[29:21] again. And today, I'd like to share with
[29:24] you my lack of thoughts on technology
[29:28] and what seniors like me go through.
[29:31] When we worked for years at various
[29:33] jobs, we kept up with advancing
[29:36] technology. But later on, when we
[29:38] retired, we said goodbye to technology.
[29:42] The older that we get, the more we get
[29:44] set in our ways and then begin to
[29:47] develop a senior no change phase. I
[29:51] don't have a computer, but I do have an
[29:53] abacus. That's all I need to multiply,
[29:56] divide, or do a minus or plus. I don't
[29:59] have or check email. I think it's a lot
[30:03] better to just open my mailbox and see
[30:06] if I've received a letter. Another thing
[30:09] that I don't have is a cell phone, but I
[30:12] do have a landline with an answering
[30:14] machine. So, just leave a message after
[30:16] the tunnel.
[30:18] I don't have a microwave, but I do have
[30:21] a crockpot, even though it takes a bit
[30:24] longer for my dinner to get hot. I named
[30:26] her Gravy Crockett. She's the queen of
[30:29] my wild frontier kitchen. Just plugged
[30:31] her into the socket and her cooking is
[30:33] bewitching.
[30:35] I did have a car, but I only drove it
[30:37] once a week. When Grazy Crockett told me
[30:40] to get groceries, I'd say, "Okay, tongue
[30:42] and cheek." Now I walk to the grocery
[30:46] store, but carrying all that food on my
[30:48] way back makes me so hungry that I eat
[30:51] some of it while I'm walking back and
[30:53] then I have to go back. I don't have
[30:56] anything against such modern technology,
[30:59] but I think that we have become way too
[31:01] dependent on technology.
[31:04] The older I get, the more I look back
[31:06] and see how technology has helped us
[31:08] evolve. But recently, I've seen how it's
[31:11] beginning to let us dissolve.
[31:14] I don't even have a typewriter. I just
[31:16] write on paper with a pen. That is until
[31:20] my pen runs out of ink again. I would
[31:23] like to thank you all for listening to
[31:24] me today and I look forward to coming
[31:27] back if my pen still has pink that day.
[31:31] And by the way, I appreciate people
[31:34] sharing their kinds of self-defense with
[31:37] each other and because it helps a lot of
[31:39] us survive in various ways. And
[31:42] [clears throat] I kind of developed my
[31:43] own weird self-defense method. Uh, so
[31:48] when somebody tries to threaten or
[31:51] assault me in some way, I just look them
[31:54] right in the eye and say, "If you try to
[31:56] mess with me, you know what I'm going to
[31:57] do? I'm going to write a poem about it
[31:59] and I'm going to read it to you."
[32:01] [laughter]
[32:02] >> Thank you.
[32:02] >> All right, Terry. Thank you so much.
[32:05] Thank you. Thank you.
[32:07] >> Jerry the Pizza Man, followed by Steven
[32:09] White, followed by Damen Cole.
[32:11] >> Jerry,
[32:14] come on up. Jerry, that's you, Jerry.
[32:16] Miffs.
[32:18] Can we Can you help him?
[32:22] >> Thank you.
[32:26] » Did somebody ask you to help me?
[32:27] >> Yeah. [laughter]
[32:30] >> There.
[32:31] >> What do you think I got a king for?
[32:35] [clears throat]
[32:37] >> You're looking younger every time I see
[32:38] you, Hillary.
[32:39] >> I'm just getting shorter.
[32:41] >> My [clears throat] name is Hillary Mson.
[32:43] Good morning, uh, Hillary.
[32:47] Uh Devin, you never looked more
[32:48] lovelier. [laughter]
[32:52] [snorts] City Attorney Carl Hall will be
[32:55] retiring this year. Carl Hall is the guy
[32:57] over there with the red head. He fell
[32:59] asleep in a tanning salon. Carl, good
[33:03] job.
[33:05] >> Like an attorney, he hardly talked, but
[33:07] that's all right.
[33:09] >> And now,
[33:09] >> just a reminder that comments need
[33:13] >> the final curtain. Go ahead,
[33:15] >> my friend. I'll tell it clear.
[33:20] I'll state my case of which I'm certain.
[33:24] Mrs. Frank, not
[33:25] >> I I was going to say I know those words.
[33:27] >> I've lived a life that's full. I've
[33:29] traveled each and every highway and more of this. I did it my way.
[33:37] I've lived, I've loved, and I've laughed
[33:39] and I've cried and I've I've had some
[33:43] losing. And now as tears subside, I find
[33:47] it all so amusing.
[33:51] But through it all,
[33:53] when there was doubt,
[33:56] I ate it up and I spit it out and I
[33:59] stood tall and I did it my way. Bing.
[34:03] Okay. Now,
[34:07] my advice, and I want to give a bunch of
[34:09] advice before I retire and get that
[34:12] lifetime achievement award that I'm
[34:16] working with Brian on. [clears throat]
[34:19] Um,
[34:21] number one, all city council members
[34:24] that are overseeing a ward need to be
[34:27] drug tested once a month. Number two,
[34:30] all city council members overseeing a
[34:33] ward need to submit
[34:36] once a month a report on what they're
[34:39] doing and I'll make you an offer. I'll
[34:43] give you your own radio show because I'm
[34:45] talking with American Matters Eddie
[34:50] Floyd Eddie Floyd about having a city
[34:55] council member appear
[34:57] on a radio and take calls from people
[35:01] from their ward or the general public
[35:04] this way offering some transparency.
[35:07] People need to feel that that you're willing to be open and let them
[35:13] know what's going on. As far as the fire
[35:16] goes, some people stopped me on the way
[35:18] in and said, "We're not hearing enough."
[35:21] >> So, get as much information about what's
[35:24] going on. We know you're doing your
[35:26] best. Uh, Mayor Shivy,
[35:29] Mayor Shivi, you know you're doing your
[35:32] best.
[35:33] >> Come on. You know, I put on special
[35:35] cologne just to be here today.
[35:37] >> [laughter]
[35:37] >> Um,
[35:39] >> I want to thank you very much. Uh, nice
[35:41] to see you, Vice Mayor Martinez.
[35:44] Have a nice day,
[35:47] >> Jerry. That was very nice. That was my
[35:49] father.
[35:49] >> We're still here.
[35:50] >> So,
[35:51] >> and we're not done yet. That's me and my
[35:53] fellow seniors. Let's hear it for
[35:55] seniors.
[35:58] [laughter]
[35:59] >> That's it.
[36:01] >> Okay. Thank you.
[36:02] >> Jerry calls them seniors.
[36:05] >> [laughter]
[36:06] >> Thanks, Jerry. Steven White, followed by
[36:08] Damen Cole, followed by Kellen Flanigan.
[36:11] >> She likes to attorney.
[36:13] >> Okay,
[36:14] >> there's two attorney.
[36:23] » You almost had to drag me up here.
[36:27] [snorts]
[36:30] Stephen White here, notorious defender
[36:33] of your First Amendment rights to be an
[36:36] artist in America.
[36:38] Um,
[36:40] after hearing what's been happening over
[36:41] here with the fires and all, probably
[36:43] what I'm talking about is a little bit
[36:44] trivial, but you know, I've worked with
[36:47] young people for many, many years in the
[36:49] arts and something that's important for
[36:51] us all to understand is that young
[36:53] people when they're doing artwork, those
[36:55] art works of art are a treasure to them.
[36:57] They don't want to necessarily sell
[36:59] their original works of art. Now, we run
[37:03] into a problem when we're writing
[37:05] municipal codes or putting information
[37:07] on the website or making signage about
[37:10] dealing with artists in the parks. And
[37:13] we use the words artists are invited to
[37:16] display and sell original expressive
[37:18] works of art. That becomes a problem
[37:21] because young people they read that and
[37:24] they think well I don't want to sell my
[37:25] original work of art and so they're gone
[37:28] and they they you know don't get
[37:30] involved in all this. Trouble is you see
[37:32] the ninth circuit in the second circuit
[37:34] a ninth circuit ruling in white versus
[37:37] park second sentence they say we hold
[37:40] that an artist sale of his original
[37:42] artwork constitutes speech protected by
[37:44] the first amendment. But in the legal
[37:46] world, the word original is referring to
[37:49] being original to the artist that
[37:51] created it. But in the art world, the
[37:54] word original means it's not a print.
[37:57] It's the original work of art. And so we
[38:00] got to be careful when we use this
[38:02] language. You don't want to use the word
[38:04] original in the signage or any of that.
[38:07] Same thing with the word expressive. The
[38:09] word expressive has to be used in the
[38:11] proper context. Understand? say, "I ran
[38:14] into a lady the other day that does uh
[38:16] tie-dyed scarfves." Well, she's the
[38:19] artist. She created it. They're one of a
[38:21] kind, original, and they're expressive,
[38:24] but they're not allowed because they are
[38:26] functional and useful. So, we have to
[38:29] change that wording to artists are
[38:31] invited, display, and sell works of art
[38:33] that they have personally created and
[38:36] that have no other purpose than to be
[38:38] expressive. We need to put both those
[38:40] words in proper context. And I'd rather
[38:43] see the word original. I've used it all
[38:46] in writing these these uh signings and
[38:49] that sort of thing. Um
[38:53] I'm all about getting kids involved in
[38:54] all this and uh we need to do everything
[38:57] we can to encourage young people that
[39:00] let them know that they can do prints of
[39:01] their original artwork. They can take
[39:03] prints of their original artwork and and
[39:06] even go to Costco and have them printed
[39:07] on canvas. They can do a print on on
[39:11] photo paper at home in their own home
[39:13] from computer and put it in an
[39:15] inexpensive frame from Walmart and
[39:17] they'll have a work of art they can put
[39:19] on display and share with the community.
[39:21] But we want to be real careful using
[39:23] these words original and the wording
[39:26] that we use is very important. I've
[39:28] [snorts] already talked to Mr. Hall
[39:30] about this and and Nathan and we're
[39:31] working on these things.
[39:33] And and final note, God bless all the
[39:36] people that are being affected by the
[39:38] fire. And one last thing I wanted to say
[39:40] is God bless the wonderful, beautiful
[39:44] humanitarian
[39:45] Dolly Parton.
[39:46] >> No, passed away.
[39:48] >> God bless all of you. Thank you.
[39:50] >> Thank you so so so much. Someone shared
[39:54] a story with me about Dolly Parton when
[39:57] she was here many many years ago
[39:59] performing in Reno. First of all, they said between every song she changed
[40:04] outfits, but she was rolling out, I
[40:06] guess, a penny penny slots, and she
[40:10] insisted that they be penny pennies
[40:12] because she wanted to she said,
[40:14] "Everyone deserves to win something."
[40:16] And so she said, "They must be pennies.
[40:19] They were trying to
[40:21] force her to do, you know, bigger asks,
[40:24] but she said, "Absolutely not. I'll only
[40:26] do pennies." So, I just thought that was
[40:28] so dolly to say everyone deserves to win
[40:31] something. So,
[40:35] » okay,
[40:36] >> come on. Come on up, Damian.
[40:40] >> I know we've been in the midst of stuff,
[40:41] but
[40:42] >> Oh, yes.
[40:42] >> I kind of had to.
[40:44] >> Yeah, I came here to talk about the
[40:45] >> pivot for a minute.
[40:46] >> Yes. No, that's that's totally fine. Go
[40:49] ahead. Uh Damen Cole for the record.
[40:51] Good morning, Madam Mayor, City Council.
[40:53] So, I came here to talk about the
[40:55] signatures that I've been collecting
[40:57] regarding the walkway. But, uh, very
[40:59] briefly, I just want to mention, so, um,
[41:03] ever since the fire started, things
[41:04] pivoted. Um, I recognized when I saw the
[41:07] plume of smoke like palm pages let off.
[41:10] [sighs] Something had to be done. So, I
[41:12] started a stream that I had run for
[41:15] three days straight, providing community
[41:17] information to people, gathering people
[41:18] together, getting information
[41:20] disseminated. Um and so for three 3 days
[41:23] straight I said I'm going to keep on
[41:25] doing this until we get at least to 50%
[41:27] containment which took 3 days. So um
[41:30] before I talk about this other thing
[41:32] real quick I just want to mention um
[41:34] some anomalies came about. one of them
[41:36] which was extremely
[41:39] concerning
[41:42] um I don't want to divulge details
[41:45] because it might interfere with uh the
[41:47] ongoing investigation but someone came
[41:49] into the chat early on in the broadcast
[41:52] that said some comments that were
[41:54] extremely disturbing and uh I handed
[41:57] those off to authorities. Um so no
[42:02] bypass everyone's been talking about
[42:04] Dickerson. We need to have a uh the
[42:06] underpass getting to Fourth Street over
[42:09] there. Uh US 395 and everything above
[42:12] PAR, same thing. When access gets cut
[42:15] off, especially when the fire jumped the
[42:17] uh the 395, you either had to go north
[42:20] up to Portola in Susanville or you had
[42:23] to go south. There were no bypasses. Uh
[42:26] something I noticed is that um uh during
[42:28] the reports I was giving uh authorities
[42:30] said that the Reno Sparks Indian colony
[42:32] access road to Spanish Springs over to
[42:35] Eagle Canyon was not allowed. That could
[42:38] have provided a very valuable bypass
[42:41] dirt road. Who cares? Take it, get to
[42:44] Eagle Canyon, and then you can get to
[42:45] safety over there and then head down
[42:48] Pyramid Way to get to downtown. Um so
[42:51] that's that's very important. In the
[42:53] minute that I have left, I just want to
[42:54] mention that so far there have been 300
[42:56] uh 500 and switching over 535 signatures
[43:00] so far. 6 hours worth of in-person
[43:03] signatures that I have collected to uh
[43:05] clear the Truckucky River uh bike path
[43:09] and the Riverwalk um [snorts] at 180
[43:12] East First Street. And uh I noticed
[43:15] something and also I submitted it to the
[43:18] 417
[43:19] online and it's still going as of this
[43:21] morning. Um, I have noticed that there
[43:24] are uh discrepancies in city code. Title
[43:27] 8 considers a fence to be a
[43:30] self-standing structure that's under
[43:32] code enforcement. Title 18 does not.
[43:35] Which means that when the planning
[43:37] department looks at code, they say, "Oh,
[43:39] well, that's not a structure." And um
[43:42] that's an issue because code that
[43:45] [clears throat] was merged in 2021 into
[43:47] development services as part of title 18
[43:49] that previously belonged to the
[43:51] redevelopment agency is considered by
[43:53] one department to be the law and then
[43:56] another department is considering
[43:58] opposite opposing code to be the law. So
[44:01] that that is minor in comparison, but um
[44:04] madame mayor, if you do want me to give
[44:06] you the details about what was spoken
[44:08] about on that broadcast, please contact
[44:10] me directly. I would rather do that
[44:12] rather than
[44:13] >> Sure.
[44:13] >> Yeah. Thank you.
[44:14] >> Thank you so much, Damian.
[44:17] >> Kellen Flanigan followed by Kendy
[44:19] Bartalam followed by Darcy Phillips and
[44:22] take a picture with
[44:24] >> Hi guys.
[44:26] >> You're Are you Kellen?
[44:27] >> I'm Kellen Flanigan. Are you related to
[44:30] like the Flanigans?
[44:31] >> No.
[44:32] >> Uhuh. I think I'm the only one I know
[44:34] here.
[44:35] >> Really?
[44:36] >> Positive.
[44:36] >> I went to school with some really cool
[44:38] flanigans.
[44:39] >> Oh, did you? I grew up in Louisiana and
[44:41] >> Oh, you did? Okay. Not the same
[44:42] flanigans.
[44:43] >> Not the same,
[44:44] >> but Reno's small, so typically we're all
[44:46] related in some capacity. I'll take it.
[44:48] >> All right. Well, thank you for being
[44:49] here. Go ahead.
[44:50] >> Thank you for having us. Thank you. Nice
[44:51] to meet you, Miss Nevada. And thanks to
[44:53] the firefighters. This issue may seem a
[44:56] little bit insignificant compared in
[44:58] light of all the fires that we're
[45:00] having, but I'm here on behalf of just a
[45:01] small business dilemma that we're
[45:03] having. And as you can see, I work at
[45:05] Grateful Gardens, local restaurant right
[45:07] here in Midtown. I think you guys have
[45:09] probably frequented all the time.
[45:10] >> I've seen y'all in there before, too.
[45:12] >> And we just having a tough time parking
[45:14] on those side streets right now. It's a
[45:16] little bit of a whirlpool with the
[45:17] oneways and the mediums, but you know,
[45:19] we're happy with the changes that have
[45:20] been made in the city in terms of
[45:22] roading. You're talking about the
[45:23] Midtown
[45:24] >> Midtown location specifically. And right
[45:26] now there's two-hour parkings allotted
[45:28] on the side street [snorts] which we had
[45:30] a pretty blissful era I'd say about 10
[45:32] years where all the staff is allowed to
[45:34] park there without getting ticketed. And
[45:35] I'm not asking that's the city's job is
[45:38] to ticket people. But now we are being
[45:39] ticketed and I think our city's populace
[45:42] has grown to an extent where it's kind
[45:44] of hard to find parking for our staff
[45:46] members. everybody in that lot. There's
[45:48] probably four other businesses in this
[45:50] complex and near nearby businesses along
[45:52] these side streets as well. And for them
[45:54] to park in the lot, it takes up any
[45:56] parking spots for the guests that are
[45:58] coming in. So, they're being pushed
[46:00] away. So, I feel like we're losing some
[46:02] [snorts]
[46:02] potential customers as well as other
[46:04] businesses because some of them house up
[46:06] to 20 employees. So, if everybody's
[46:08] parking in our lots and not on the
[46:10] streets, it's becoming a little bit
[46:12] frustrating for, you know, us,
[46:14] especially when you go out to your car
[46:15] and you have a $80 ticket on your
[46:17] windshield. So, we're just here to ask
[46:19] for potential solutions. Maybe in light
[46:22] of the growth of the city, 2 hours can
[46:25] be extended to four, five or six, maybe
[46:27] on just the weekdays for because
[46:29] nobody's really walking around Midtown
[46:31] for five, six hours at a time. It's not
[46:33] San Francisco, but I thought that could
[46:35] be an idea. or potentially a parking
[46:38] permit for employees in the Midtown area
[46:41] where they're allowed to park on the
[46:42] street and that could be delivered or
[46:44] distributed with a small fee or
[46:46] something to make up for that. I'm not
[46:49] sure. We just want some help for this
[46:50] dilemma cuz everyone's parking in the
[46:52] lot and it makes it tough for the
[46:54] customers to park there and it makes it
[46:56] tough when you have to go outside
[46:58] >> after a shift and pay half of your wages
[47:00] to the city. So,
[47:01] >> absolutely.
[47:02] >> I think you guys can help. can um make
[47:04] sure you leave me your contact
[47:06] information. Will you please give him my
[47:08] email address too?
[47:10] >> And just send me um an email on that
[47:13] too, please. But I will reach out.
[47:15] >> Yeah. Well, thank you for hearing.
[47:17] >> Yeah, we look forward to hear from you.
[47:18] >> Okay. Thank you.
[47:19] >> Bye, guys. I got to get back. It's
[47:20] burning and we're getting our best.
[47:21] >> Oh, that's right. That's right. Thank
[47:23] you,
[47:26] >> Kendy Bartal, followed by Darcy
[47:28] Phillips, followed by Danny Cleus.
[47:38] Okay. Uh, good morning, Councilman
[47:42] and Mayor Shivi. Um, my name is Kendy
[47:46] Berthalome, and I wanted to talk about
[47:49] the Moose Ridge neighborhood project.
[47:53] I want to make it very clear, I'm not
[47:56] against development.
[47:59] I grew up there since 2002.
[48:03] My concern is whether the proposed
[48:05] increase from three units
[48:09] to eight units per acre is safe and
[48:12] sustainable.
[48:14] [snorts] I witnessed firsthand this
[48:16] weekend how long it took.
[48:20] My home is less than three miles. It
[48:24] took me an hour [gasps] to get to I 80.
[48:34] There were roadblocks, hundreds of cars.
[48:38] My six-year-old in the car crying,
[48:41] asking me what is going to happen.
[48:45] [snorts]
[48:48] I want to ask this community and you
[48:52] councilman to really think about is it
[48:55] worth
[48:58] increasing
[49:00] eight units per acre
[49:03] when it took us an hour to drive less
[49:07] than three miles.
[49:12] And I can tell you, I've lived there and
[49:14] have seen
[49:17] storms, flash floods. I've seen on the
[49:20] end of Vmont cars stranded because there
[49:23] is not enough snow pals to get to that
[49:26] area. There is insufficient amount.
[49:32] So before you approve it,
[49:35] please consider the infrastructure,
[49:39] evacuation routes, roads.
[49:43] Consider the people who have lived
[49:46] through it.
[49:48] This is the third fire. I've lived there
[49:50] since 2002.
[49:57] Two weeks ago. 70 acres.
[50:02] This last weekend, more than 15 ac
[50:05] 15,000 acres. This is real.
[50:13] I want you guys to
[50:16] reconsider how development is
[50:20] because we can't control how many cars
[50:24] are on the emergency.
[50:26] We don't get to choose how quickly we
[50:29] can get out.
[50:31] But we definitely can choose how we plan
[50:34] today.
[50:36] Thank you.
[50:37] >> Can you just say what street again that
[50:38] you live on?
[50:40] >> I live on Morgan.
[50:41] >> Morgan.
[50:42] Hill Court.
[50:43] >> Okay. Thank you.
[50:44] >> Thank you.
[50:48] » Darcy Phillips followed by Danny Cleus
[50:50] followed by Deianne Radcliffe.
[50:54] >> Good morning council and mayor. I'm
[50:56] Darcy Phillips. I'm the executive
[50:58] director of Keep Truckucky Meadows
[50:59] Beautiful. Um, I'm here for a couple of
[51:02] reasons. I wanted to thank council
[51:04] members Ree and Anderson for donations
[51:06] to us that are on the agenda today. We
[51:08] really appreciate it. We do hope that we
[51:10] will be called on by parks and wreck and
[51:13] the county to help with some of the
[51:14] revitation after the fire and parks and
[51:16] open spaces and the forest service um
[51:19] areas. Um, but I I did want to say I
[51:23] have been sending you all quarterly
[51:24] reports about the work we've done in
[51:26] your wards. And I wanted to put on the
[51:28] record that in 2025, volunteers at KTMBB
[51:32] participated in 186 cleanups in the city
[51:36] of Reno. Almost 3,000 volunteers at a
[51:40] value of $236,000
[51:43] um in in kind donation. Um, during 2025,
[51:47] volunteers cleaned up 200,000 pounds of
[51:50] litter, green waste, and invasive leads.
[51:52] I can't even process what that looks
[51:54] like. It's such a huge amount. Um,
[51:56] installed over 3,500 plants and wrapped
[52:00] 60 trees for beaver protection along the
[52:02] river corridor. Um we also me uh manage
[52:06] and maintain the sensory garden in Idle
[52:08] Wild Park. Um a very fun pet project of
[52:11] ours and we're out there every Wednesday
[52:14] um working. I wanted to also tell you
[52:17] all that um I'm going to cry. After 15
[52:21] years of living here, my husband and I
[52:22] are moving home to Colorado.
[52:25] >> As you can tell, I'm very mixed about
[52:27] this. Happy, sad, sad, happy, depending
[52:29] on the day. But it has been an honor to
[52:31] be part of the machine that is KTMBB and
[52:34] all the work and I I look forward to
[52:36] watching it from afar and seeing the
[52:39] amazing work that continues. I will be
[52:41] here through the Truckucky River cleanup
[52:43] on September 26th. And if any of you
[52:45] want to join us at a site in your ward,
[52:47] let me know and we can we can get you
[52:49] there. And I also wanted to just end
[52:51] with thanking you all for your support
[52:53] of of me and the organization over the
[52:55] years. They really and we really
[52:58] appreciate it. So, thank you.
[53:00] >> Where you go, uh, Mr. Vice Mayor? Yeah.
[53:02] I just want to take a moment to thank
[53:05] you. You, you know how much I appreciate
[53:07] your work, and I'm devastated
[53:08] [clears throat] to hear you're moving. I
[53:10] That's like an arrow through the heart.
[53:12] >> You've [laughter] done such a good job.
[53:14] >> Um, but I know that you've trained
[53:16] people well, too, that will follow in
[53:18] your footsteps. Um, I did want to
[53:20] mention that um, the urban forestry will
[53:22] be sponsoring a tree planting on that
[53:25] same day as part of the KTMB cleanup.
[53:28] And I'm sure there's going to be other
[53:29] cleanups that maybe council members get
[53:31] involved in. Um unfortunately or
[53:33] fortunately that same day we prepicked
[53:36] to do our hazardous waste cleanup
[53:40] >> and um it's my last one and I I tried to
[53:43] move it once I found your date and found
[53:44] there was no place to move it. So I
[53:46] won't be at the tree planting event and
[53:48] but we will be collecting waste that
[53:50] will be electrical and hazardous waste
[53:52] to keep out of the desert,
[53:54] >> out of the landfills. This will all be
[53:56] recycled. So, just a shout out about
[53:59] that and the good work that you've done.
[54:00] Thank you so much.
[54:02] >> Thank you so much.
[54:03] >> Appreciate it.
[54:04] >> Thank you.
[54:08] >> Danny Cleus, followed by Deian
[54:09] Radcliffe, followed by Carlos Raina.
[54:13] >> Glad everybody left before I got up
[54:15] here.
[54:17] Danny Cleus, 53 year resident in North
[54:21] Valleys.
[54:23] been here since 2017 since we had the
[54:26] flood.
[54:29] We spoke here for three and a half
[54:31] years. Every meeting about
[54:33] infrastructure out there in the north
[54:34] valleys. Still don't have it.
[54:40] Now you have a big old fire. Third one
[54:42] in a row for out there. We had a small
[54:46] one.
[54:48] Week later, we had the bug fire, French
[54:50] fire, stallion fire, and now we have the
[54:53] hawk fire.
[54:55] How many homes were lost on the south
[54:56] side of Peine?
[55:00] How many homes were lost on the north
[55:02] side of Peine?
[55:07] Nobody knows because there's none on the
[55:10] south side and all of them were lost on
[55:12] the north side.
[55:15] There should have been more protection
[55:16] on that north side, how that fire was
[55:18] going than anything on the south side.
[55:23] City of Reno,
[55:25] you guys talk about each other, how good
[55:28] you guys are doing, and everything else.
[55:30] I'll tell you what, we're proud of the
[55:33] men and women that were fighting the
[55:34] fire. We're not proud of how it was ran
[55:39] because if we left our property, we
[55:41] couldn't get back in.
[55:44] I'm diabetic.
[55:46] I had two shots left of my insulin. My
[55:50] pharmacy said I had to go clear to South
[55:52] Reno to get it. But if I would have went
[55:54] down to South Reno, I couldn't get back
[55:56] home.
[55:59] That is BS.
[56:04] Now, every time you guys patch your
[56:05] back, you know what? I am going to stand
[56:08] up and say Reno has a problem. They
[56:13] don't like infrastructure. They want it
[56:14] done later. Well, it's been eight years
[56:16] after a flood. Then there's still no
[56:18] infrastructure on that flood.
[56:21] Eight years later, they said, "Oh, we
[56:23] got to get the people in there. We got
[56:25] to get the warehouses in there. Then we
[56:27] get the infrastructure." Eight years
[56:29] later, where is it?
[56:31] Do they have to wait 8 years for the
[56:33] fire?
[56:35] I hope not because my house still isn't
[56:37] whole.
[56:40] My work that I did to sue the city and
[56:43] win should tell you residents do their
[56:47] homework.
[56:49] Another thing this city is going to know
[56:52] be known every time you guys pat
[56:54] yourself on the back for something
[56:55] stupid
[56:57] that 2017
[56:59] you guys caused the flood.
[57:02] No infrastructure.
[57:04] 2026,
[57:06] you guys are going to be known that you
[57:08] burned down 47 homes in the north
[57:10] valleys because no infrastructure to
[57:13] protect our families.
[57:16] Another thing, they sat on Limon Drive
[57:20] for 4 and 1/2 hours of gridlock on Limon
[57:23] Drive and they had to go out a dirt
[57:26] road. They couldn't go down the freeway.
[57:28] >> Thank you, sir.
[57:29] >> That's BS.
[57:32] Thank you.
[57:35] >> BS. And I'm sorry you missed it,
[57:37] Hillary.
[57:40] » Because you know, for once, I'd like to
[57:43] come here and say something good about
[57:44] this place. And I'm glad Megan started
[57:46] to get her voice back.
[57:49] But every time it's a disaster.
[57:53] And you guys are infringing on the
[57:55] county stuff. I don't live in the city
[57:58] of Reno. I live in the county.
[58:01] I couldn't get out because of city
[58:03] stuff. Four hours of gridlock on a
[58:06] two-lane road. And that new realignment
[58:09] for Limon Drive wouldn't have helped it
[58:11] done because everybody's trying to go
[58:12] down a dirt road to get out of the
[58:14] valleys.
[58:16] Stupid.
[58:19] » Deianne Radcliffe followed by Carlos
[58:21] Raina followed by Kathy Meade.
[58:30] I think the clicker's on the counter.
[58:32] It's the
[58:33] >> Sorry, on the left hand side.
[58:34] >> Oh, sorry. I didn't see I didn't want to
[58:36] start till I had the clicker. Did you
[58:37] see?
[58:41] » All right. Good morning, members of the
[58:44] city council. Thank you for being here
[58:45] and for your service. Please lodge my
[58:48] comments and presentation on the public
[58:49] record. My name is Deion Radcliffe and I
[58:52] live in Verdi. I'm here to provide
[58:54] feedback regarding the Meridian 12 South
[58:55] project. Due to time I limits I'm only
[58:58] going to cover two topics.
[59:01] I have attended over almost 10 years
[59:04] every possible meeting regarding this
[59:06] project.
[59:09] Many properties have steamboat water
[59:11] rights and receive irrigation water. It
[59:13] is approximately 800 ft photo on the top
[59:16] right from the gate on the ditch to our
[59:19] properties. As you'll note, there is one
[59:22] access near the headgate. According to
[59:25] the planning document on the left, no
[59:27] cleanouts and an annual flush. Note the
[59:30] lack of specificity. This puts all
[59:33] residents at risk. As you can see in the
[59:35] bottom right, this is not clean filtered
[59:38] water.
[59:41] Does it seem okay to you to have to walk
[59:43] two miles to maintain your irrigation
[59:45] gate? This is every month during the
[59:46] irrigation months, by the way. Two
[59:48] miles. Okay.
[59:51] I would like to ask the city of Reno to
[59:53] work with residents to ensure that we
[59:56] have access to our irrigation water. I
[59:59] think 800 ft of a pipe run without
[1:00:01] cleanouts and an annual flush puts every
[1:00:04] resident at risk. Let's talk about
[1:00:06] drainage. So, this is Christmas Eve in
[1:00:09] 2025. Was that a big weather day in
[1:00:11] anyone's memory? The answer is no for
[1:00:13] us, but it sure was for the steamboat,
[1:00:15] as you can see by those two photos.
[1:00:19] So the Meridian 120 project, you can see
[1:00:21] the photo on the right, right? You'll
[1:00:24] note that flooding and that Midian 120
[1:00:26] project site. Obviously, the property
[1:00:29] did not read the drainage manual
[1:00:30] submitted for the project on the left
[1:00:32] that notes area of minimal flood hazard.
[1:00:36] Yesterday, I learned a lot of new
[1:00:38] information regarding the detention
[1:00:41] basin and wish that it had been shared
[1:00:44] with me or even available to the public.
[1:00:46] This is not anything available to any
[1:00:48] resident to look at. They are proposing
[1:00:50] an artificial catch basin with a 30in
[1:00:53] pipe draining to a 1 acre detention
[1:00:57] basin. Those are big numbers, right? Um
[1:01:00] that's going to drain onto the backs of
[1:01:03] our properties. Again, they're going to
[1:01:05] collect water in an artificial catch
[1:01:07] basin. It will drain onto our
[1:01:09] properties. This transfers flows offsite
[1:01:12] from their site number one and puts the
[1:01:14] existing neighborhood at risk for
[1:01:16] flooding and damage.
[1:01:20] So again, I've been engaged at every
[1:01:22] possible venue I can. My dad, as a city
[1:01:26] of Reno fireman, showed up for 30 years.
[1:01:30] I've shown up at every possible time
[1:01:32] that I can, but my voice does not
[1:01:35] matter. Thank you for your time.
[1:01:38] >> Um Mr.
[1:01:41] um just a quick question. Is this coming
[1:01:43] up on one of our agendas? Is this going
[1:01:44] to planning commission?
[1:01:46] >> I was just wondering if there was a
[1:01:47] coming action
[1:01:49] >> there. It's final map submissions. I'm
[1:01:51] going to reach out to the the residents
[1:01:53] were sent a card to provide comments by
[1:01:55] this Friday, but again the documents we
[1:01:57] saw yesterday are not available to the
[1:01:59] public. The city of Reno staff members
[1:02:01] would not share it with us. We had a
[1:02:04] meeting right in Verdai residents. that
[1:02:06] this is significant for us. I'm going to
[1:02:09] ask Angela to extend the comment period.
[1:02:12] It does not feel like the right thing to
[1:02:14] do and it doesn't it just does not feel
[1:02:17] okay.
[1:02:18] >> Okay, thank you questions.
[1:02:22] » Carlos Raina followed by Kathy me
[1:02:24] followed by Daniel Bolton.
[1:02:27] >> This is what I didn't cover last council
[1:02:29] meeting about RTC. My name is Carlos
[1:02:33] Raina.
[1:02:35] you know since they came with that you
[1:02:36] know system they have a separate bus
[1:02:38] stop for one in the Virginia line
[1:02:42] is uh I mean it doesn't need it doesn't
[1:02:46] meet uh you know our expectations and
[1:02:49] need because they had their own stops
[1:02:52] and you know they have their own
[1:02:53] separate bus stops and they just make
[1:02:57] people you know mad about that and
[1:02:59] sometimes there is
[1:03:01] uh two three buses bumper to bumper you
[1:03:05] show, you know, because they cannot keep
[1:03:06] up with, you know, CJ jam and the
[1:03:08] traffic
[1:03:10] and I wish you can do something about,
[1:03:12] you know, kind of I already went to the RTC board meeting more than once
[1:03:17] and mentioned this, but like I wasn't
[1:03:20] there
[1:03:22] and uh yeah, I wish you can because it
[1:03:25] just don't meet our expectations, you
[1:03:27] know, need having in the same street
[1:03:31] having two different routes, you know,
[1:03:32] with different bus stops, you know, this
[1:03:35] people getting mad you want when I get
[1:03:36] over there and then said that's not my
[1:03:38] stop I stop that's for
[1:03:44] the one I don't stop there yes I wish
[1:03:47] you can do a change you know in the
[1:03:49] future about that you know that system
[1:03:51] they come out with it's just it's not
[1:03:54] our expectations you know expectation is
[1:03:58] and the next thing is about u
[1:04:01] like I mentioned that the bus drivers
[1:04:04] They they make their own calls.
[1:04:06] Some drivers uh they don't charge you
[1:04:09] know they don't charge uh you know they
[1:04:11] don't have to pay a page say go have a
[1:04:13] seat have a seat and some drivers you
[1:04:15] know they pretty straight about it you
[1:04:17] know like I said they made their own
[1:04:18] cost and then some drivers you you have
[1:04:21] to pay a full fair even if you have
[1:04:22] penny show you have to pay full fair and
[1:04:25] that's not fair you know that's not fair
[1:04:27] for you know some of us we pay fair some
[1:04:31] of us they don't pay fair just have a
[1:04:32] seat you know
[1:04:35] those two didn't say uh you know uh you
[1:04:38] know I wish you can do something to
[1:04:39] change your body you know because it's
[1:04:43] just not don't look good
[1:04:46] and it's not fair too
[1:04:50] okay thank you
[1:04:53] >> thank you
[1:04:55] >> Kathy me followed by Daniel Bolton
[1:04:57] followed by Beth Dory via Zoom
[1:05:07] Good morning. My name is Kathy Maid and
[1:05:09] I live at 2155 Warrior Lane. The city is
[1:05:13] in the process of the final approver for
[1:05:16] a development behind my house called
[1:05:18] Meridian 120 South.
[1:05:21] The developers of this project are
[1:05:25] solving their flood problems by using a
[1:05:28] 30-in pipe to bring their flood waters
[1:05:32] down into a retaining pond they are
[1:05:35] building
[1:05:36] and then shooting it out of of an 18-in
[1:05:40] pipe to the tiny V ditch. It's an
[1:05:44] irrigation ditch between my house and my
[1:05:47] neighbor's house. We live in the county.
[1:05:50] This project is a city count project and
[1:05:52] it backs to my county project. This tiny
[1:05:56] little ditch is supposed to take all of
[1:05:58] this water and then it will go into the
[1:06:02] county road ditches.
[1:06:05] I have lived there for 15 years. We have
[1:06:08] probably flooded at least 10 times. The
[1:06:12] water that we get already, what they're
[1:06:15] going to put in here, the water will
[1:06:17] wash over the county roads. It will
[1:06:20] flood my property.
[1:06:22] I'm asking that we the final comments
[1:06:27] for this project are supposed to be the
[1:06:29] 28th. I I don't think we're ready. I
[1:06:32] spoke to the engineers with the city.
[1:06:35] They kind of agreed that they had seen
[1:06:39] things that they didn't realize were
[1:06:41] going on and they were going to take a
[1:06:43] look at it if we could extend the period
[1:06:46] for public comment. And I'm basically
[1:06:49] here today to put it on record that I
[1:06:52] think there's going to be problems. I
[1:06:54] think the the city project is putting
[1:06:58] their problem onto the county and I
[1:07:01] appreciate you guys taking the time to
[1:07:03] listen to me and we'll go from there.
[1:07:06] Thank you.
[1:07:07] >> Thank you.
[1:07:10] >> Daniel Bolton, followed by Beth Dory via
[1:07:12] Zoom.
[1:07:15] Good morning, Council Mayor Carl.
[1:07:20] For the record, I'm Daniel Bolton. I
[1:07:21] live in Reno.
[1:07:24] Um,
[1:07:26] I'm here this morning to address an
[1:07:28] ongoing problem of us versus them, or
[1:07:31] rather you versus the homeless
[1:07:35] and the harassment and the bad policy of
[1:07:37] this council
[1:07:40] and your attorney's office
[1:07:43] and the utilization of allied universal
[1:07:45] security, rangers, and RPD to enforce
[1:07:49] unconstitutional and inhumane laws and
[1:07:51] codes to target the unhoused population
[1:07:55] that you all created.
[1:07:58] I have a solution. I'm not just here to
[1:08:01] complain.
[1:08:02] But the solution is going to require
[1:08:04] cooperation,
[1:08:06] maturity, and recognition.
[1:08:09] I'm not just a random homeless man. I
[1:08:12] have real power
[1:08:14] and a real solution.
[1:08:17] I won't be ignored or dismissed or
[1:08:20] invalidated.
[1:08:22] any longer. Discrediting me is no longer
[1:08:27] an available weapon
[1:08:31] to prevent my success and keep me
[1:08:33] trapped in your system as a nobody
[1:08:38] because that's not who I truly am.
[1:08:42] I'm someone who you should absolutely
[1:08:44] respect and understand is the one person
[1:08:46] who has the ability to restore this city
[1:08:50] to what it was and greater.
[1:08:54] It's imperative that we schedule some
[1:08:56] meetings and devote some much needed
[1:08:58] time to reach an agreement before this
[1:09:01] war that you declared
[1:09:04] turns into revolution and gets out of
[1:09:06] our control.
[1:09:08] Changes need to be made and true
[1:09:11] solutions
[1:09:13] have to be developed.
[1:09:15] I had those solutions
[1:09:18] and changes that will work.
[1:09:25] » Beth Dory via Zoom.
[1:09:33] » Hello. Can you hear me?
[1:09:34] >> Yes, we can.
[1:09:36] >> Perfect. Uh, first of all, what a segue
[1:09:39] from the tragedy in the north valleys to
[1:09:41] Miss Nevada. I love it. My comment is
[1:09:44] for G2, the planning commissioner
[1:09:46] appointment. Uh, the very sudden and
[1:09:49] surprising departure of planning
[1:09:51] commissioner Tina who last year
[1:09:53] submitted a thin resume when she was
[1:09:56] appointed the commission a commissioner.
[1:09:58] Of note, she did contribute to the W1
[1:10:01] members campaign. Fast forward to 2026
[1:10:05] and we now have one applicant, a real
[1:10:08] estate agent who just submitted an
[1:10:10] application and did not even bother to
[1:10:13] include a resume. Like Tina, she too has
[1:10:17] contributed to the Ward One members
[1:10:19] campaign.
[1:10:21] Those who are most likely to be passed
[1:10:23] over for planning commission is a
[1:10:26] licensed professional civil engineer
[1:10:28] with 30 years of roadway capital
[1:10:31] improvement experience and a man with
[1:10:34] extensive planning commission experience
[1:10:37] in a different municipality.
[1:10:39] You all do a disservice to your
[1:10:42] constituents when you pass over more
[1:10:44] qualified applicants and vote for the
[1:10:47] less qualified but politically connected
[1:10:49] one.
[1:10:51] Don't you think in lie of this fire and
[1:10:54] the traffic concerns noted in today's
[1:10:56] meeting, you should appoint the man who
[1:10:58] is a traffic engineer specialist and not
[1:11:01] a real estate agent. Thank you.
[1:11:07] And with that, we have no one else
[1:11:08] signed in. We did receive uh nine
[1:11:12] comments which were general in nature or
[1:11:13] not directly associated with an agenda
[1:11:15] item prior to 4 p.m. yesterday, Tuesday,
[1:11:17] August 25th. These comments were written
[1:11:20] correspondence received via our reno.gov
[1:11:22] online public comment form or by email
[1:11:24] to our office. Copies of these comments
[1:11:26] have been distributed to the Reno City
[1:11:28] Council and are available to the public
[1:11:29] on the reno.gov meeting portal.
[1:11:34] » I think we're moving on to approval of
[1:11:36] the agenda.
[1:11:37] >> Okay. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Before I
[1:11:38] move in, I just going to ask assistant
[1:11:40] city manager Hodgej to see if there are
[1:11:42] any changes to the posted agenda today.
[1:11:44] >> Uh, thank you, Vice Mayor Martinez. No,
[1:11:46] there are no changes to the agenda
[1:11:47] today. We will go through the posted
[1:11:49] order in order and we do have an
[1:11:50] attorney client meeting during lunch
[1:11:52] today.
[1:11:52] >> Okay. Thank you for the update. With
[1:11:54] that, we'll look for an approval.
[1:11:55] >> Motion to approve.
[1:11:56] >> Second.
[1:11:57] >> Awesome. We have a motion and a second.
[1:11:58] All those in favor say I.
[1:12:00] >> I.
[1:12:01] >> Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.
[1:12:04] With that, we'll look for an approval of
[1:12:05] the minutes.
[1:12:06] >> Motion to approve. Second.
[1:12:09] >> Great. We have a motion and a second.
[1:12:11] All those in favor say I.
[1:12:12] >> I.
[1:12:14] >> Any opposed? Motion passes unanimously.
[1:12:17] Okay, we'll move on to our consent
[1:12:19] agenda items. I'll look to see if there
[1:12:21] are any items you want to pull.
[1:12:23] >> Yes, B1, please. Vice Mayor.
[1:12:25] >> B1.
[1:12:27] >> Council member Taylor.
[1:12:28] >> No, Mr. Vice Mayor.
[1:12:29] >> Council member Derer.
[1:12:30] >> B14.
[1:12:32] >> 14. Council member Eert.
[1:12:34] >> Nothing for me. Thank you.
[1:12:40] Madame Mayor, are there any consent
[1:12:41] items that you would like to pull or We
[1:12:44] have 11 and 14 so far.
[1:12:46] >> I believe 13.
[1:12:48] >> 13.
[1:12:51] >> Did you say 13, Mr. Sherman?
[1:12:52] >> I believe 13.
[1:12:53] >> Okay. My apologies.
[1:12:58] Okay. If there aren't any others, I'll
[1:13:01] look for a motion to approve the rest of
[1:13:03] the items.
[1:13:03] >> Motion to approve. Second.
[1:13:05] >> Great. We have a motion and a second.
[1:13:07] All those in favor say I.
[1:13:08] >> I.
[1:13:09] >> Any opposed? Motion passes
[1:13:12] >> for the record.
[1:13:12] >> Yeah.
[1:13:13] >> Vice Mayor,
[1:13:14] >> it's all you.
[1:13:14] >> I did not um participate in the vote.
[1:13:17] >> Okay.
[1:13:21] » Thank you for that update. I think we're
[1:13:23] moving on.
[1:13:24] >> I'm sorry. Was there like a recusal or
[1:13:26] just closure or just not in the room?
[1:13:31] Um I'm going to look to madame mayor or
[1:13:35] >> just as a quick uh for the record John
[1:13:36] Shimman city attorney's office. So item
[1:13:38] B13 there's a disclosure that the mayor
[1:13:40] has for item B13. So um that's what's
[1:13:43] going on. So
[1:13:46] >> understood.
[1:13:48] >> Did we did we pull B13 from the block
[1:13:50] vote though? Okay. And then um Madame
[1:13:53] Mayor, are you still abstaining from the
[1:13:55] remaining items?
[1:13:57] Um Jonathan, what would you
[1:14:00] >> Yeah, you um Madame Mayor, you're fine
[1:14:02] for the remaining items. Yep. So, yep.
[1:14:07] » Okay. Thank you for the guidance there.
[1:14:10] We'll go to item B1.
[1:14:13] The was the first one that was pulled.
[1:14:14] >> Okay. This is my item.
[1:14:16] >> Yeah.
[1:14:16] >> Mr. Vice Mayor, I just wanted to tell
[1:14:19] the story about how this very generous
[1:14:21] donation came through
[1:14:24] >> because one of our the members of our
[1:14:26] community that helped secure it is in
[1:14:28] the audience, Mr. Dorretto.
[1:14:31] Maybe four months after I was elected,
[1:14:33] we went out, this was council member
[1:14:36] Taylor and our city manager, Jackie
[1:14:38] Bryant, and I went out to meet about W
[1:14:41] six issues. And during part of that
[1:14:43] conversation, I just happened to bring
[1:14:46] up the fact that Ward 6 was in immediate
[1:14:49] need of an extra apparatus, whether it
[1:14:52] was a truck or an engine. We had a ton
[1:14:55] of development that was coming to the
[1:14:56] area. Um, engine 12 has become one of
[1:14:59] our most highly taxed engines in the
[1:15:02] city. It's our only engine that we have
[1:15:04] in Ward 6 and it's a very, very busy
[1:15:08] intersection that it works within. And
[1:15:10] so just kind of planting seeds with some
[1:15:13] of the people in our community that
[1:15:14] could potentially bring some help to
[1:15:16] bear. And then lo and behold about nine
[1:15:19] months later I get the news that this
[1:15:21] donation is coming in from the Duffel
[1:15:24] Foundation to not only to expand the
[1:15:27] fire department um the fire station in
[1:15:30] station or in ward 6 station 12 so that
[1:15:34] we can put another apparatus in that
[1:15:36] station. And so I just wanted to say
[1:15:38] that
[1:15:40] really extend my appreciation to the
[1:15:44] group that brought this donation to bear
[1:15:46] for us. It wasn't a direct ask. I was
[1:15:49] just able to go, our team was able to go
[1:15:51] in and say this is going to be a need in
[1:15:53] the next few years in W 6 and the
[1:15:56] community has helped us with the funding
[1:16:00] to expand the station and we'll house
[1:16:02] our additional apparatus. It's going to
[1:16:04] be an engine at this time which is
[1:16:06] severely needed for W 6. So I just
[1:16:08] wanted to extend my gratefulness to the
[1:16:10] Duffel Foundation and also to you Mr.
[1:16:13] Dorto for helping us with um how
[1:16:16] important of a donation that was. So
[1:16:18] thank you very much.
[1:16:24] » Do you want to make a motion?
[1:16:25] >> Yeah.
[1:16:26] >> Sorry if there's no other questions or
[1:16:27] comments. I want to make a motion to
[1:16:29] accept this donation and approve.
[1:16:31] >> Second.
[1:16:32] >> Okay.
[1:16:32] >> Oh, sorry.
[1:16:32] >> Oh, no. No. That's okay. I just wanted
[1:16:34] to say something. Mr. Dorettto, I did
[1:16:37] not see you sitting over there. I I
[1:16:39] apologize. I'm needing stronger and
[1:16:41] stronger glasses every meeting that I
[1:16:43] attend. So, um I want to say thank you
[1:16:46] so much for all of your contributions.
[1:16:49] this um is just one that you have done a
[1:16:52] lot of contributions on especially in
[1:16:54] our um fire service and uh just the work
[1:16:58] that you've done and really really
[1:17:01] taking care of us when we when we've
[1:17:03] really needed the help. So, Mr.
[1:17:05] Dorettto, thank you for being here and
[1:17:08] um we're really really grateful and will
[1:17:10] you please tell the Duffield Foundation
[1:17:12] how grateful we are and uh they've got
[1:17:15] something else coming too so I'm excited
[1:17:17] for that. But um just so much gratitude
[1:17:20] for all your assistance for decades. Uh
[1:17:24] you've done it for decades. So I just
[1:17:26] want to recognize that that we're very grateful for all your support
[1:17:30] because there are a lot of times that we
[1:17:32] can't make um you know some of those
[1:17:35] difficult funding decisions and you've
[1:17:38] been there for us. So thank you from the
[1:17:41] bottom of our hearts. Thank you. Thank
[1:17:43] you.
[1:17:43] >> Madam Mayor,
[1:17:44] >> go right ahead.
[1:17:45] >> Yeah. Um, since this may be the last
[1:17:47] time that I get an opportunity to
[1:17:48] address u, Mr. Dorto publicly, I too
[1:17:51] wanted to say my thanks. For 10 years, I
[1:17:54] represented South Reno and I had many
[1:17:57] opportunities to drive around with you,
[1:17:59] talk about issues with you, and you are
[1:18:01] a phenomenal um, community leader. It is
[1:18:04] well known in many fields um, ones that
[1:18:07] you're maybe better known for such as
[1:18:09] the Reno Rodeo or other um, focus points
[1:18:12] for you. But I know too what you've done
[1:18:14] for South Reno. Uh bringing the entire
[1:18:18] um you know development, Demani Ranch
[1:18:20] development, the landscape association,
[1:18:22] etc. Um you've made the place come alive
[1:18:25] and you've made it continue to look
[1:18:26] good. You and I have met often on the um
[1:18:30] Demani Ranch Park and issues that are
[1:18:33] out there still and changes that are
[1:18:35] coming. So, I too wanted to just, you
[1:18:37] know, I'll be off council uh in just a
[1:18:39] few short months, but I did want to take
[1:18:41] this opportunity to also um give my
[1:18:44] thanks to you. Thank you.
[1:18:47] >> And you throw one hell of a Fourth of
[1:18:49] July party for the community,
[1:18:52] don't you?
[1:18:52] >> Truly terrific. [laughter] I attended
[1:18:55] many.
[1:18:57] [snorts]
[1:18:57] >> Okay, I think we need a vote. All those
[1:19:00] in favor? I
[1:19:02] >> I
[1:19:06] >> Any opposed? Motion passes. Thank you.
[1:19:09] Thanks.
[1:19:10] >> Yeah. With that, we'll move on to B13.
[1:19:15] Mr. Shipman, I'll look to you to see.
[1:19:17] Yeah.
[1:19:19] >> So, Madame Mayor has a disclosure that
[1:19:21] she would like to read into the record.
[1:19:23] >> Okay.
[1:19:46] fellow city council members and madame
[1:19:48] clerk, on item B13, Mr. Hicks, an
[1:19:51] attorney from McDonald Corano,
[1:19:52] represents TL Talis LLC. In my private
[1:19:55] life, I have retained Adam Hosmer
[1:19:57] Henner, a partner at McDonald Corano, on
[1:19:59] a civil matter unrelated to item B13.
[1:20:03] Um, and Mr. Hicks. I've sought guidance
[1:20:06] from the city attorney's office and have
[1:20:07] been advised that I may have a
[1:20:09] commitment in private capacity to the
[1:20:11] interest of McDonald Corano personn to
[1:20:13] NRS281A.065.
[1:20:17] That said, this item has nothing to do
[1:20:19] with my civil case.
[1:20:21] To the best of my knowledge, any action
[1:20:23] I take today on this item will not have
[1:20:25] any impact on me or McDonald Corano. I
[1:20:28] will be participating in this item. Um,
[1:20:31] so Madame Clerk, please accept this
[1:20:33] disclosure for the record. And I also
[1:20:36] want to be clear again um Mr. Hicks does
[1:20:39] not represent me um at in any capacity.
[1:20:43] It um is another attorney in that firm.
[1:20:47] So I did want to put that on the record.
[1:20:49] Is that good, Jonathan? Okay. Thank you,
[1:20:53] >> Madam Mayor.
[1:20:54] >> Yes. Go ahead. While we have this item
[1:20:55] open, and I didn't pull it, but I
[1:20:57] realized I'm glad you did pull it or or
[1:21:00] the attorneys pulled it because I don't
[1:21:02] recall getting a briefing on this SAD,
[1:21:04] and maybe I missed it. I just want to
[1:21:06] understand it. It sounds like it's for
[1:21:09] Talis Valley and I just wondered if
[1:21:12] there's a staff person. Thank you.
[1:21:14] Because you came to us uh finance.
[1:21:16] >> Yes.
[1:21:17] >> With a preliminary thing, but I never
[1:21:19] heard specifically what the project was.
[1:21:21] So, Matt Taylor, assistant finance
[1:21:23] director for the city of Reno. Um, this
[1:21:25] item came before you for the developer
[1:21:27] to do a deposit agreement with the city
[1:21:29] in June. This is the next step where
[1:21:31] they we will be accepting or you will be
[1:21:34] accepting their um petition for the
[1:21:36] formation of the special assessment
[1:21:37] district. Right.
[1:21:38] >> And the developers are here if you have
[1:21:39] questions about what the de what is
[1:21:42] being proposed.
[1:21:42] >> Well, that'd be fine. I mean, if you'd
[1:21:44] prefer them to address it.
[1:21:46] >> So, over I I can give you a highle
[1:21:47] overview.
[1:21:48] >> High level is fine. Um there the whole
[1:21:50] project will entail about 2500 homes.
[1:21:53] This special assessment district
[1:21:55] comprises uh 774 homes and they'll be
[1:21:59] doing water, sewer and storm drain
[1:22:02] projects within the the the district
[1:22:05] that will be financed with the district
[1:22:07] the special assessment bonds.
[1:22:09] >> So water, sewer, does it include the
[1:22:10] roads?
[1:22:11] >> It does not.
[1:22:12] >> No roads. And um is do you know which
[1:22:16] villages are affected by this? Um, it
[1:22:19] is.
[1:22:26] » Whoops.
[1:22:27] >> And I mean the developer is welcome to
[1:22:29] come up if that's faster, quicker.
[1:22:30] >> It might be.
[1:22:31] >> Okay.
[1:22:37] » But no one from the developer wants to.
[1:22:39] >> I have it's villages 22 A 22B 21 20 A
[1:22:45] and B 16 A and B. village 1918 and 17.
[1:22:50] >> Okay. Do these have names?
[1:22:52] >> Do these have names?
[1:22:53] >> Not yet.
[1:22:55] >> Okay. And can you do you have a map or
[1:22:56] anything with you that shows where the Talis Valley project is very large
[1:23:01] and um it would be helpful just to get a
[1:23:03] description. Is this um it says here,
[1:23:07] sorry, let me find the item. It said
[1:23:11] that it was the north side of South
[1:23:14] Meadows Parkway
[1:23:16] but and west of Veterans. So I just Are
[1:23:20] these all individual assessor parcels?
[1:23:22] These are not obviously 700
[1:23:24] [clears throat] parcels, right? So are
[1:23:26] they grouped in some way?
[1:23:31] » Thank you, Council Member Dorix with
[1:23:34] McDonald Chrono for the record. Um, I do
[1:23:36] have a quick map we could throw on.
[1:23:37] That'd be great. If you want to see if
[1:23:38] you could put on the presentation.
[1:23:43] » It's just we have we we accepted your
[1:23:46] deposit, but we've never heard what the
[1:23:48] project is. So, I just that's why I
[1:23:49] wanted to know.
[1:23:50] >> So, while the map is coming up, just to
[1:23:52] answer your question about the parcels,
[1:23:54] that's the parcels as they exist today.
[1:23:56] They will be ultimately separated and
[1:23:58] segregated into individual home sites as
[1:24:00] we go.
[1:24:01] >> That's great.
[1:24:04] your presentation.
[1:24:06] >> Okay.
[1:24:12] And if you could blow it up and if
[1:24:15] you on the podium could just point out
[1:24:19] which places you can blow it up so that
[1:24:21] the green we don't need to see the green
[1:24:23] but
[1:24:24] >> so this what what you're looking at here
[1:24:26] is just an overview. So the red boundary
[1:24:29] um is the project site.
[1:24:31] >> And can you move that into the middle?
[1:24:33] That'd be helpful.
[1:24:35] Well, he the other way and up. And there
[1:24:38] you go. And uh if you could zoom in a
[1:24:40] little bit more.
[1:24:43] And just show us where South Meadows
[1:24:44] Parkway is and the new bridge.
[1:24:47] >> So the the red line along the um right
[1:24:50] side of this, the east side, that's
[1:24:52] Veterans Parkway and then South Meadow
[1:24:55] is down at the southern end of it.
[1:24:57] So that helps you orient. That's Hidden
[1:24:59] Valley. You can kind of see the golf
[1:25:00] course up there in the top right corner.
[1:25:03] >> So it's directly west of where Veterans
[1:25:06] is.
[1:25:08] >> That's right.
[1:25:08] >> Okay.
[1:25:09] >> Yeah. There's Alexander Lake right
[1:25:11] there. You can see in the picture.
[1:25:12] >> Where are you pointing? Oh, right there.
[1:25:14] >> Yeah. Just on the west side outside the
[1:25:16] boundary. Huffacre Hills is that open
[1:25:19] space to the west of Alexander Lake.
[1:25:22] >> Yeah. And do um what I was going to ask
[1:25:25] is there are there um do any of the
[1:25:29] roads in this area connect to veterans
[1:25:32] or is it in other words is it a access
[1:25:36] freeway where residents are going to be
[1:25:38] going onto the freeway or are there
[1:25:40] going down to the major exits like Mir
[1:25:42] and South Meadows?
[1:25:44] >> They they'll be using the major exits.
[1:25:46] There are some stop lightss being put in
[1:25:48] and then there's a secondary access road
[1:25:50] to get onto Veterans Parkway as well.
[1:25:52] So, are you saying they they're going to
[1:25:53] add another access on to Veterans?
[1:25:56] >> No, there's not going to be another
[1:25:57] access point added on.
[1:25:58] >> Just the Mir Loma and the South Meadows.
[1:26:00] >> That's right.
[1:26:01] >> Gotcha. And then and then roads are not
[1:26:04] included. So, is the developer paying
[1:26:05] for the roads and deeding those over to
[1:26:07] the city?
[1:26:08] >> Yes, that's correct.
[1:26:09] >> Okay. This is water and sewer just for
[1:26:11] the 775.
[1:26:13] >> This is water 774.
[1:26:14] >> This is This is not water. This is
[1:26:16] sewer, storm water, curbon gutter, and a
[1:26:20] box crossing.
[1:26:22] >> Curbon gutter, but not the actual street
[1:26:24] that the curbon gutters on. So, are you
[1:26:27] going to come back with a secondary um
[1:26:29] assessment district for the roads?
[1:26:31] >> No, not in this not in this particular
[1:26:33] area. There will be another special
[1:26:35] assessment district for different
[1:26:37] villages. Okay. But not for this
[1:26:40] particular
[1:26:40] >> And have you anticipated, if I may, just
[1:26:42] one more question. Have you anticipated
[1:26:44] what the cost per home is going to be
[1:26:46] for the SAD for this set of
[1:26:47] improvements?
[1:26:48] >> It's approximately $1,000 per year um
[1:26:51] was what the assessments will be.
[1:26:53] >> $1,000 per year for all of this
[1:26:55] infrastructure. And then is that go for
[1:26:57] 30 years or forever?
[1:26:58] >> 30 years.
[1:26:59] >> Okay. All right. Thank you.
[1:27:02] >> Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Hicks. I just had
[1:27:03] one quick question on the traffic
[1:27:05] signals that you were pointing to. I'm
[1:27:06] just curious about the traffic signal on
[1:27:08] Echo Valley. if you can maybe shed more
[1:27:10] light on the timeline of that one.
[1:27:13] >> I council uh member I don't have the
[1:27:16] answer of the timeline on that but I can
[1:27:17] certainly get that to you.
[1:27:18] >> Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you so
[1:27:20] much. Yeah,
[1:27:20] >> appreciate it.
[1:27:22] >> Any other questions, comments,
[1:27:23] disclosures?
[1:27:24] >> Um one more question.
[1:27:25] >> Yeah. Is this um I I know usually our
[1:27:28] staff say that this will come back
[1:27:30] several times and I didn't know um this
[1:27:33] one is the petition for the formation
[1:27:38] but when when does this council make the
[1:27:40] final choices
[1:27:42] >> petition for the formation's approved
[1:27:43] today? The um developer financing
[1:27:46] agreement and the first reading of the
[1:27:48] ordinances are planned to come back on
[1:27:50] September 23rd.
[1:27:51] >> September 23rd. Okay. And I guess one
[1:27:54] more question. you have another what um
[1:27:58] 1500 homes or so is are you going to
[1:28:01] apply for another SAD for those?
[1:28:06] » Uh thank you council member Derer. This
[1:28:08] um yes like I mentioned there are three
[1:28:10] two more um special assessment districts
[1:28:13] anticipated for different villages in
[1:28:15] Talis Valley.
[1:28:16] >> Okay. And have you guys at this time
[1:28:17] whenever we approve these there's
[1:28:19] usually an amount that is a a total
[1:28:22] amount that is attached to it. Do you
[1:28:24] know what? Because that amount, you
[1:28:25] know, is not in this item, but maybe it
[1:28:28] was in some backup that I missed.
[1:28:31] >> Yeah.
[1:28:32] >> Matt Taylor, assistant finance director.
[1:28:33] The total amount of the bonds that
[1:28:35] they're requesting is approximately $9.5
[1:28:37] million.
[1:28:38] >> 9.5. Okay. All right. Thank you. That's
[1:28:41] helpful.
[1:28:44] » Thank you. I think there was public
[1:28:46] comment submitted, mad. Yes, we do not
[1:28:49] have anyone registered to speak, but for
[1:28:50] the record, we did receive uh two
[1:28:52] comments and they were letters in favor.
[1:28:55] >> Okay, with that, we'll look for a
[1:28:57] motion.
[1:29:00] » Yeah, Mr. Hall, do you have to read
[1:29:02] anything into the record, Mr. Okay,
[1:29:04] we'll look for a motion then on this
[1:29:05] item.
[1:29:05] >> Motion to approve.
[1:29:07] >> Second.
[1:29:08] >> Okay, we have a motion in a second. All
[1:29:09] those in favor say I.
[1:29:10] >> I.
[1:29:11] Any oppos?
[1:29:12] >> I.
[1:29:13] >> Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.
[1:29:15] With that, we'll jump over to C1 if
[1:29:17] that's okay with you.
[1:29:18] >> I think I pulled B14.
[1:29:20] >> Councilwoman Der pulled B14 and I do
[1:29:23] want to actually um take that the
[1:29:26] additional consent items um after item
[1:29:30] C1. I have special guests here that have
[1:29:33] got to go back to work because they have
[1:29:35] big big jobs. But we have two men here
[1:29:37] that need no introduction. Um and that
[1:29:40] is Mr. Perry Dler Lorettto and General
[1:29:44] Andre Barry who is now the CEO of
[1:29:46] Liberty Dogs. And you have a very
[1:29:49] special guest here and that's Maddie. Am
[1:29:52] I right? And you're also joined by Katie
[1:29:55] Freeman. Um this is such a special
[1:29:58] initiative and I also want to give a
[1:30:00] huge shout out um because this
[1:30:03] initiative is all about mental health,
[1:30:06] our veterans, just remarkable work. And
[1:30:10] I I don't want to tell anyone what you
[1:30:12] do because it's so special. So I want
[1:30:14] because I don't want to miss a thing,
[1:30:16] General Barry. But um you are now the
[1:30:19] CEO and I just need to give a huge shout
[1:30:23] out um to the wonderful animal lover and
[1:30:27] champion David Duffield. Uh because you
[1:30:30] know this was possible because he is
[1:30:32] such an animal lover. So, um, I'm
[1:30:35] excited to have you here and, uh, I
[1:30:38] can't wait for you to show it to the
[1:30:39] entire community. So, take it away. And,
[1:30:42] um, like I said, you are no stranger to
[1:30:45] our community. You do phenomenal work.
[1:30:47] And now this is the next chapter. And, um, you just must be
[1:30:52] loving this. Do you love it?
[1:30:53] >> I love it. I eat it up. I I I [laughter]
[1:30:55] just want to be like Perry Dearto when I
[1:30:57] grow up.
[1:30:57] >> I know we all do. We just all want to be
[1:30:59] like Perry. [laughter]
[1:31:02] First of all, Andre Barry, CEO of
[1:31:04] Liberty Dogs. And uh I just want to say
[1:31:07] if you did not know, today is National
[1:31:08] Dog Day.
[1:31:09] >> And so uh Maddie made this special
[1:31:12] appearance. I mean, got off of her
[1:31:13] training schedule to come down here.
[1:31:15] >> Yeah. Look at her. She's tired. She's
[1:31:16] like, I'm not I'm not hanging out.
[1:31:19] >> She doesn't want anything to do with it.
[1:31:21] [laughter]
[1:31:21] >> And I also think it's important to say
[1:31:24] uh to each and every one of you, thank
[1:31:25] you for your service to our community.
[1:31:27] Uh I know sometimes uh these this these
[1:31:30] jobs you have a lot on your plate. So
[1:31:32] thank you thank you thank you thank you
[1:31:33] for all that you do. So and giving us
[1:31:36] the opportunity to come here and talk
[1:31:37] about Liberty Dogs. So having said that
[1:31:39] uh first of all when we talk about this
[1:31:42] uh organization and as you heard earlier
[1:31:45] this is uh David Cheryl Duffield just
[1:31:48] being philanthropist and caring so much
[1:31:50] and giving back and uh caring about two
[1:31:53] parts of our community canines and
[1:31:55] veterans. And one of the critical key
[1:31:58] things some people don't know is we
[1:32:01] provide service dogs to veterans at no
[1:32:03] cost.
[1:32:04] >> We also pay for the medical care. We
[1:32:05] also pay for the food. And so there's
[1:32:08] nothing like this in the world in terms
[1:32:11] of what we do. Our focal point for the
[1:32:13] pairing process is those veterans with
[1:32:15] PTSD. I always and trauma and
[1:32:18] reintegration, but I always say this uh
[1:32:20] there's nothing normal about what we ask
[1:32:23] these young people to do when they go
[1:32:25] down range and when they deploy and then
[1:32:27] ask them to come back and be normal. And
[1:32:30] we have shown uh through research that
[1:32:32] this does work. So, but the key thing
[1:32:36] that you see up there too is if we don't
[1:32:38] have the support of our community, we
[1:32:39] cannot do our best work. So, I when I
[1:32:42] say in sincerity, thank you for your
[1:32:43] service. I really mean that when you and
[1:32:45] for those of you who have been to the
[1:32:46] campus, I believe it's been everybody.
[1:32:48] So, uh this is the uh nothing like it.
[1:32:51] I'll always say this in the world. And
[1:32:53] if you did not know that uh Mr. Derto
[1:32:56] was uh the the builder of the campus and
[1:32:58] so he's back here being modest right
[1:33:00] now. And uh if I had a medal, I'd give
[1:33:01] it to him. But uh he uh is a 27 acre
[1:33:05] campus. It's actually expanding a little
[1:33:06] bit more than that because we're adding
[1:33:07] some dog pins. Uh 200,000 square feet of
[1:33:10] state-of-the-art facilities purposebuilt
[1:33:13] for veterans and canines. And uh one of
[1:33:17] the words I like to use it, it provides
[1:33:19] a full experience from the time that you
[1:33:22] apply to the uh to be selected to the
[1:33:25] time that you come onto the campus to
[1:33:27] the experience that you have there. And
[1:33:29] customer service is big for us. And
[1:33:31] there's so much that we can show now
[1:33:33] that it becomes a defining moment for
[1:33:35] the veterans in terms of what they're
[1:33:37] able to go through. And when you talk
[1:33:39] about our organization in terms of uh we
[1:33:41] have approximately 118 employees right
[1:33:43] now. 30% of our employees are veterans.
[1:33:46] So we're veteran uh organization in so
[1:33:49] many ways. When we talk about the need
[1:33:52] and we've heard this term before,
[1:33:54] invisible wounds. Um, I I like to say
[1:33:58] that there's so many people that go
[1:33:59] through life I call playing poker. You
[1:34:01] just don't know what's going on inside.
[1:34:04] And when you have a chance to sit down
[1:34:05] and talk to those who've been exposed
[1:34:08] to, not just what happens downrange, not
[1:34:10] just what happens when they're serving
[1:34:12] in the military, but what they carry and
[1:34:15] what they've been exposed to and what
[1:34:17] they're challenged with that sometimes
[1:34:19] we don't see. and uh and navigating
[1:34:22] those systems to get the assistant
[1:34:24] assistance and support that you need is
[1:34:26] not so easy. So, we have learned through
[1:34:29] research that pairing a veteran up with
[1:34:32] a service dog has a major impact. And
[1:34:35] there's so many I I tell people this all
[1:34:37] the time. This is a very animal friendly
[1:34:39] [snorts] uh community. And uh but we
[1:34:42] also know that when you have someone who
[1:34:45] can support you, be there for you, have
[1:34:47] your back, interrupt and and uh and care
[1:34:50] for you, it makes a huge difference. And
[1:34:52] I can't tell you how many veterans who
[1:34:53] have I have talked to personally who
[1:34:55] have told me this K9 saved my life.
[1:34:58] >> And I like to believe we're in the
[1:35:00] business of saving lives. So when we
[1:35:02] talk about creating a lifeline for a
[1:35:03] hero, we we are the first US uh veteran
[1:35:08] uh organization to combine service dogs,
[1:35:10] we also created an integrated wellness
[1:35:12] program because my ask coming in the
[1:35:15] door was how do we ensure that veterans
[1:35:17] continue to move forward in uh working
[1:35:20] on themselves so it's not always just on
[1:35:22] the K9. So we have this course we put
[1:35:25] together a one and three-day course. It
[1:35:26] talks about resilience. It talks about
[1:35:29] mindfulness. It talks about mental
[1:35:31] health. It talks about being have taken
[1:35:33] initiative and moving forward in your
[1:35:34] life, providing them the resources.
[1:35:37] We've seen a great return on investment.
[1:35:39] Most of our classes have been from
[1:35:40] veterans in our Reno area, Reno Sparks
[1:35:42] area. So, uh we recognize that it does
[1:35:46] supply for them stability and the
[1:35:48] ability to move forward in life. Every
[1:35:51] service dog is trained to the highest
[1:35:53] standards. Uh, I think Maddie was our
[1:35:55] first dog. And, uh, when you think about
[1:35:57] anxiety, depression, uh, TBI, traumatic
[1:36:01] brain injuries, and all the things that
[1:36:02] happen, uh, that can't happen in your
[1:36:05] military experience. The service dogs
[1:36:07] are trained specifically for the veteran
[1:36:09] that they're assigned to to make sure
[1:36:12] that they can be intervened to make get
[1:36:14] them in a better place to to to pause
[1:36:16] that. and uh and that has just been
[1:36:19] phenomenal for us in terms of the
[1:36:21] ability to have quality dogs that we
[1:36:24] will send out not just locally, not just
[1:36:26] statewide, but nationwide to work with
[1:36:28] and protect and save our veterans. So,
[1:36:30] we talk about the programs that POS that
[1:36:32] power our mission. Uh, I talked about
[1:36:34] the warrior wellness class where we
[1:36:36] provide great tools and I encourage uh
[1:36:39] as many of uh uh the the veterans that
[1:36:42] can or if anybody wants to just sit and
[1:36:44] learn the class and we're hoping to do
[1:36:45] some partnering with uh some uh city
[1:36:47] organizations as relates to the warrior
[1:36:49] wellness class. Puppy raising. We're
[1:36:52] always looking for puppy razors. You can
[1:36:53] be a puppy raiser. You can be a puppy
[1:36:55] razor. You can be a puppy razor. So, uh
[1:36:57] that we can't be successful if we don't
[1:37:00] have puppy razors. Cannot. It's a big
[1:37:02] commitment, but it's the engine that
[1:37:04] gives us the ability to go forward. And
[1:37:06] because the more canines we have, the
[1:37:09] more pairings we can have with our
[1:37:11] veterans. Uh service dog training and and and placement. We just recently
[1:37:15] trained uh paired we call past the
[1:37:18] leash, which I'll talk about where we
[1:37:20] have uh paired some veterans with
[1:37:21] service dogs here locally. Uh the
[1:37:23] shelter shelter foster program, we get
[1:37:26] dogs out of shelters and train them.
[1:37:28] Matter of fact, the recent pairings we
[1:37:30] have are all shelter dogs. Uh we work
[1:37:32] with two prisons right now. We're about
[1:37:34] ready to go to our third one. And uh the
[1:37:37] prisons are phenomenal partners in being
[1:37:40] puppy raisers for us for for us. And I
[1:37:42] can't tell you the win-win behind the
[1:37:45] those inmates who say, "This changes my
[1:37:47] life. I get to have some degree of human
[1:37:49] touch. I feel like I'm giving back to a a veteran in our community." So that's
[1:37:53] been great for us. Then our guardian
[1:37:55] homes which really work with us in our
[1:37:57] breed in our in the breeding candidates
[1:37:58] and dogs that work in those programs.
[1:38:01] Here's a and I I I can't emphasize this
[1:38:04] enough here. We cannot be successful
[1:38:07] without this great community cannot be
[1:38:09] successful. And so anybody who uh has
[1:38:12] the uh the wherewithal or the space or
[1:38:16] the want to support or want to play a
[1:38:19] role in this, want to be a partner, want
[1:38:21] to be an advocate, want to be a
[1:38:23] champion, want to be a supporter, want
[1:38:24] to have our back, want something to do,
[1:38:27] we're looking for puppy raisers. We're
[1:38:29] also uh we have now we can have
[1:38:31] volunteers. But a big thing is telling
[1:38:35] the story, telling the Liberty Dog
[1:38:38] story, talking about what it's doing,
[1:38:40] talking about the impact to our
[1:38:41] community, talking about how it's
[1:38:43] changing lives and not just of the
[1:38:45] veteran, but also of their families.
[1:38:47] There's a second, third order effect to
[1:38:50] what we're able to do as a part of
[1:38:51] Liberty Dogs. So, everybody should have
[1:38:54] Liberty Dogs material to go out and
[1:38:56] share the story. Uh here's some
[1:38:57] milestones that we just have had. Uh we
[1:39:00] just celebrated our first leash passage
[1:39:01] just this past Friday. Five veterans,
[1:39:04] five shelter dogs in our community who
[1:39:06] are getting trained to be full service
[1:39:08] dogs. We're preparing to train prepare
[1:39:10] our first trained service dogs, which is
[1:39:12] the two-week course. And uh for those of
[1:39:14] you who may not have been on the campus,
[1:39:15] it's a full service campus with not just
[1:39:18] veteran suites, not just a
[1:39:20] state-of-the-art kitchen, but a place
[1:39:22] where they can have peace restoration
[1:39:24] rooms where they can really have the
[1:39:26] time to get back in touch with, you
[1:39:28] know, somebody's recognizing as
[1:39:30] contributing to my moving forward in
[1:39:32] life. Uh we currently have 27 127 dogs
[1:39:35] in our program, mainly golden retrievers
[1:39:38] and Labradors or a mix thereof. Uh we
[1:39:41] have put 118 veterans uh through our
[1:39:43] warrior wellness. I'll leave uh tomorrow
[1:39:45] going to a conference in Indianapolis
[1:39:48] and it's going to be a representation of
[1:39:50] quite of all 54 states territory in
[1:39:52] District Columbia and I'll get a chance
[1:39:54] to be like the the champion of talking
[1:39:56] about what's here. I think we're going
[1:39:58] to get so much interest in what we're
[1:40:00] having here. Uh big news for the city of
[1:40:03] Reno. Uh, on September 14th, you don't
[1:40:07] want to miss it. At 10:30 a.m., we will
[1:40:11] officially announce the city's
[1:40:13] partnership with Liberty Dogs. I figure
[1:40:16] I know you're not allowed to cheer or
[1:40:17] anything, but that's a big deal. Okay.
[1:40:19] Trying to follow the rules. Um, and then
[1:40:22] we'll also get a chance to introduce the
[1:40:23] city's official Liberty Dog and reveal
[1:40:26] the name. We are beyond excited. Thank
[1:40:29] you for your support. Thank you for your
[1:40:32] partnership. Thank you for having at our
[1:40:34] back and cheering us on. Thank you for
[1:40:36] telling the story. Uh major gratitude uh
[1:40:39] on behalf of the Dave and Show Duffield
[1:40:41] Foundation and all of our employees and
[1:40:44] all of those champions we have out
[1:40:45] there. Uh this is a bright and shining
[1:40:48] gym for our community. There's nothing
[1:40:50] like this in the world and we get a
[1:40:52] chance to talk about the great things
[1:40:54] that are happening right here in
[1:40:55] Northern Nevada as we take care of those
[1:40:58] who've taken care of this great nation.
[1:41:00] Having said that, I will stand by for
[1:41:02] any questions.
[1:41:03] >> Okay. If that's not inspiring, I don't
[1:41:05] know what is. You are I always love
[1:41:09] hearing you speak. When are you writing
[1:41:11] a book?
[1:41:12] >> When I get I don't know. I don't have
[1:41:14] any 2 or 3 in the morning. I don't know.
[1:41:16] [laughter]
[1:41:18] » I just love love love what you do. That
[1:41:21] is so cool. I did not know we were
[1:41:22] getting our own our very own uh City of
[1:41:25] Reno Liberty dog. That's fantastic.
[1:41:28] I love it. Any
[1:41:31] questions? Go ahead, council member. Um,
[1:41:34] I'll just Anderson.
[1:41:35] >> That's me. Okay.
[1:41:37] >> I I was looking over at both of you, so
[1:41:39] I apologize.
[1:41:40] >> That's okay. I don't mind being mistaken
[1:41:42] for Council Member Taylor.
[1:41:46] >> General Barry, I'm just you're just like
[1:41:50] glowing with enthusiasm and love for
[1:41:53] this project and for the work that
[1:41:55] you're going to be doing. And I hope
[1:41:56] that I'm doing the same for the fact
[1:41:59] that this is in my neighborhood, in my
[1:42:02] community.
[1:42:03] The transformation of what this is going
[1:42:06] to do for Ward 6 when downtown Demani is
[1:42:09] developed, the culture and the vibe of
[1:42:11] this neighborhood and this community
[1:42:13] with the Liberty Dogs there being
[1:42:15] integrated into that environment is
[1:42:17] going to be one of the most special
[1:42:18] things we have in this country. And it's
[1:42:21] a stones throw from my house. And so I
[1:42:23] want to say thank you for your
[1:42:24] leadership there. The people that in the
[1:42:26] community that have seen the development
[1:42:28] that has happened at Liberty Dogs think
[1:42:30] that it is homes for sale and it's
[1:42:33] downtown Demani. That is how fabulously
[1:42:36] this campus has been developed. It is
[1:42:38] absolutely stunning. No detail has been
[1:42:41] overlooked.
[1:42:43] And though the most important thing that
[1:42:45] I want to say to you and to the Duffels
[1:42:47] and to you Mr. Dorettto.
[1:42:50] I've, you know, I'm 51 years old. I've
[1:42:52] been in Northern Nevada my my whole
[1:42:54] life. And we've all heard how we do or
[1:42:57] do not take care of our veterans.
[1:43:01] This program is going to teach Reno and
[1:43:04] Wo County at large how important our
[1:43:07] veterans are, how actually tactical
[1:43:10] things that everyone in the community
[1:43:12] can actually do to give back to the
[1:43:15] service that they gave us. That is an
[1:43:17] incredible gift for our community to
[1:43:20] teach us how to care for our veterans,
[1:43:23] but teach us how to care for each other.
[1:43:25] Teach us how to care. I mean, shelter
[1:43:26] dogs. You are picking shelter dogs out
[1:43:30] of shelters on the West Coast and across
[1:43:33] the country to give them a new life and
[1:43:35] purpose. Not just a new life and purpose
[1:43:37] to be loved, but a new life and purpose
[1:43:40] to love. And I'm just I'm sure I could
[1:43:43] go on for many, many minutes. And that's
[1:43:45] when Council Member Taylor will throw
[1:43:46] something at me. So, I just want to say
[1:43:48] thank you for the opportunity, everybody
[1:43:50] here that brought this to Nevada and to
[1:43:53] Northern Nevada because you are teaching
[1:43:55] us how to be better people.
[1:43:56] >> Thank you.
[1:43:57] >> So, thank you.
[1:43:57] >> Appreciate Taylor.
[1:43:59] >> Go ahead. I would never throw anything
[1:44:01] at you, Council Member Anderson.
[1:44:02] [laughter]
[1:44:03] >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. So proud,
[1:44:06] beyond proud, beyond words of this
[1:44:08] facility and the community. It just is a
[1:44:11] gamecher for our region and for our
[1:44:13] state. My question for you is what
[1:44:16] what's the the cost approximately of
[1:44:19] this facility?
[1:44:22] >> The cost approximately of this facility.
[1:44:26] >> Well, he was in the middle of all that.
[1:44:29] >> I'm sorry.
[1:44:30] >> What was the cost of the facility?
[1:44:34] >> The investment. Let's call it an
[1:44:36] investment.
[1:44:40] [laughter]
[1:44:41] >> Okay.
[1:44:41] >> Did you catch that?
[1:44:42] >> What was that?
[1:44:43] It's approximately $350 million.
[1:44:45] >> About $350 million.
[1:44:49] >> How many public dollars did you receive?
[1:44:52] >> No public dollars.
[1:44:54] >> So, this community
[1:44:57] with some key leaders
[1:44:59] provided this facility for our veterans
[1:45:02] with no public dollars.
[1:45:05] That's amazing.
[1:45:07] This community is amazing. And it's
[1:45:09] because of people like you and Perry D.
[1:45:11] Lorettto, the Duffield Foundation, and
[1:45:14] we can't do it without you. So, thank
[1:45:16] you.
[1:45:17] >> Thank you. I sometimes I don't think
[1:45:20] people realize what we have here. Um,
[1:45:25] and it's and it's been talked about this
[1:45:27] morning, but uh when a community comes
[1:45:30] together, when you have people who care
[1:45:32] so much, so much uh the Duffields uh are
[1:45:36] just so generous and have a love and uh
[1:45:41] care for our community, our veterans,
[1:45:43] and have done so many other things. And
[1:45:45] then you get, you know, the community
[1:45:47] pillar back there, Mr. Dorettto, and
[1:45:50] come together to create this excellence.
[1:45:52] And um and when you see and hear what's
[1:45:56] happening on a regular basis in terms of
[1:45:59] veterans and I the word right word was
[1:46:00] transformed, how they're transformed. I had a spouse call me and says this my my husband had not talked to me about
[1:46:09] the war since the Gulf War until they
[1:46:11] went to this class that you gave
[1:46:13] speaking more now, interacting more now.
[1:46:16] Uh doesn't talk about being afraid
[1:46:18] anymore. I mean, I I have stories and and when you're doing something this
[1:46:22] noble and saving and changing lives in a
[1:46:26] community that co coaleses behind it, um
[1:46:29] it's a story to be told and uh we have
[1:46:32] not seen the return on investment that
[1:46:35] is happening in this community. It's
[1:46:38] going to be phenomenal.
[1:46:39] >> And I wish I wish Mr. Morgan was Oh, he
[1:46:41] is still here.
[1:46:42] >> He's back there.
[1:46:44] I'm proud that the builders in this
[1:46:47] community support these kind of efforts.
[1:46:50] They're not just building our community
[1:46:51] with houses. They're building our
[1:46:53] community. And I know, but I can see you
[1:46:56] all.
[1:46:57] >> Exactly. So, the builders in this
[1:46:59] community are phenomenal. Thank you.
[1:47:03] >> Thank you.
[1:47:04] >> He's a big supporter, too. He just like
[1:47:05] to be in the background, but he's uh
[1:47:09] >> he's shy. Dan's shy over there.
[1:47:12] >> Dan shy. Look at him now. He's all red.
[1:47:16] [laughter]
[1:47:16] >> So oxymoron dam. Okay.
[1:47:21] >> All right.
[1:47:22] >> So funny. He is. Look, he's getting
[1:47:24] [laughter] red.
[1:47:27] >> All right. Thank you. Thank you. Thank
[1:47:29] you.
[1:47:29] >> Before you [laughter] go.
[1:47:30] >> All right. Council light on as well. Um
[1:47:33] well, first of all, um General Barry,
[1:47:36] >> welcome to our chambers. Um, I've had
[1:47:38] the privilege of knowing you for quite a
[1:47:40] few years and while I was surprised when
[1:47:43] you took this role, I was not shocked.
[1:47:46] And I was not shocked because of your
[1:47:47] past history both here at the city of
[1:47:49] Reno, helping uh the men and women with
[1:47:51] the Reno Police Department, moving on to
[1:47:55] the Nevada National Guard where I got
[1:47:57] to, you know, have tours with you, see
[1:47:59] programs with you, celebrate our uh
[1:48:02] guard and all the things they do, which
[1:48:04] they are doing right now, flying water
[1:48:07] to to um help us with the fire. I saw
[1:48:10] Emerson and Marcus yesterday, Marcus and
[1:48:12] Emer. and he um you know said we're out
[1:48:16] there now you know and he had his camera
[1:48:17] in hand as he always does and then I did
[1:48:20] have a chance to tour the facility you
[1:48:22] were not there unfortunately that day I
[1:48:24] came with a number of other electeds and
[1:48:26] we were blown away blown away by the
[1:48:29] quality the the commitment to detail um
[1:48:32] and and what you really described which
[1:48:34] I think needs to be mentioned again it's
[1:48:37] not just about dogs right I mean it's
[1:48:40] phenomenally about dogs but it's about
[1:48:41] the entire life cycle of a veteran and
[1:48:44] what they're focusing what they're
[1:48:46] dealing with, what what made them commit
[1:48:47] to service in the first place, their
[1:48:49] experiences in um their service, uh
[1:48:53] their life after their service, and many
[1:48:56] of them, you know, the challenges that
[1:48:58] they faced. And the fact that you're
[1:48:59] doing the mental health programs that
[1:49:01] you are to basically bring back the
[1:49:04] whole veteran um and help them
[1:49:06] reintegrate to society if they've been
[1:49:08] closed up, uh get different kind of
[1:49:10] jobs. All all of it is so important. I
[1:49:13] was first exposed to this kind of
[1:49:15] program about 10 years ago. A friend of
[1:49:17] mine back in Florida works with a
[1:49:20] Warrior K9 Companion, I think it's
[1:49:22] called, and she has trained dog after
[1:49:24] dog, mostly Golden. Um, uh, mostly Labs,
[1:49:28] Golden Labs. Um, and I always felt that
[1:49:31] I never had the time, but I, you know, I
[1:49:33] am about to be off council. I'm I have a
[1:49:35] lot to take care of, but I know there's
[1:49:36] going to come a day um that I may be
[1:49:38] able to help out personally, you know,
[1:49:40] as you called for volunteers um and help
[1:49:43] raise these dogs because I've heard that
[1:49:45] is your greatest challenge is getting
[1:49:47] the amount of dogs that you want into
[1:49:49] the program brought up and our community
[1:49:52] probably doesn't have enough homes and
[1:49:54] so you're reaching out all over is what
[1:49:56] I understand. Um so I just, you know,
[1:49:59] I've been blown away from day one. I
[1:50:00] think you know I've been chair for a
[1:50:02] decade of the Wo County Animal Services
[1:50:05] and I've gotten exposed to the shelter
[1:50:07] of course the issues that we have um
[1:50:10] managing um the population the mayor and
[1:50:13] I early in our career worked to get rid
[1:50:15] of puppy stores in Reno the spread to
[1:50:18] Sparks um so that we were not having
[1:50:21] backyard breeders and that we were
[1:50:23] adopting the animals out of the shelters
[1:50:26] um and and that was something we're
[1:50:28] really proud of in the beginning but to
[1:50:29] be able to be here at the end and to be
[1:50:31] able to have this kind of program
[1:50:33] blossom in our community and um you know
[1:50:37] be such a showpiece for the whole
[1:50:38] America and and my understanding is
[1:50:40] there may be others spread maybe to the
[1:50:42] other coast ultimately is is just
[1:50:45] phenomenal. I I do have an ask and it's
[1:50:48] a small one but in your world but big to
[1:50:50] me. We've just gone through the fire and
[1:50:52] we had an incredible shortage of staff
[1:50:55] in Wo County Animal Services. They were
[1:50:58] running the shelter. They had a 30 cat
[1:51:00] hoarding situation that they had to deal
[1:51:02] with. Um there the livestock event
[1:51:05] center was full. They could not use it
[1:51:07] to evacuate large animals. They had to
[1:51:09] pick one ironwood 25 miles away out
[1:51:12] pyramid way. Um they had to go out there
[1:51:15] and take care of all kind of large
[1:51:16] animals. There was another group, the
[1:51:19] it's called the least resistance
[1:51:20] technical training, but it's all about
[1:51:22] moving large animals out of danger. They
[1:51:24] were evacuating animals and taking them
[1:51:26] out to Ironwood. Well, meanwhile, there
[1:51:28] was no one left to set up any kind of
[1:51:31] shelter for the pets of the evacuees.
[1:51:35] And so eventually I went and did it,
[1:51:37] right? And eventually animal services
[1:51:39] was able to bring extra supplies. And
[1:51:41] one of the things I want to work on post
[1:51:43] emergency and that I could use your
[1:51:44] coaching on and and also probably Mr.
[1:51:47] Deredto is um I want to set up volunt
[1:51:50] emergency volunteers that are ready to
[1:51:52] take care of animals that could be your
[1:51:54] dogs. If a fire came to South Reno,
[1:51:57] where are all if you have to evacuate,
[1:51:58] where are all these dogs going? Um, if
[1:52:00] we have to evacuate the shelter, where
[1:52:02] are they going? If the livestock event
[1:52:04] centers shut down again, what's
[1:52:05] happening? I'd love to have volunteers
[1:52:07] that are trained in emergencies um to
[1:52:10] immediately set up and help evacuees
[1:52:13] deal with the issues because many of
[1:52:15] them would not come to the shelter. They
[1:52:17] slept in their cars being told that
[1:52:20] animals were not allowed in in the
[1:52:21] shelter in the uh convention center.
[1:52:24] Eventually, I was worked with JW and we
[1:52:27] were able to get this evacuation center
[1:52:30] open for animals and there were at least
[1:52:31] 17 there at one moment. Um, more later
[1:52:34] and then fewer now as they're closing
[1:52:36] the shelter. But you see the issue and
[1:52:38] I'd love to connect later with both of
[1:52:40] you about what we can do because this is
[1:52:42] a whole new effort, but I think it'll
[1:52:44] help both your facility and our entire
[1:52:47] community with with issues and you're so
[1:52:49] trained for this, right? So, thank you
[1:52:51] both. Thank you all for what you have
[1:52:53] done. I know the dumbfields care
[1:52:55] tremendously about animals.
[1:52:56] >> Your eggs.
[1:52:57] >> I know.
[1:52:57] >> Look forward to hearing.
[1:52:58] >> Back to you.
[1:53:00] >> So, do we get our When do we get our
[1:53:02] dog? The 13th. Did you say it looked
[1:53:04] like the 13th?
[1:53:05] >> Yes. 14th.
[1:53:06] >> 14th. Can we make sure the dog's here at
[1:53:08] every council meeting? [laughter]
[1:53:11] » That it's such a great mental health
[1:53:14] initiative. I love it. Love it. Love it
[1:53:16] so much.
[1:53:16] >> Get to your call.
[1:53:17] >> Oh, yeah. I love it. Love it. Um,
[1:53:21] >> okay. We're gonna take a picture if you
[1:53:23] wouldn't mind.
[1:53:25] >> I think Council Member
[1:53:25] >> Eert has
[1:53:27] ahead.
[1:53:29] >> Yeah. I just wanted to say, General
[1:53:30] Barry, I I had the pleasure of going to
[1:53:32] your retirement
[1:53:35] um dinner and I should have known better
[1:53:37] that that wouldn't be your your actual
[1:53:39] retirement. I'm just so grateful to see
[1:53:41] you doing more in the community and this
[1:53:43] is such a wonderful project. I'm such a
[1:53:45] dog person myself and um you know
[1:53:48] they're they're called man's best friend
[1:53:50] for a reason and relationships with
[1:53:52] animals are so healing and I just think
[1:53:54] this is such a wonderful program and I'm
[1:53:57] so happy to see you um you know still
[1:54:00] out here serving the community. You're
[1:54:02] so passionate about it and just really
[1:54:04] grateful for um the support that that
[1:54:07] you're providing for veterans. So just
[1:54:09] wanted to to chime in and say thank you
[1:54:11] also.
[1:54:12] >> Thank you. I appreciate that. Oh, thank
[1:54:14] you so much.
[1:54:17] Picture here.
[1:54:20] >> I'm not in [snorts] charge, but I you
[1:54:21] know,
[1:54:22] >> I'm used to giving orders.
[1:54:23] >> I didn't realize that u Megan had
[1:54:25] stopped talking, so yeah,
[1:54:31] » come on over. Come on, Dan.
[1:54:35] >> Perry. Mike.
[1:54:37] Hey, Mike. Dan, Perry, all of you guys
[1:54:40] have worked on this project. Come on.
[1:54:43] Don't be shy. Get over here,
[1:54:46] Mike. Ponyie, come on. Yes. Get over
[1:54:50] here.
[1:54:52] >> He hates it. Look at his face getting
[1:54:54] red, too. Come on, Dan.
[1:54:56] >> Not lay down. I guess you can be
[1:54:58] sitting.
[1:54:59] >> Yeah, we're not leaving until you take a
[1:55:01] picture.
[1:55:02] >> She's sick of us already.
[1:55:03] >> Ycca
[1:55:06] will take picture.
[1:55:07] >> Oh, it's okay. I don't mind.
[1:55:10] All right. Um, hurry. Right after. I'll
[1:55:13] just go right over and it'll It's on.
[1:55:16] Yeah. Okay. Ready? Here. Everyone get
[1:55:18] here. Hold on a second.
[1:55:20] >> Hold on. Let's all get in here. Come on.
[1:55:23] Okay. Is everyone in
[1:55:26] >> in your frame? Okay. Ready? One, two,
[1:55:28] three. Dogs.
[1:55:31] Suck it in. [gasps]
[1:55:34] » You got it.
[1:55:37] [applause]
[1:55:37] >> Awesome.
[1:55:40] Thank you. Okay, Perry, come say a few
[1:55:43] words.
[1:55:44] >> Speech, speech, speech, speech.
[1:55:46] >> Speech.
[1:55:47] >> Just very briefly. Um,
[1:55:49] >> this is this is this is wonderful. This
[1:55:51] is uh going to gone down as a really
[1:55:53] good day in our lives.
[1:55:54] >> Oh my gosh.
[1:55:54] >> Um,
[1:55:55] >> the day I met David Duffield and he
[1:55:58] explained his [laughter]
[1:56:00] goal here.
[1:56:01] >> U, it was quite an amazing conversation.
[1:56:04] So,
[1:56:06] um, what a point I want to make is
[1:56:09] there's a couple things that happened,
[1:56:11] uh, that we should not overlook. And
[1:56:13] number one, the day David told me what
[1:56:16] he wanted to do. And he said, Perry, I
[1:56:18] need you to make this happen. And would
[1:56:21] you believe over the five years of this
[1:56:23] project, Dave and I probably had 12
[1:56:26] meetings to talk about it. The direction
[1:56:28] was, go make it happen. That could not
[1:56:31] have happened without the city of Reno's
[1:56:33] cooperation. I want to compliment the
[1:56:36] city of Reno. I've done this with you
[1:56:38] before. Your staff performed excellent
[1:56:41] for us. We did our homework. We came in
[1:56:44] with what we needed, but there was buyin
[1:56:46] by the city of Reno and the cooperation
[1:56:49] on this is was exemplary. So, thank you
[1:56:52] for the leadership that you all provide
[1:56:54] to your city staff to enable that to
[1:56:56] happen because it couldn't have got done
[1:56:58] without it. Well, that's
[1:57:00] >> Chris Pingry over here and his whole
[1:57:02] team. So, there he is. Thank the man
[1:57:06] right there. Thank you, Chris.
[1:57:09] >> Chris Pangry, you are amazing, young
[1:57:11] man. Thank you.
[1:57:14] >> Sorry. I My my hearing has been
[1:57:15] terrible, so I've been just trying to
[1:57:17] really focus. So, is mine.
[1:57:18] >> I've been sitting back there adjusting
[1:57:19] my hearing aids.
[1:57:20] >> My eyesight, my hearing. We're all in
[1:57:22] good company together.
[1:57:26] » All right, you guys have a wonderful
[1:57:28] day. let us know how we can help. Um,
[1:57:30] anything we can do, we're excited to get
[1:57:33] our dog and we'll we look forward to
[1:57:35] seeing you guys soon.
[1:57:37] >> Thanks so much.
[1:57:44] » I believe we're moving into item B14.
[1:57:47] >> Thank you.
[1:57:50] Yeah, I I pulled this item B14, which is
[1:57:53] um to highlight a very important program
[1:57:56] and our partnership with the state of
[1:57:58] Nevada on things that if they weren't
[1:58:00] there, we couldn't do what we do. And to
[1:58:03] my understanding, we are getting a $50
[1:58:06] million loan, $50 million
[1:58:11] loan. And the fact that it's a loan is
[1:58:14] one thing, but the interest rate I think
[1:58:16] is incredibly low, like beyond belief
[1:58:19] low. Um, so I just wondered if you could
[1:58:23] just briefly highlight it between you
[1:58:25] and our public works and or in our um I
[1:58:29] guess it's our utility services and just
[1:58:31] talk about, you know, it a little bit.
[1:58:33] >> Sure. Thank you, Vicky Van Beern,
[1:58:35] director of finance. For the record, um
[1:58:38] this item before you today is a
[1:58:39] resolution for intent for us to move
[1:58:41] forward with the application with the
[1:58:43] state revolving loan funds. Um you're
[1:58:45] familiar with this. This is the same
[1:58:47] process that we went through with the
[1:58:49] American Flats project, the advanced
[1:58:52] purified water facility. We did a
[1:58:54] similar process. They offer funding
[1:58:56] through the state program that is has
[1:58:59] very low rates and it's a draw down
[1:59:01] program. So, we spend the money, then we
[1:59:03] can draw the money down. So, we don't
[1:59:04] start paying for it until we've actually
[1:59:07] drawn it all down, which is one benefit.
[1:59:09] The other benefit, as you mentioned, um
[1:59:11] the last one for the APWF, that one came
[1:59:14] in at 2.47%.
[1:59:16] >> Yeah.
[1:59:17] >> Um can't go out on the market and get
[1:59:19] anything like that. It's a great value
[1:59:21] for the city. Um it really secures those
[1:59:24] funds in a way that we get the best bang
[1:59:27] for the buck for what we're doing. Um
[1:59:29] and it's a really good program. This
[1:59:31] item isn't issuing the bonds or getting
[1:59:33] the loan. This is just part of the
[1:59:35] application process um for you to
[1:59:38] declare intent that you're okay with us
[1:59:40] moving forward with the application.
[1:59:42] >> This project is approved in the capital
[1:59:45] improvement plan for the year um with
[1:59:48] this anticipated funding as the budget
[1:59:50] mechanism for it. Um and we have public
[1:59:52] works here if there's questions as far
[1:59:54] as like the project itself.
[1:59:55] >> Right. Well, just a a brief comment. And
[1:59:58] I mean it's a deatering facility which
[2:00:00] is not so sexy as they say but just tell
[2:00:02] us about it for a minute if you will.
[2:00:06] >> Uh for the record John Simpson utility
[2:00:08] services. Um so yes the deatering
[2:00:11] building out at um Tommorph is being
[2:00:14] replaced. The existing building that's
[2:00:16] there is um I believe it's almost 40
[2:00:19] years it's over 40 years old.
[2:00:21] >> What is a deatering building? And so the
[2:00:23] deatering building as the the sewer
[2:00:24] process is is is is managed there's a waste product that is is
[2:00:31] produced through the the treatment of
[2:00:33] the of the sewer. Um, the deatering will take that
[2:00:39] waste and it basically puts it almost
[2:00:41] like a salad spinner and it pulls out
[2:00:43] all the water that's that's left in that
[2:00:46] um that waste material where we can um
[2:00:49] make it more compact and easier and and
[2:00:52] that material is transported away to a a
[2:00:55] waste facility somewhere else. And so um
[2:00:58] that's ultimately the the purpose of the
[2:01:00] deatering building. But um this has been
[2:01:03] in the CIP for 15 years, right?
[2:01:05] >> It has been planned for a long time.
[2:01:08] We're excited to get this for moving
[2:01:09] forward. I know the operations sta staff
[2:01:12] with uh with uh in city of Sparks has listed this as the number one item
[2:01:18] that they want to get taken care of out
[2:01:20] of the plant because it's it's it's a
[2:01:21] crucial infrastructure and in need of
[2:01:24] updating.
[2:01:25] >> Okay. So, we're excited to get this
[2:01:26] moving forward and appreciative of um
[2:01:30] our Nevada Department of Environmental
[2:01:32] Protection that is um has this program
[2:01:35] in place to allow us to get this
[2:01:36] funding,
[2:01:36] >> right? I mean, because the alternative
[2:01:39] going out for $50 million in bonds and
[2:01:42] having to go to the market and get money
[2:01:44] to do this uh would be, you know, again,
[2:01:47] it'd be sitting on a shelf for another
[2:01:49] 15 years till we felt like we could pay
[2:01:51] for this kind of bond. and it would have
[2:01:53] come through the debt management
[2:01:54] commission and you know it would be
[2:01:56] competing with much more interesting
[2:01:58] projects like the Moana pool and the
[2:02:00] public safety center things that people
[2:02:03] can see and touch and go to versus a
[2:02:05] place they will never go but it's
[2:02:07] critical to their life right I mean they
[2:02:09] take all this for granted um we we you
[2:02:13] know we use our infrastructure and it's
[2:02:16] uh we're blind to it but unless you have
[2:02:19] this stuff operational we're not
[2:02:21] operational right
[2:02:22] >> that's correct Yeah, I mean I I doubt
[2:02:24] anyone's going there. They're not going
[2:02:26] there to swim or, you know, visit with
[2:02:29] our police or anything, but it's
[2:02:30] critical. So, thank you for being here.
[2:02:32] Thank you for making the application to
[2:02:34] the state and, you know, thinking this
[2:02:37] through and finally feeling like we have
[2:02:38] the wherewithal to move forward. So,
[2:02:40] thank you. And I don't know that there's
[2:02:42] any questions. I'm happy to make a
[2:02:43] motion to approve it.
[2:02:47] Okay, I'll make a motion that we approve
[2:02:49] applying for um this financing through
[2:02:53] the Department of Conservation Natural
[2:02:55] Resources for $50 million.
[2:02:58] >> Second.
[2:02:59] >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. All
[2:03:01] those in favor say I.
[2:03:02] >> I.
[2:03:03] Any opposed? Motion passes
[2:03:05] unanimously.
[2:03:08] >> Thank you, Madam Clerk. I think we're
[2:03:10] moving on to item C2.
[2:03:11] >> Yes, that's correct.
[2:03:13] >> Director Van Beern.
[2:03:15] I good afternoon Vicky Van Buren
[2:03:18] director of finance for the record
[2:03:20] before you today I have your monthly
[2:03:22] update for this is for August
[2:03:28] aligns with the strategic plan through
[2:03:30] fiscal stewardship
[2:03:33] and today I want to talk about the
[2:03:35] status of fiscal year 26 closing out
[2:03:37] those books through June 30. Uh I do
[2:03:40] want to remind you that we are still
[2:03:41] recording some entries and uh preparing
[2:03:44] some uh reconciliations and some other
[2:03:47] items. So there may be some changes as
[2:03:49] we move forward, but we're very close to
[2:03:51] where the books are and I have a good
[2:03:53] idea of where we are at this point for
[2:03:54] you today. The audit is currently
[2:03:56] underway. The auditors were here in
[2:03:58] August. They will be back on site in
[2:04:00] October for two weeks. They will
[2:04:03] finalize um their audits. As they're
[2:04:06] doing that, we will finalize the um
[2:04:08] statements in November and then those
[2:04:10] come back to you. The annual
[2:04:12] comprehensive financial report, the ACT
[2:04:14] for comes back to you in December. So,
[2:04:17] we're very busy right now with that. Um
[2:04:19] and we are also shifting gears toward
[2:04:21] budget and building budget for next year
[2:04:23] as well. Um topics for today again are
[2:04:26] closing out last year and then I have
[2:04:28] the special topic today of the medical
[2:04:30] internal service fund for you. So, I'm
[2:04:32] going to stop after I get through the
[2:04:35] last year kind of results and I'll stop
[2:04:37] for questions before I go on to the
[2:04:39] medical internal service fund just to
[2:04:41] give you an idea. It's not a long
[2:04:43] presentation. I just wanted to give that
[2:04:46] little bit. So, um general fund I want
[2:04:49] to talk about this a little bit. Again,
[2:04:50] these are unodudited numbers. I pulled
[2:04:52] them as of last week on August 20th.
[2:04:55] There may be a few changes, but I don't
[2:04:57] expect anything material at this point
[2:05:00] right now. Um what you're seeing the
[2:05:03] gold bar shows the FY26 estimated amount
[2:05:06] where we anticipated to come in as we
[2:05:09] built this year's budget and then the
[2:05:11] actuals where we actually are with these
[2:05:14] revenue sources. We've received all of
[2:05:16] the payments for property tax, se tax,
[2:05:19] and franchise fees at this point. So
[2:05:20] these are updated. Again, I don't think
[2:05:23] there are any material changes in here
[2:05:24] unless we find something through
[2:05:26] reconciliation or some other method. um
[2:05:29] property taxes, franchise fees, um
[2:05:32] licenses, which are your business
[2:05:34] licenses and charge for permits. You see
[2:05:36] at the top of the bar up there, those
[2:05:38] all have negative percentages, just a
[2:05:40] little bit, not large, any ranging from
[2:05:42] anywhere from negative.7%
[2:05:45] to negative 1.7%.
[2:05:48] Um and that's compared to where we
[2:05:51] thought we would come in for the year.
[2:05:52] So all of those are showing just
[2:05:54] slightly below. You'll see that um the
[2:05:56] difference is listed on the bottom
[2:05:58] between those and the negative columns
[2:05:59] there. Cax is actually performing very
[2:06:03] well. Consolidated taxes, consumer
[2:06:05] spending is still continuing to be very
[2:06:07] robust um and is driving this this bus
[2:06:11] really well. Um above uh estimates at
[2:06:15] 3.8%.
[2:06:17] Um, and so with that one coming in a
[2:06:20] little bit higher and the others a
[2:06:22] little lower, we're in a very good spot
[2:06:25] still overall for where we estimated.
[2:06:28] Um, so it's good news on this front.
[2:06:31] And then on the expenditure side, um,
[2:06:34] you can see salary and benefits. I
[2:06:35] talked about this last month. Salary and
[2:06:37] benefits are within 3% of what we
[2:06:40] anticipated. Extremely extremely close.
[2:06:43] They are a little bit over than what we
[2:06:46] estimated, but we have revenues that are
[2:06:48] a little bit more. So, we're okay there.
[2:06:50] And then service and supplies. This does
[2:06:52] include some capital in that, but just
[2:06:54] for presentation purposes, I included it
[2:06:56] in service and supplies. Um, that
[2:06:59] includes the incumbrances that we
[2:07:01] currently out have outstanding. And by
[2:07:03] encumbrances, I mean purchase orders.
[2:07:06] So, any contracts or purchase orders
[2:07:08] that we've already committed up to this
[2:07:10] point for last year, they have not been
[2:07:12] finished yet. we will encumber those
[2:07:14] funds and bring those forward. We are
[2:07:16] still in the process of um going through
[2:07:19] those to see if if if it has been
[2:07:22] completed, we will close those out and
[2:07:24] then that will be additional savings
[2:07:26] here and that gap will get a little
[2:07:28] closer. Right now, we're showing 2.2%
[2:07:31] above where we estimated, but that does
[2:07:33] include almost $5 million in
[2:07:34] incumbrances and we're in that process
[2:07:37] of uh going through those and not all of
[2:07:40] those will be brought forward. So that
[2:07:42] will get a little bit closer. Debt
[2:07:44] service on here. It's um on track
[2:07:47] because we know what the schedule is for
[2:07:48] those. That's the Moana pool, the public
[2:07:51] safety center, and the fire apparatus
[2:07:53] program in that debt service that we
[2:07:55] have here.
[2:07:57] So overall fiscal year 26, the results,
[2:08:00] you know, they're coming in as expected.
[2:08:02] I don't have anything that I really want
[2:08:03] to call out to say this is, you know,
[2:08:05] out of the norm or anything going on. Um
[2:08:08] which is a good thing at this point. So,
[2:08:11] it's really good to see things starting
[2:08:13] to level out and being able to predict
[2:08:15] them as we start to move forward. So,
[2:08:18] looking ahead, we do have some major
[2:08:20] items that we're thinking about already
[2:08:22] for the current year and for next year.
[2:08:25] We are currently still working on the
[2:08:27] FLSA analysis and with the bargaining
[2:08:30] groups on that as well. We would like to
[2:08:32] have that wrapped up by December, by the
[2:08:34] end of this year. That is the goal. Um,
[2:08:37] so we are still working on that. We have
[2:08:39] open collective bargaining agreements.
[2:08:42] We have local 39
[2:08:45] uh supervisory and non-supervisory are
[2:08:47] currently open and in negotiation for
[2:08:50] the current year. Um starting with
[2:08:52] fiscal year 28, we will have seven other
[2:08:55] groups that open up at that point. Um
[2:08:59] there's a lot of unknowns. We have a
[2:09:01] potential pers rate increase that would
[2:09:03] be for next year as well. um medical
[2:09:05] costs and workers compensation. Over the
[2:09:08] last two years, we've seen a dramatic
[2:09:10] increase in the costs of those. A lot of
[2:09:13] it is geared because medical costs in
[2:09:15] general have increased. Um and then with
[2:09:18] workers comp um state legislature has
[2:09:21] changed some things there. So that um
[2:09:24] we're going to see some changes I think
[2:09:25] as we move forward. We haven't seen the
[2:09:27] impact of it yet, but um future we're
[2:09:31] starting to plan for that as well.
[2:09:33] capital funding needs for next year.
[2:09:36] Current year, we use some one-time funds
[2:09:38] that we found next year for fiscal year
[2:09:41] 28. We're already starting to look and try to figure out how we're going to
[2:09:44] fund those capital needs because we
[2:09:47] don't have really any one-time money
[2:09:49] identified at this point. And then the
[2:09:51] ERP system replacement is moving forward
[2:09:54] right now. Um Barry Dunn is working on
[2:09:56] the proposal on that as far as going out
[2:09:59] um to figure out what type of system we
[2:10:01] need. um and that information. So, a lot
[2:10:04] of those meetings are going on right now
[2:10:05] with staff um and we have to figure out
[2:10:08] what the actual cost will be with that
[2:10:10] and then um figure out a plan for that
[2:10:12] as well. So, these are the really big
[2:10:14] items right now that are on our plate as
[2:10:17] we're starting to look ahead and start
[2:10:19] to think about um building the budget.
[2:10:23] September 23rd, I'll be back in front of
[2:10:25] you again for the next update. Um,
[2:10:28] again, I'll have results from last year
[2:10:29] un audited, but they will be very close
[2:10:32] to final at that point because we're
[2:10:33] actually putting together these
[2:10:34] statements at that point um to finalize
[2:10:37] them. So, we'll really know at that
[2:10:39] point what the impact will be to the
[2:10:41] current year because if we're on track
[2:10:43] with all of our estimates and where we
[2:10:45] think we're going to be, um, there
[2:10:47] really won't be an impact to the current
[2:10:48] year budget. If we're not, then it would
[2:10:51] impact the current year budget and
[2:10:52] obviously beyond that. But at this
[2:10:54] point, everything's really coming in as
[2:10:56] anticipated.
[2:10:58] So, um, with that, I'm going to stop
[2:11:00] right here if there are any questions
[2:11:03] here.
[2:11:05] Vicky, really quick, what did we budget
[2:11:06] for property tax? Um, was it a 6%
[2:11:09] increase that we had budgeted?
[2:11:13] top of my head I thought it was around
[2:11:16] six, but it's usually between six and
[2:11:20] seven and eight is what we've
[2:11:22] historically had. Um for the current
[2:11:24] year, I know for current year it's only
[2:11:27] 4 and a.5%. We're starting to see some
[2:11:29] flattening for last year. I think it was
[2:11:32] around 6% um for that growth for last
[2:11:36] year, but the current year we did see
[2:11:38] some kind of flattening. And so I think
[2:11:40] it's only around four and a half.
[2:11:41] >> Okay. Thank you,
[2:11:44] >> Council Member Taylor.
[2:11:45] >> Thank you. Um Vicki, I have a question
[2:11:47] about the consolidated taxes. Um so I
[2:11:50] think it was last year the state
[2:11:52] switched their system and we started to
[2:11:55] see our C tax fluctuate differently.
[2:11:58] There was a couple of really low months
[2:12:00] and then there was a high month. My
[2:12:01] question is what are we doing to ensure
[2:12:03] that we are um receiving the amount of
[2:12:06] sea tax that is due to us? Is it through
[2:12:09] the audit? Is it through your team? And
[2:12:12] do we feel confident that that we've
[2:12:14] seen it kind of level out over the last
[2:12:16] couple of months?
[2:12:17] >> Um, so are we confident that that things
[2:12:20] are
[2:12:22] I guess uh the fluctuation has gone and
[2:12:24] that now we can accurately predict with
[2:12:26] the new system in place?
[2:12:28] >> You know, I just had a conversation with
[2:12:30] taxation this morning. they are still
[2:12:32] having some challenges with some some of
[2:12:34] the implementation because they're
[2:12:36] rolling it out over several years in
[2:12:38] different areas. Um we have seen it
[2:12:40] stabilize in CAX. We did have the very
[2:12:44] first month for last year July of 25. So
[2:12:48] it would still be part of fiscal year
[2:12:50] 26. That one was still a little weird
[2:12:53] because we had that overlap. We also had
[2:12:55] the the um attack at the state that
[2:12:58] cyber attack that impacted that and that
[2:13:00] overlapped fiscal years. But following
[2:13:03] that, we've had very consistent um
[2:13:07] allocations that look normal. We
[2:13:10] obviously, you know, do our own analysis
[2:13:12] on our side. We talk to other agencies.
[2:13:15] As such, taxation has also been doing
[2:13:17] some open forums where they've been
[2:13:19] talking about the process, talking about
[2:13:21] some of the challenges or things that
[2:13:24] they fixed in the system as well. But
[2:13:26] right now, everything appears to be, you
[2:13:28] know, on track. I think we have a good
[2:13:30] full year of um information that we can
[2:13:34] continue to build on for next year
[2:13:37] whereas we lost about two years there
[2:13:39] over this whole period where it's hard
[2:13:41] to do analysis from last year to this
[2:13:44] year in different timing.
[2:13:45] >> So I guess for my understanding I want
[2:13:47] to make sure that we are monitoring it.
[2:13:49] We are continuing the conversations with
[2:13:51] the department of taxation and should
[2:13:53] there be a need to adjust or um you know
[2:13:57] go after se tax that we thought that we
[2:13:59] were do you're working with other
[2:14:01] agencies. That's an ongoing process that you're working.
[2:14:04] >> Absolutely.
[2:14:05] >> Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Mayor.
[2:14:09] >> Council member Der.
[2:14:10] >> No, I'm sorry. Didn't
[2:14:12] >> No worries. Yeah, I just had your light
[2:14:13] on. Well, I just wanted to say I had a
[2:14:15] really good briefing, which is why I
[2:14:16] don't have questions. And um I spent a
[2:14:18] lot of time asking questions there and
[2:14:20] really got up to speed and so I just
[2:14:24] appreciate these briefings. I do because
[2:14:26] they really help, you know, get the
[2:14:28] understanding better than reading a
[2:14:30] staff report. So, thank you.
[2:14:32] >> Of course,
[2:14:33] >> Council Member Eert, do you have any
[2:14:35] questions or comments online?
[2:14:38] >> Not at this time. Thank you.
[2:14:40] >> Yeah, of course. I don't have [laughter]
[2:14:42] anything. Director Raman, if you want to
[2:14:44] continue.
[2:14:45] >> Thank you. I'm going to go on to the
[2:14:46] special topic this month. This special
[2:14:48] topic is the medical internal service
[2:14:50] fund. If you remember last month, we
[2:14:53] talked about the fleet internal service
[2:14:55] fund. It's a fund where we have separate
[2:14:57] accounting, kind of like a separate
[2:14:58] checkbook if you want to call it, and we
[2:15:01] account for the services that are
[2:15:04] performed by the city and then the city
[2:15:06] pays for it um through their department
[2:15:09] budget. So the city's providing the
[2:15:11] service and paid for through the city.
[2:15:13] And so in the medical internal service
[2:15:16] fund, um again I mentioned it's a
[2:15:18] separate fund and we use it to manage
[2:15:21] the employee health benefits um for the
[2:15:23] medical plans. And so instead of the
[2:15:26] city having a separate insurance company
[2:15:28] like a box store, you go out and you buy
[2:15:30] insurance, the city actually self-funds
[2:15:33] the medical plan. Um, and we do that
[2:15:35] through the employee portion and the and
[2:15:38] the city's portion of the health benefit
[2:15:41] premiums.
[2:15:42] So, how does it really work? You know,
[2:15:44] similar to the fleet fund, we have to
[2:15:46] collect the money from somewhere within
[2:15:49] the city. Um, we collect the money from
[2:15:51] the employee contribution and from the
[2:15:53] city contribution. So, not all of it
[2:15:55] comes from the city. In this case, the
[2:15:57] employee does have a contribution based
[2:15:59] on the health coverage that they choose.
[2:16:02] The city currently pays for 100% of the
[2:16:05] employees healthc care coverage and then
[2:16:07] they pay a portion of the dependent care
[2:16:10] coverage depending on what um the
[2:16:12] employee chooses and that's based on the
[2:16:15] collective bargaining agreement. Um
[2:16:17] those are contributed to this fund and
[2:16:20] then the health care costs for the
[2:16:22] medical claims, drugs and the other
[2:16:24] things are paid out of this fund. Um,
[2:16:27] this is an internal service fund because
[2:16:29] it spreads the cost across the city
[2:16:31] department. So, each department pays
[2:16:33] based on the employees they have and the
[2:16:35] actual coverage that the employees in
[2:16:37] that department are signed up for. So,
[2:16:39] we recalculate that every year during
[2:16:41] the budget process and we actually use
[2:16:43] the actuals for what this is costing.
[2:16:47] So, what does it pay for? You know, re
[2:16:49] really high level. We pay for the
[2:16:52] medical claims from the city um and the
[2:16:55] city claims that come in. We pay for
[2:16:57] prescription drug costs. Those also come
[2:16:59] in. And we have a third-party
[2:17:01] administrator. That's UMR in this case.
[2:17:04] And so you go to the doctor. That um
[2:17:07] explanation of benefits is generated.
[2:17:09] UMR is the person that determines what
[2:17:12] is applicable, what is our portion to
[2:17:14] pay, what is the employees portion to
[2:17:16] pay. Um and then that is done through
[2:17:19] UMR through that third party
[2:17:21] administration. the actual claims
[2:17:23] payment and the actual payment for the
[2:17:24] drug cost that is the uh cost of the
[2:17:28] insurance comes back to the city and is
[2:17:30] paid through this fund. That's the
[2:17:31] self-funded piece of this. This is not
[2:17:34] all um it's not all risk in it is it is
[2:17:39] risky for the city because we are
[2:17:41] accepting the burden of knowing that we
[2:17:43] have to be responsible for all the
[2:17:45] claims that come in because we do not
[2:17:47] have an outside source of insurance. Um,
[2:17:50] we do have a stop-loss insurance that
[2:17:53] kicks in. So, if we get a very large
[2:17:55] claim for a benefit, so say we have a
[2:17:58] claim that's a million dollars for
[2:18:00] something, some hospitalization or some
[2:18:02] kind, stop-loss would kick in at
[2:18:04] 400,000. So, the city would pay up to
[2:18:06] $400,000 and then stop-loss insurance
[2:18:08] kicks in after that. Any other claims
[2:18:11] the city is responsible for paying
[2:18:13] through this process. We have staffing
[2:18:16] and other costs um that are associated
[2:18:18] with managing this fund. Um staffing
[2:18:20] costs include the HR. They have
[2:18:22] dedicated people that work on this. We
[2:18:25] in finance have a portion of our time
[2:18:26] that's dedicated to this and other
[2:18:28] things. So um that's really the cost um
[2:18:32] at a high level of what's in the fund.
[2:18:34] Um why do we do it this way? Why don't
[2:18:36] we just go out and buy health care
[2:18:38] through a regular health [clears throat]
[2:18:39] care plan? We just pay a premium. We
[2:18:41] don't worry about what the claims are.
[2:18:43] Well, really we do it this way for a lot
[2:18:45] of reasons. Um, we have more control
[2:18:48] over the health care plan and you as
[2:18:49] council obviously has more control in
[2:18:52] the city over what types of plans are
[2:18:54] offered um and if the premiums are going
[2:18:58] to increase or not. Um, we have
[2:19:00] transparency on the cost of the benefits
[2:19:03] because we track it in a totally
[2:19:04] separate fund. We have flexibility of
[2:19:07] the plan designs. You deciding what
[2:19:09] plans you want, what things you want in
[2:19:11] the plan versus this is what we offer
[2:19:14] and you get all of this in this package.
[2:19:16] We have the ability as the city to
[2:19:19] manage that. Um there's savings
[2:19:22] potential long term. So we do keep a
[2:19:25] reserve in this fund. We have to have a
[2:19:27] healthy reserve in this fund in order to
[2:19:29] ensure that we have money on hand in
[2:19:31] case there are very large claims or even
[2:19:35] though we have the stop-loss insurance,
[2:19:37] you can have a lot of, you know, $50,000
[2:19:40] claims or so, we have to make sure we
[2:19:43] have enough to pay the claims as they
[2:19:45] come due because we are accepting that
[2:19:47] risk as the city. We have a lot of good
[2:19:50] data with the claims experience. So, we
[2:19:52] know kind of not who's doing it, but we
[2:19:55] know what types of things people are
[2:19:57] using. Are they using more medical? Are
[2:19:58] they using more um prescription drugs,
[2:20:01] other things? We get a lot of data from
[2:20:03] it in order to figure out what we think
[2:20:07] the future looks like as far as
[2:20:09] providing this and then protection
[2:20:12] through the stop-loss again. And we also
[2:20:14] have an employee insurance advisory
[2:20:16] committee. This is a committee is
[2:20:18] advisory in nature. However, they um do
[2:20:21] have a lot of input. We do meet with
[2:20:23] them quarterly. It's comprised of a lot
[2:20:26] of city employees and a lot of
[2:20:28] representation from a lot of collective
[2:20:30] bargaining groups because benefits are
[2:20:33] important to people and um they provide
[2:20:35] that information they receive from those
[2:20:38] meetings back to their groups um so they
[2:20:41] can know what we're seeing, what it
[2:20:43] looks like and what we see for the
[2:20:44] future for premiums or um plans or
[2:20:48] different types of things. So that's a
[2:20:50] quarterly meeting uh and we get a lot of
[2:20:53] um good participation in that.
[2:20:57] The last slide I have for you here is
[2:20:59] just the medical and terminal service
[2:21:01] fund history. So every year about this
[2:21:03] time of the year, we start to look at
[2:21:06] what do the claims look like? What's the
[2:21:08] cash balance in this fund? And do um do
[2:21:12] we need to look at changes to the plan
[2:21:14] or changes to the premium at this point?
[2:21:17] The reason we typically do it now is
[2:21:19] because we have a good solid year to
[2:21:21] look at for last year for 26. We can
[2:21:24] look at trends up to that point and we
[2:21:26] also know that open enrollment is coming
[2:21:28] up in the fall. So we want to if we're
[2:21:30] going to look at doing anything we would
[2:21:32] like to do it prior to open enrollment
[2:21:34] so employees can choose the best option
[2:21:36] for them at that point. Um, one of the
[2:21:39] things I want to point out on here, for
[2:21:41] about a decade, we did not have to
[2:21:44] increase premiums or we very we only
[2:21:47] increased them very slightly. Back 2017,
[2:21:50] we increased premiums 5% across the
[2:21:52] board and then in this January, uh, we
[2:21:56] increased them 10%. But that's what
[2:21:58] we've done almost over a 10-year period.
[2:22:00] So, that tells you how well this this
[2:22:02] fund works. There are some years where
[2:22:05] claims will be higher and some years
[2:22:07] where claims will be lower and then that
[2:22:09] remaining balance will stay in the
[2:22:11] reserve. So that in that way we're able
[2:22:14] to stabilize and keep the costs even for
[2:22:18] employees and for the city as a whole.
[2:22:20] So you'll see the top line, the red line
[2:22:22] shows the claims. These are the claims
[2:22:25] going back to fiscal year 20. And then
[2:22:28] the blue line shows you the cash
[2:22:29] balance. very steady has been for almost
[2:22:33] a decade up until about fiscal year 24.
[2:22:37] If you looked down at the bottom, fiscal
[2:22:38] year 24, we're starting to see a real
[2:22:41] increase in the claims. Claims totaled
[2:22:43] uh $33.5 million. Going into fiscal year
[2:22:47] 25, we went up to $37 million. Between
[2:22:51] those fiscal year 24 and 25, we saw a
[2:22:54] 10% increase in claims. That's one of
[2:22:57] the reasons that we increased the
[2:22:59] premiums in January 10%. We saw these
[2:23:02] trends coming and we increased. What we
[2:23:04] didn't anticipate is that for fiscal
[2:23:07] year 26, it didn't level out, it
[2:23:09] continued to increase. And it not only
[2:23:11] increased, it increased 20%. So now
[2:23:14] you're seeing that gap on the edge. So
[2:23:16] from fiscal year 25 to 26, we've seen
[2:23:19] the cost and claims increase 20%. Um
[2:23:22] really this is a f it's a factor of
[2:23:25] hospital prices that have risen. Um
[2:23:28] they've seen costs in labor go up, cost
[2:23:31] in supplies go up, the inflation that
[2:23:33] they're seeing on their side, it's
[2:23:34] coming through in hospital prices going
[2:23:36] up. There are newer newer drugs,
[2:23:39] expensive drugs in the prescription
[2:23:41] plan, so costing more and you know um
[2:23:44] usage is also a factor in it. um people
[2:23:47] know their benefits, people are able to
[2:23:49] use their benefits, and they have really
[2:23:50] good benefits. And so there are a lot of
[2:23:53] things going on in this. We're currently
[2:23:55] working with HR and their team to um
[2:23:58] work with UMR and get some more analysis
[2:24:00] so we can look at what this looks like
[2:24:02] for the future, either changing the plan
[2:24:05] a little bit, um increasing premiums
[2:24:09] potentially or doing a combination of
[2:24:11] both. But now is the time really that we
[2:24:14] always look at it every year. figuring
[2:24:17] this out first because then it'll impact
[2:24:19] the budget as we continue to move
[2:24:20] forward. So, just wanted to give you a
[2:24:22] little heads up that this is this is the
[2:24:25] item on the radar as we're moving in
[2:24:27] this time of year. Um, and then we will
[2:24:30] move on to full budget development after
[2:24:32] this. But this is going to be a
[2:24:34] challenge. I'm not sure, you know, I
[2:24:36] think when we met with um we met with
[2:24:40] the advisory group, I think the proje
[2:24:42] projections from uh the consultant that
[2:24:45] works on this is uh somewhere around
[2:24:48] five or six% is what they're thinking
[2:24:50] for next year whether that's really true
[2:24:52] because again there are a lot of factors
[2:24:53] in this. Um so we need to kind of find a
[2:24:57] happy medium and then continue to
[2:24:59] monitor what the claims look like as we
[2:25:01] go forward. So questions here.
[2:25:06] >> Council member T.
[2:25:08] >> Thank you. This slide is very
[2:25:10] concerning. Um and it looks like it's not sustainable financially. We're the claims are going up and the cash is going down. So when you said
[2:25:21] that we have a consultant that is
[2:25:23] looking at this, are they going to be
[2:25:25] preparing some ideas for us to look at
[2:25:28] to close this gap a little bit? Well, I
[2:25:32] said consultant. It's it's more UMR and
[2:25:34] the claims history. They look at claims
[2:25:35] history and they can tell us what um
[2:25:38] what happened.
[2:25:39] >> It's not even necessarily about the
[2:25:40] consultant. Vicki, I'm wondering what
[2:25:41] are the plans? When are you going to We
[2:25:43] need to come up with some
[2:25:44] recommendations to close this gap.
[2:25:46] >> We are we are working on that. We are
[2:25:48] actively working. Monica's here if you
[2:25:50] have some specific questions for them.
[2:25:52] But Monica and Adria are here. I'm
[2:25:54] working with their team to figure out
[2:25:56] what we do here. I mean, clearly we
[2:25:58] could raise premiums to try to cover it,
[2:26:00] but I don't necessarily know that that's
[2:26:03] um what everyone wants. And so, we're
[2:26:05] working out what that
[2:26:06] >> our employees are our greatest asset. We
[2:26:07] need to invest them. I'm not saying
[2:26:08] that, but we can't have a a shortfall
[2:26:11] like we're having in this. It just it's
[2:26:14] not sustainable.
[2:26:15] >> We have a very rich plan and there's
[2:26:17] potential for changes to the plan. Um
[2:26:20] and they're working on calculations on
[2:26:22] what that would look like if we change
[2:26:24] the plan a little bit as well. So, I
[2:26:27] think there's an opportunity for both. I
[2:26:29] definitely think there probably going to
[2:26:31] have to be some plan changes and another
[2:26:34] premium increase.
[2:26:36] >> When do you think that you would have
[2:26:38] some recommendations for us to look at
[2:26:40] or options?
[2:26:42] >> We're planning to the next we called a
[2:26:44] special uh meeting. They meet quarterly
[2:26:46] that advisory committee. Uh Adri just
[2:26:49] scheduled that this morning to meet with
[2:26:51] them um in September. So, we'll be
[2:26:54] meeting with them in September, going
[2:26:56] through this with the broker, our
[2:26:58] insurance broker, that was the
[2:26:59] consultant I was talking about, the
[2:27:01] insurance broker that brings us the
[2:27:03] analysis of the claims and what it looks
[2:27:05] like on the go forward. And so, once we
[2:27:08] have all of that information and talk to
[2:27:10] the employees that rec that represent
[2:27:13] their bargaining groups, find out what's
[2:27:15] most important to people. Um, because if
[2:27:18] we change the plan, they may lose some
[2:27:19] benefits that they really want. Maybe
[2:27:21] they would prefer to pay more in a
[2:27:23] premium. We really need to get a little
[2:27:25] more input before
[2:27:27] >> Sure. That sounds
[2:27:28] >> make some recommendations on it.
[2:27:29] >> That sounds like a a good plan for it.
[2:27:31] I'd be interested. It's for discussion
[2:27:33] only. So, I'm going to be really
[2:27:34] interested in seeing what what we bring
[2:27:35] forward. Thank you. Thank you for the
[2:27:37] presentation. This is very helpful.
[2:27:39] >> Council member Der.
[2:27:40] >> Yeah. Thank you. I I too appreciate this
[2:27:42] presentation. Um this is another one I
[2:27:44] was able to get a little briefing on.
[2:27:46] Could you go back a slide or two to
[2:27:49] right here? Um, I thought this was
[2:27:51] really important. You know, there we
[2:27:54] could be getting our medical insurance
[2:27:57] through an insurance broker, right? And,
[2:27:59] uh, the by managing it ourselves, I
[2:28:03] think we're really,
[2:28:05] um, affecting
[2:28:07] payments to insurance brokers. In other
[2:28:09] words, a lot of people in America are
[2:28:10] very unhappy with insurance companies
[2:28:12] generally. And by taking them out of the
[2:28:15] equation and making it very personal
[2:28:17] between the city and our employees, I
[2:28:19] think we're doing them um a good
[2:28:22] service. I really do. Uh the second
[2:28:24] thing that you have here, so so that
[2:28:27] contributes directly to savings because
[2:28:29] otherwise if we did use an insurance
[2:28:31] broker, they would be getting money.
[2:28:33] They would be making money on on finding
[2:28:35] us the right insurance coverages and
[2:28:37] those kind of things. Right.
[2:28:38] >> Right. You're cutting out the income
[2:28:40] piece of it of an insurance company
[2:28:42] making a profit off of it. Yes.
[2:28:44] >> Right. Which I think should make our
[2:28:46] employees pretty happy. You know that we
[2:28:48] have come up with a cost savings here.
[2:28:50] And the second thing is just this
[2:28:52] employment employee insurance advisory
[2:28:54] committee I think is also very important
[2:28:56] because you pointed out they are more
[2:28:59] sensitive uh to changes in the insurance
[2:29:01] program. They may be willing to pay more
[2:29:04] to get this high level of insurance.
[2:29:06] they may be more price sensitive and
[2:29:08] want to take a cut in insurance
[2:29:10] benefits, medical insurance benefits to be able to uh not have an increase in
[2:29:15] price and I think they are a very
[2:29:17] valuable part of this um communication
[2:29:20] and these decisions that we're making.
[2:29:22] So, thank you for highlighting those.
[2:29:24] >> Sure. Thank you.
[2:29:28] » Do you have anything council member?
[2:29:30] >> Yeah.
[2:29:31] So, um I I worked in benefits for
[2:29:35] 20 years before coming here um in
[2:29:38] different capacities. Um but
[2:29:44] I'm really interested in making sure
[2:29:46] that we're getting the best possible
[2:29:48] plan. Like there's other insurance
[2:29:49] companies um besides I'm really
[2:29:52] interested in and kind of going out and
[2:29:55] seeing what other plans are available. I
[2:29:57] know I've talked with um Jackie about
[2:29:59] brokers that have been really helpful um
[2:30:02] with other businesses in the past.
[2:30:04] There's um different agencies that can
[2:30:07] help um you know uh lower premiums. I'm
[2:30:11] not sure if a municipality can join
[2:30:14] anything similar to um a PEO to help
[2:30:18] reduce insurance costs, but um I I want
[2:30:22] to make sure we're looking at all the
[2:30:23] different possibilities for different
[2:30:25] insurance plans. I don't I don't know if
[2:30:28] we're locked in to UMR, but um there's
[2:30:31] other providers out there for sure. Um
[2:30:34] the other thing I'm interested in
[2:30:36] knowing is um what kind of data do we
[2:30:41] have on the claims? I know that there's
[2:30:43] HIPPA regulations. So, we don't we don't
[2:30:46] want to know who did what, but do we
[2:30:49] have particular um high claims that are
[2:30:53] spiking our costs or um like one-offs or
[2:30:57] do we have um kind of a trend of a
[2:31:00] certain health issue that's raising our
[2:31:04] rates because a lot of people are
[2:31:06] experiencing it? And I ask that because
[2:31:08] we could potentially work on a wellness
[2:31:11] program to help reduce those those
[2:31:14] risks. And I I'll just use the example
[2:31:15] of smoking, right? If you invest in and
[2:31:18] smoking uh sessation pro uh programs,
[2:31:22] you can help reduce some of the the
[2:31:24] rates for um you know, cancer treatments
[2:31:27] and things like that. Um, so just um
[2:31:30] want to make sure that we have accurate
[2:31:33] information to make sure that we're
[2:31:35] looking for the right area to invest in
[2:31:40] to help lower our premiums. You know,
[2:31:43] things like premature babies, you can't
[2:31:45] really help that, but you can make sure
[2:31:47] that we have good prenatal care, you
[2:31:49] know, for employees and their
[2:31:51] dependents. Um, so just things like
[2:31:53] that. I'm not sure if we get that data
[2:31:55] from our insurance company now, but I
[2:31:57] think if we're not, we should um just
[2:32:00] again to make sure if if there's things
[2:32:02] that we could reduce through wellness
[2:32:04] programs, we should be doing that. And
[2:32:07] um uh I think it would be worth an
[2:32:10] investment on that. Um I know that um
[2:32:13] there's um options to do biometric
[2:32:17] screenings um with some insurance
[2:32:19] companies that um again they keep your
[2:32:23] information private but they use uh
[2:32:25] aggregate data to find out what kind of
[2:32:28] wellness programs you should offer for
[2:32:30] people um as well. So, um, just want to
[2:32:33] make sure that we're not kind of just
[2:32:35] continuing what we've always done in the
[2:32:38] past. Like, let's really make sure we're looking for the best possible
[2:32:43] option.
[2:32:46] » Yes, thank you for that. We are
[2:32:48] definitely I mean, my answer to that is
[2:32:50] yes, we are doing all of the things that
[2:32:52] you're talking about. Um mostly because
[2:32:55] we the things that we thought were going
[2:32:59] to happen, you know, cost increasing 10%
[2:33:01] and potentially another 6 to 10% and we
[2:33:04] get 20%. Because of that, we need to
[2:33:06] really do a deeper dive and we're going
[2:33:08] to really do that um over the next
[2:33:10] month. Yes.
[2:33:12] >> Okay. So, is is UMR providing any kind
[2:33:15] of reporting like that to us? Currently,
[2:33:17] >> they do. they provide um not names or
[2:33:20] anything but they say you have a high
[2:33:21] claim related to NICU or something else.
[2:33:26] So we are aware of things as they
[2:33:28] happen. Um and then they also do
[2:33:30] quarterly reporting to us. They may even
[2:33:32] do monthly to the HR department but I
[2:33:35] see quarterly reports um with the
[2:33:37] committee. Um they present at it. they
[2:33:40] are seeing an increase in um the $40 to
[2:33:43] $50,000 range claim
[2:33:46] >> and you'll know that those are you know
[2:33:48] not they don't meet the stop-loss
[2:33:50] threshold.
[2:33:50] >> Yeah.
[2:33:51] >> So those type of claims are increasing.
[2:33:54] So we are kind of asking some more
[2:33:55] details on that as far as what's causing
[2:33:58] this. Are these oneoffs? Is this
[2:34:01] something
[2:34:02] >> going on in that space? Because if you
[2:34:04] have, you know, a hundred of those type
[2:34:07] of claims, that's that's a big deal. You
[2:34:10] may not have a giant claim, but you may
[2:34:13] have a lot of smaller type procedure
[2:34:15] claims or surgeries or other things
[2:34:18] >> and maybe there's something else we
[2:34:20] could be doing or having the plan in a
[2:34:22] different way to match what's going on.
[2:34:25] So, yes, we are looking at it.
[2:34:26] >> Okay. and really focus on wellness
[2:34:28] programming as well because that's you
[2:34:30] know preventative health care is is the
[2:34:32] best way to go really. Okay. Thank you.
[2:34:35] >> Yeah. Council member Anderson.
[2:34:37] >> Yeah. I just have one more thing. I have
[2:34:38] been hearing from police and fire and it
[2:34:41] could be happening in public works and parks and wreck. I'm not sure that
[2:34:46] because of the extreme amount of not you
[2:34:49] know hours that they're working fatigue.
[2:34:52] We've got a lot of injured police
[2:34:54] officers and firefighters that I'm sure
[2:34:56] is contributing to these numbers in
[2:34:59] terms of, you know, claims and things.
[2:35:01] So, I think that on the front end, I
[2:35:03] know that we're constantly working on
[2:35:05] staffing. We're constantly look working
[2:35:06] on the number of hours that our
[2:35:08] employees are working. Um, and a lot of
[2:35:11] that we can't really control because it
[2:35:13] really requires upstaffing and bringing
[2:35:16] on new employees. But anything that we
[2:35:18] can be doing on um injury prevention and
[2:35:22] what that takes, whether it's scheduling
[2:35:24] number of hours, you know, required time
[2:35:26] off for rest, I'm sure that we're going
[2:35:28] to be having a lot of injuries after
[2:35:30] these the summer of fires that we're
[2:35:32] experiencing. So, I don't I don't really
[2:35:34] see that trend changing in terms of our
[2:35:37] claims, but we could be changing the way
[2:35:39] that we are
[2:35:41] working.
[2:35:43] >> Thank you. That's a great point.
[2:35:48] Are there any other comments?
[2:35:49] >> Yeah, madame mayor.
[2:35:50] >> Okay, great job as always. Um, couple
[2:35:54] things. Did Angela leave?
[2:35:56] She did. Did I miss her goodbye or what?
[2:36:00] happened?
[2:36:01] >> She retired and did not want to say
[2:36:04] goodbye.
[2:36:05] >> Oh my. Can I tell you what an asset that
[2:36:07] woman was? She's
[2:36:09] >> We all know
[2:36:10] >> amazing. Amazing. So,
[2:36:12] >> wanted to sneak out the door. Of course.
[2:36:15] I trust me, I get it. Um, I totally
[2:36:18] understand that. If there's some way you
[2:36:20] can connect us, that would be amazing. I
[2:36:22] just want to thank her for her service.
[2:36:23] She helped I'm sure all of you here at
[2:36:27] this DAS many, many, many times. She
[2:36:30] helped me many, many, many times. What a
[2:36:32] wonderful woman. And just what what an
[2:36:36] example of
[2:36:39] someone that knows this industry inside
[2:36:41] and out and is responsive and kind and
[2:36:44] caring. So please um let's somehow
[2:36:48] connect with her so we can at least send
[2:36:50] her something so that way she doesn't
[2:36:53] feel embarrassed but we can at least
[2:36:55] thank her for her service. Um and then
[2:36:59] explain to me what the employee
[2:37:00] insurance advisory committee is.
[2:37:03] It's just an advisory committee similar
[2:37:05] to that other
[2:37:06] >> committee we've had it or
[2:37:08] >> at least a couple years.
[2:37:09] >> What does it do exactly?
[2:37:10] >> They meet quarterly and there's a
[2:37:12] presentation for from our insurance
[2:37:14] broker that goes through the type of
[2:37:15] claims that they're seeing. You know,
[2:37:17] again, no names, just yeah,
[2:37:18] >> the claims are going up and this is the
[2:37:21] cost that we're seeing, prescription
[2:37:23] drug drug usage, is it up, down, how's
[2:37:26] it compared to prior years? And then we
[2:37:28] talk um from finance on our side. What's
[2:37:31] the what is the fund balance in the
[2:37:32] fund? How is it handling the claims that
[2:37:35] are coming in? Do we anticipate any
[2:37:37] challenges with it? And it really keeps
[2:37:39] us on track on a quarterly basis of
[2:37:41] looking at this all the time. Um it's
[2:37:44] not easy to predict. So it's a really
[2:37:47] good thing that uh we have this
[2:37:48] committee to do this and there's a lot
[2:37:50] of representation from the employee
[2:37:52] groups, the collective bargainings
[2:37:54] agreements. And so those employees are
[2:37:57] very involved and they go back and they
[2:37:59] talk to their groups about it. And so we
[2:38:00] get a lot of really good input um to the
[2:38:03] group.
[2:38:04] >> Okay. All right. Is there ever any talk
[2:38:06] of getting rid of your um pharmacy
[2:38:09] benefits manager?
[2:38:12] >> Not that I've heard, but maybe Monica
[2:38:14] has a
[2:38:15] >> You know, there's like
[2:38:16] >> I haven't heard that. No.
[2:38:17] >> Yeah.
[2:38:17] >> No,
[2:38:18] >> I don't know. there there's,
[2:38:21] you know,
[2:38:23] a lot of the stuff that I've read about
[2:38:25] them has not been great. Not like ours
[2:38:28] per se, but like having those in place
[2:38:31] can be
[2:38:33] um the the uh what do they call them? O
[2:38:37] is it OPM?
[2:38:40] Is it what? There's a name for it, but
[2:38:43] oftentimes
[2:38:44] it can hinder us actually getting the
[2:38:47] best price when we sort of have a
[2:38:48] middleman.
[2:38:49] >> Okay.
[2:38:50] >> So, I've had a lot of difficulty with
[2:38:53] them personally, like continually
[2:38:57] ongoing, like
[2:38:58] >> with ours.
[2:38:59] >> Yeah. Like the people that work there
[2:39:01] are great. They're very friendly and
[2:39:02] helpful, but I like
[2:39:05] >> Yeah. When I need prescription refills,
[2:39:07] I have to call multiple times
[2:39:10] for each prescription and it's
[2:39:14] I am not really happy with the service
[2:39:16] they provide. I know um Angela said she
[2:39:19] did a survey before of employees and
[2:39:21] everybody else was happy with it. Um I
[2:39:24] think it's odd that I would be the only
[2:39:26] person that has this issue. Um but it's
[2:39:29] been extremely frustrating for me. Um,
[2:39:33] so just wanted to let put that on the
[2:39:36] record, I guess. Thank you.
[2:39:38] >> Put it on the list and we'll talk bring
[2:39:40] it back up.
[2:39:41] >> They're just typically those in general
[2:39:44] have a, you know, they end up, like I
[2:39:46] said, becoming the middleman and um
[2:39:50] anyway, so I'm just curious.
[2:39:51] >> Okay. No, we're certainly looking at a
[2:39:54] lot of companies are taking them out of
[2:39:56] the equation. Yeah. So
[2:39:59] >> anyway, okay, that's it. back at you,
[2:40:02] Vice Mayor.
[2:40:03] >> Thank you. I think that was just for
[2:40:05] discussion. Thank you. Uh it sounds like
[2:40:07] a lot of members of the body, if you're
[2:40:08] okay with that, madame mayor, would like
[2:40:10] to go on break and then we can continue
[2:40:11] with the agenda.
[2:40:12] >> We have a break for attorney client.
[2:40:15] Yes.
[2:40:15] >> Okay. All right. Then we will go on
[2:40:17] break. Thanks so much.
[2:40:18] >> Okay. Thank you.
[2:41:25] Perfect.
[2:41:29] » Okay, Madame Clerk, I think we're going
[2:41:31] to reconvene
[2:41:32] our meeting. If you can get us on track,
[2:41:36] please. Yes, I believe we are going into
[2:41:38] item D1 and we'll need to open the
[2:41:39] public hearing.
[2:41:42] >> Okay,
[2:41:44] you said D1.
[2:41:46] >> D1.
[2:41:47] Let the record reflect that the
[2:41:48] council is opening the public hearing on
[2:41:50] item D1. Madame clerk, was proper notice
[2:41:52] given and any correspondence received?
[2:41:56] >> Proper notice was given and we did
[2:41:58] receive one letter in favor that has
[2:41:59] been distributed.
[2:42:02] Thank
[2:42:02] >> you. Do any council members have to make
[2:42:06] any disclosures at this time?
[2:42:09] Doesn't look like it. We will move on to
[2:42:13] our staff presentation.
[2:42:16] Good afternoon. My name is Brenna
[2:42:18] Nichols. I'm a senior management analyst
[2:42:20] in the public works department. Today
[2:42:22] I'm joined by JD Clippenstein from the
[2:42:24] Reno Housing Authority. Uh and today uh
[2:42:26] we are looking at a resolution of sale
[2:42:28] and hearing of objections for 14180
[2:42:30] Mount Charleston Street.
[2:42:37] This item aligns with the quality of
[2:42:38] life priority, specifically the
[2:42:41] affordable housing goal within that
[2:42:42] priority.
[2:42:45] Some details on this property. Uh
[2:42:47] it's.35 acres uh located in Ward 4 just
[2:42:51] south of the Renoad airport at the
[2:42:52] corner of Mount Charleston Street and
[2:42:54] Coco Avenue. It's been leased to the
[2:42:56] Reno Housing Authority since 1994 at
[2:42:59] zero cost.
[2:43:03] A little bit more on the uh public
[2:43:05] benefit of this item. Uh Ste Manor is a
[2:43:08] 68 unit affordable housing community. It
[2:43:10] rents are capped at 30% of household
[2:43:12] income.
[2:43:14] And the clubhouse specifically supports
[2:43:16] youth programs, workforce development,
[2:43:19] and technology access as well as uh
[2:43:21] community meeting space.
[2:43:25] » A quick timeline. Uh we purchased this
[2:43:28] property in 1975.
[2:43:30] Uh in 1994, RHA began leasing the
[2:43:32] property. Uh moving ahead to this year,
[2:43:35] in June, RHA submitted a letter this uh
[2:43:38] council approved. Two weeks ago, on
[2:43:40] August 12th, this council approved a
[2:43:42] resolution of intent to sell. And today
[2:43:44] marks the final action uh needed from
[2:43:46] council, the resolution of sale.
[2:43:51] And with that, here is the re
[2:43:52] recommended motion uh to sell this
[2:43:55] property to the Reno Housing Authority
[2:43:57] um for a nominal cost of $10 plus
[2:44:00] closing costs.
[2:44:02] >> Thank you so much. I'll turn over to the
[2:44:03] body. See if there are any questions or
[2:44:05] comments.
[2:44:07] >> We'll make a motion. Yeah.
[2:44:09] >> I move to adopt the resolution of sale
[2:44:11] to approve purchase.
[2:44:12] >> Council member, you were hat.
[2:44:14] >> Yeah. Yeah. Just wanted to say what this
[2:44:16] is going to be used for. I mean, just to
[2:44:18] say it on the record because this is in
[2:44:20] my ward and I think this is a great um
[2:44:23] project there. I've taken a tour. Um
[2:44:26] it's a really um nice location, very
[2:44:29] well-maintained. So, just real quick,
[2:44:31] what are we going to do with this spot?
[2:44:33] >> Definitely. I'll have JD talk about
[2:44:35] that.
[2:44:37] >> JD Clippenstein, deputy executive
[2:44:39] director for the Reno Housing Authority.
[2:44:41] Council Member Eert, thank you for the
[2:44:42] question. So, this property is going
[2:44:44] through a $20 million rehab. Um, so and
[2:44:47] the clubhouse is included in that. We're
[2:44:49] should be set that's gonna be wrapping
[2:44:51] up at the end of this month. Uh, so
[2:44:52] there's going to be a community kitchen.
[2:44:54] There's going to be a like computer
[2:44:56] nook. So this place this space will use
[2:44:58] for community programming. Our resident
[2:45:00] councils will meet there. Um, we also
[2:45:02] have a workforce development program
[2:45:04] that uses that space. So our staff meet
[2:45:06] with residents there. It's just kind of
[2:45:08] a hub of what is the affordable housing
[2:45:10] community out there.
[2:45:11] >> That's wonderful. So, can um residents
[2:45:13] kind of um use this space for
[2:45:17] programming that maybe they want to do?
[2:45:19] Maybe they want to have their kids get
[2:45:20] together and read books or something
[2:45:22] like that or schedule somebody to come
[2:45:24] out and and talk with them with the
[2:45:27] library or something. They could do
[2:45:28] that.
[2:45:29] >> Yeah, absolutely. We've uh I think both
[2:45:31] the scouts, Girl Scouts troops have meet
[2:45:33] there. Um there's some other programming
[2:45:35] as well uh that is offered. So we our
[2:45:37] resident services team works really
[2:45:39] closely with residents to identify what
[2:45:40] the needs are and also what some of the programs that they're interested in
[2:45:44] and then we partner with those agencies
[2:45:46] to bring it out there.
[2:45:47] >> That's great. Well, thank you for that.
[2:45:48] >> Of course. Thank you.
[2:45:51] >> Council member two,
[2:45:52] >> I move to adopt the resolution of sale
[2:45:54] to approve a purchase and sale agreement
[2:45:55] to sell city owned property located at
[2:45:57] 1418 Mount Charleston Street to the Reno
[2:46:00] Housing Authority for a nominal fee of
[2:46:02] $10 plus closing cost.
[2:46:05] Second.
[2:46:06] >> Great. We have a motion and a second.
[2:46:08] All those in favor say I.
[2:46:09] >> I.
[2:46:10] Any opposed? Motion passes
[2:46:12] unanimously. Thank you.
[2:46:17] Close item D1 and move on to item D2.
[2:46:22] Let the record reflect the council's
[2:46:23] opening public hearing on item D2.
[2:46:25] Madame clerk, was proper notice given
[2:46:27] and any correspondence received?
[2:46:30] >> Proper notice was given and we did
[2:46:31] receive three letters in opposition.
[2:46:36] Thank you. Are there any disclosures
[2:46:38] from any of the council members at this
[2:46:39] time?
[2:46:42] Now I will ask um Mr. Shipman or Mr.
[2:46:47] Hall to read the ordinance.
[2:46:49] >> Thank you. Ordinance introduction bill
[2:46:51] number 7341
[2:46:52] case number LDC 25-000065
[2:46:56] moves Ridge zoning map amendment
[2:46:58] ordinance to amend title 18 chapter
[2:47:00] 18.02 02 of the Renom Municipal Code
[2:47:02] entitled zoning reszoning a 42.3 acre
[2:47:06] 42.43 acre site located north of the
[2:47:09] tournament of Moose Ridge Drive 115 ft
[2:47:12] north of its intersection with Foxtail
[2:47:14] Drive from 42.43 43 acres of single
[2:47:17] family residential, three units per
[2:47:19] acre, SF3 to 22.43
[2:47:23] [clears throat] acres of single family
[2:47:24] residential, 8 units per acre, SF8, and
[2:47:27] 20 acres of parks, greenways, and open
[2:47:29] space together with matters which
[2:47:31] pertain to or are necessarily connected
[2:47:33] there with W 5.
[2:47:35] >> Thank you. I think it's up to you, Mr.
[2:47:37] Picotti.
[2:47:41] » Good afternoon, members of the council.
[2:47:44] For the record, my name is Leah Picotti
[2:47:46] and I am an associate planner with the
[2:47:48] City of Reno Development Services.
[2:47:50] This afternoon, I am presenting an
[2:47:52] application for a zoning map amendment.
[2:47:55] We are calling this one the Moose Ridge
[2:47:57] zoning map amendment.
[2:47:59] So this site is approximately 42 acres
[2:48:04] and it is located in the northn
[2:48:08] northwest portion of Reno kind of north
[2:48:11] of Somerset right there, Rob Drive and
[2:48:13] McQueen High.
[2:48:16] The request before you today is a zoning
[2:48:18] map amendment. However, I will point out
[2:48:21] that this request was submitted and is
[2:48:24] being processed concurrent with a
[2:48:26] tenative map for 46 single family
[2:48:29] residential units and a major site plan
[2:48:32] review for grading cuts and fills um
[2:48:37] grading in the parks, greenways, and
[2:48:39] open space and a major drainage way,
[2:48:41] which I'll get into here. Now, while the
[2:48:44] tenative map and the major site plan
[2:48:46] review are not necessarily something
[2:48:48] that is approved by council, I think
[2:48:50] it's important to talk about it because
[2:48:52] it was unanimously approved by the
[2:48:54] planning commission back on July 15th.
[2:48:56] Should the zoning map amendment be
[2:48:59] approved um because the tenative map and
[2:49:01] major site plan review have been
[2:49:03] approved is contingent upon approval of
[2:49:05] this zoning map amendment.
[2:49:07] So, the request that you have before you
[2:49:11] is a zoning map amendment. And I want to
[2:49:14] just step back a little bit because I
[2:49:16] talked about it a little bit in
[2:49:17] briefing, but we've been working on this
[2:49:20] for about a year and a half. And
[2:49:22] originally when this request came in, it
[2:49:25] was to go from single family residential
[2:49:28] three units per acre to single family
[2:49:30] residential eight units per acre. And
[2:49:33] when we took that before the planning
[2:49:34] commission in July 2025, they said,
[2:49:37] "Hey, why can't we make a portion of
[2:49:39] this park's greenways and open space
[2:49:41] since the majority of the parcel has
[2:49:43] slopes that exceed 30% and isn't
[2:49:45] necessarily developable anyways and
[2:49:47] something that kind of complements that
[2:49:49] SF8 and parks, greenways, and open space
[2:49:52] as you can see below." So, they came
[2:49:54] back with this. And so, the request
[2:49:57] that's before you today is to go from
[2:49:59] SF3 to 22.43 43 acres of single family
[2:50:03] residential, eight units per acre just
[2:50:05] on the southern portion of the parcel.
[2:50:08] And then the northern portion, that 20
[2:50:10] acres up there will be zoned parks,
[2:50:13] greenways, and open space.
[2:50:17] So the second request that kind of just
[2:50:20] goes with this is the tenative map for a
[2:50:22] 46 unit single family detach
[2:50:24] subdivision. You can see the site on the
[2:50:27] screen right now and you can see that
[2:50:28] all 46 of those units are proposed on
[2:50:31] the southern portion of that site. There
[2:50:34] is no development proposed on the
[2:50:36] northern portion of the site and if this
[2:50:38] zoning map amendment is approved then
[2:50:40] that portion of the site will be zoned
[2:50:42] parks, greenways and open space which
[2:50:44] will preserve it in perpetuity. So with
[2:50:47] this single with the tentative map, we
[2:50:49] also have an application for a major
[2:50:51] site plan review and that's grading
[2:50:53] resulting in cuts greater than 20 ft and
[2:50:56] fills greater than 10 ft grading within
[2:50:58] the parks greenways and open space um
[2:51:01] hillside development and disturbance of
[2:51:02] a major drainage way. Again, this isn't
[2:51:05] necessarily part of what you guys are
[2:51:06] looking at today, but I think it's
[2:51:08] important to look at what has been
[2:51:10] approved and what's going to be
[2:51:11] developed should the zoning map
[2:51:12] amendment be approved.
[2:51:16] Um on the screen for you is a slope map.
[2:51:19] This just gives you kind of an idea of
[2:51:21] how the terrain on this site actually
[2:51:24] looks. So you can see the green area
[2:51:26] down at the bottom. That is the least
[2:51:30] sloped area under 15% and that is the
[2:51:33] area that's going to be developed.
[2:51:35] pretty much everything on that northern
[2:51:37] portion of the site is uh orange or red,
[2:51:41] which means it's above 30%.
[2:51:46] Looking at the overall site design, we
[2:51:49] have about 9 acres of development area
[2:51:52] that includes all of the roads and the
[2:51:54] proposed lots. This will leave about 33
[2:51:58] acres of open space, which will be
[2:52:01] parks, greenways, and open space and
[2:52:03] deed restricted. It will accommodate 46
[2:52:06] single family detached homes with an
[2:52:08] average lot size of 6,000 to 7200 square
[2:52:13] ft. It's important to note that lot size
[2:52:17] and density are not always the same
[2:52:19] thing. So, while the lot sizes are
[2:52:23] slightly smaller than the subdivision to
[2:52:25] the south, which range somewhere in the
[2:52:27] 9 to 12,000 range, the actual density of
[2:52:31] this site, 46 units on 42.43 43 acres
[2:52:35] comes out to one unit per 92 acres. So
[2:52:39] it's almost one unit per acre. So the
[2:52:42] density is low, but that's because the
[2:52:45] housing is all at the bottom and the
[2:52:47] rest of it is uh preserved in open
[2:52:49] space.
[2:52:51] This application did go to the W 5
[2:52:53] neighborhood advisory board back in
[2:52:55] December and there were concerns um and
[2:52:58] I kind of put this table together to
[2:53:00] kind of talk about what those concerns
[2:53:01] were. As you all know, we cannot
[2:53:04] condition a zoning map amendment, but we
[2:53:06] can condition a tenative map in a major
[2:53:08] site plan review. So, the conditions
[2:53:10] that you're looking at today um can't
[2:53:12] necessarily be amended, but I do want
[2:53:14] you to know that they have been approved
[2:53:16] by the planning commission and should
[2:53:19] the council approve the zoning map
[2:53:21] amendment, these would move forward with
[2:53:23] that tenative map. So, we looked at
[2:53:27] density and compatibility.
[2:53:29] Um that was one of the concerns. And so
[2:53:32] the applicants have um agreed to deed
[2:53:35] restrict the open space and also
[2:53:37] continue to work with Truckucky Meadow
[2:53:39] Trails. There are some existing
[2:53:41] pedestrian and um dirt bike and jeep
[2:53:46] trails that are up in that area. Some of
[2:53:49] them can be preserved, some of them
[2:53:51] cannot. So they're going to work with
[2:53:53] Truckucky Meadow Trails to figure out
[2:53:55] which ones can be preserved and which
[2:53:57] ones need to be blocked off. any of the
[2:53:59] ones that do need to be preserved.
[2:54:01] They'll work with Truckucky Meadow
[2:54:02] Trails to fix those trails, correct any
[2:54:05] erosion and issues like that moving
[2:54:07] forward. Um, also they are going to do
[2:54:10] rockery walls and rip wrap natural
[2:54:12] landscape back filled with soil and
[2:54:15] reveated
[2:54:17] and um those again all those dirt roads
[2:54:20] will be maintained and reveated. I think
[2:54:23] one a couple of things I want to touch
[2:54:24] on here is um there's been some current
[2:54:27] concerns about wildlife. So, I did want
[2:54:30] to let everybody know that we do have a
[2:54:32] condition of approval on here and this
[2:54:34] was the condition that was requested by
[2:54:36] Nevada Department of Wildlife and that
[2:54:39] is that prior to the recordation of the
[2:54:41] final map, the applicant shall identify
[2:54:44] wildlife corridors and include wildlife
[2:54:47] mitigation and maintenance plan that
[2:54:49] will be reviewed and approved by the
[2:54:51] Nevada Department of Wildlife and city
[2:54:54] staff. um implementation of any
[2:54:57] mitigation or maintenance measures need
[2:55:00] to be uh reflected on the final plan. So
[2:55:04] any of those trails or any of the
[2:55:05] mitigation that needs to be done will be
[2:55:07] done in coordination with Nevada
[2:55:09] Department of Wildlife and will be
[2:55:11] reflected on that final plan. The other
[2:55:14] thing we're going to talk about a little
[2:55:15] bit about here is fire safety. Now I
[2:55:18] know that this is all on the top of
[2:55:20] everyone's mind right now. So I want to
[2:55:22] talk about the things that we've
[2:55:23] implemented here uh related to fire
[2:55:26] safety. So everything all the conditions
[2:55:29] 7 through 13 are directly related to
[2:55:32] this and I'm just going to read them so
[2:55:34] that we have that on record. So prior to
[2:55:37] the approval of the final map the
[2:55:38] applicant will pro shall provide plans
[2:55:41] that demonstrate that all landscaping
[2:55:44] uh complies with the international
[2:55:46] wildland urban interface code. That's
[2:55:48] the WOOI code um adopted by the Nevada
[2:55:51] State Fire Marshall's Office.
[2:55:54] The Reno Def Fire Department requires
[2:55:57] that vegetation management plans be
[2:55:59] submitted to the state forester first
[2:56:01] and then the approved plans along with
[2:56:03] any comments will be submitted to City
[2:56:05] of Reno for review.
[2:56:08] The developer will establish a
[2:56:10] homeowners association or equivalent
[2:56:12] organization that shall be tasked to
[2:56:14] maintain requirements regarding the
[2:56:16] establishment and maintenance of fuel
[2:56:19] modification zones.
[2:56:21] All dwelling units shall be equipped
[2:56:23] with emergency fire suppression
[2:56:25] sprinklers that meet or exceed the
[2:56:27] standards outlined in the National Fire
[2:56:29] Protection Association 13D.
[2:56:33] All decks, roofs, and walls shall be
[2:56:35] constructed of fireresistant material.
[2:56:39] The development and the private roadways
[2:56:41] will not be gated or obstructed and
[2:56:44] there will be all temporary access roads
[2:56:47] will be constructed in accordance with
[2:56:48] permanent fire department access road
[2:56:51] standards. The fire access roads may be
[2:56:54] engineered compacted base material which
[2:56:56] may or may not include paving. The road
[2:56:58] base shall support fire trucks, be
[2:57:01] resistant to wear from travel and
[2:57:03] weather, and shall be maintained as a
[2:57:05] drivable surface throughout the
[2:57:06] construction process. Construction
[2:57:09] activity may be prohibited by the fire
[2:57:11] department for failure to service and
[2:57:13] maintain those fire uh apparatus access
[2:57:16] roads. Also, I want to point out too
[2:57:19] that I don't have a slide for it, but I
[2:57:22] can put it on the overhead if we need
[2:57:24] to. I'm just going to move back here.
[2:57:26] So, um, if we're looking at the screen
[2:57:30] on the right portion of the screen, that
[2:57:32] roadway is going to extend out and go
[2:57:35] into the neighborhood that is to the
[2:57:38] west of this. That's going to provide
[2:57:40] another fire access ingress and egress,
[2:57:44] not only for the residents here, but the
[2:57:47] residents that are on Moose Ridge, um,
[2:57:49] and, uh, Morgan Court, where the woman
[2:57:52] that spoke earlier was. So now she
[2:57:54] actually will have another way to get
[2:57:56] out of her subdivision um should there
[2:58:00] be some other emergency situation where
[2:58:02] she needs to be able to leave. So this
[2:58:04] project is going to improve the fire uh
[2:58:08] access in this area. [snorts] And with
[2:58:11] that um zoning map amendments are on the
[2:58:14] board. Planning commission saw this on
[2:58:16] July 15th. Got a unanimous
[2:58:18] recommendation of approval for that. And
[2:58:21] the recommended motion is on the board.
[2:58:23] The applicant has a presentation. I am
[2:58:26] available for questions and our fire
[2:58:28] department is here and available for
[2:58:29] questions as well. Thank you.
[2:58:33] >> Thank you.
[2:58:42] » Good afternoon. Uh Derek Wilson on
[2:58:44] behalf of the property owner. Um, as
[2:58:47] always, uh, uh, that was a very thorough
[2:58:49] presentation from staff. Uh, so I'm
[2:58:51] going to do my best to not, uh, take up
[2:58:53] too take up too much of people's time
[2:58:55] and not be repetitive. Um, uh, so I will
[2:59:00] move through this as quickly as I can.
[2:59:02] U, that's the site.
[2:59:04] Um, so as mentioned, uh, we're not
[2:59:07] maximizing development in any way. we're, uh, preserving, uh, nearly half
[2:59:12] the site as open space. Uh so the goal
[2:59:14] here is is not to to maximize our unit
[2:59:18] count. It's to it's to have u uh
[2:59:22] sensitively sized lots that that match
[2:59:24] the topography uh and the and the
[2:59:26] grading of the area. So the SF8 zone
[2:59:29] would allow us uh to to do those more
[2:59:31] compact lots uh on the on the flatter
[2:59:35] areas of the site without extending our
[2:59:36] grading up into the steeper parts of the
[2:59:38] site. Um, and as mentioned, uh, we have
[2:59:41] a tenative map already approved for
[2:59:42] this. Um, that's our technical
[2:59:45] description of what we're asking for
[2:59:46] right there. I think you're familiar
[2:59:48] with that.
[2:59:50] Um, existing zoning,
[2:59:52] uh, proposed zoning. Again, we're we're
[2:59:54] cutting it in half. Uh, we're only using
[2:59:56] the the the lower angled, uh,
[2:59:59] developable slopes on the on the
[3:00:01] southern part of the site.
[3:00:03] Uh, master plan uh, supports SF zone,
[3:00:07] SF8 zone in this area. uh we're um we're
[3:00:10] next to uh SF8 zoning already. It's
[3:00:13] present in the neighborhood. So, we're
[3:00:14] not bringing a new zone to that area.
[3:00:16] It's already present uh in the
[3:00:18] neighborhood.
[3:00:21] Um so, that's that's a subject that that
[3:00:24] arrow that yellow line is is pointing
[3:00:26] roughly to the developable part of the
[3:00:27] site, the southern part of the site. Uh
[3:00:29] that's that's um more easily developable
[3:00:32] uh easily accessible from Moose Ridge
[3:00:34] Drive.
[3:00:36] Uh and that's our layout. That's our our
[3:00:38] site plan. Um, lots of parking, lots of
[3:00:42] access. We're we intend to maintain
[3:00:43] public access um through the site so
[3:00:46] hiking and and bike riding and such can
[3:00:48] continue through the site and we have uh parking and and uh we're prepared to
[3:00:53] put up a sign identifying that that
[3:00:55] trail head area. Uh so we're in no way
[3:00:57] uh removing public access uh uh to this
[3:01:01] through this site and and to the the
[3:01:03] area further up the hill.
[3:01:06] Um, so obviously, uh, fire safety is a
[3:01:08] big issue and and we're we're sensitive
[3:01:10] to that and we we respect people's
[3:01:12] concerns about that and and we want to
[3:01:14] be a positive element to this. Um,
[3:01:16] earlier in this meeting today, uh, it
[3:01:18] was stated that we need uh better fire
[3:01:20] infrastructure and and obviously that's
[3:01:22] the case. We need that everywhere. Um,
[3:01:26] that I I don't mean this uh to to make
[3:01:30] light of any issue, but that's exactly
[3:01:32] what this project is doing. Uh we're
[3:01:34] adding a a fire access road that that
[3:01:36] links uh two uh two existing
[3:01:39] neighborhoods. Uh those neighborhoods
[3:01:41] function somewhat as a as a culde-sac.
[3:01:43] Uh they're they're separate
[3:01:44] neighborhoods that that come to an end.
[3:01:46] We're linking those so it loops uh that
[3:01:48] emergency access. Uh we're also um
[3:01:52] interconnecting the water system. So the
[3:01:54] water system will connect through those
[3:01:55] neighborhoods as well. Uh which and
[3:01:57] that's that's requested by Toma. Uh they
[3:01:59] want to see that additional um
[3:02:01] redundancy in the water system. So uh we
[3:02:04] are improving emergency water supply and
[3:02:09] emergency road network with this
[3:02:11] project. Uh and all that's going to be
[3:02:13] provided at private expense at the at
[3:02:15] the the developer's expense. That's not
[3:02:17] something the city has to take on. It's
[3:02:19] not something we have to wait for
[3:02:21] capital expenditures to to come around.
[3:02:23] Uh that's something that would happen uh
[3:02:25] with our tenative map. Um so that's the important point that I wanted
[3:02:29] to make. Um, I don't think there's
[3:02:31] anything else that we're not aware of.
[3:02:33] Um, we uh we've we've done our best to
[3:02:37] uh communicate with the neighborhood.
[3:02:39] Uh, we had a community forum meeting.
[3:02:40] Uh, I went door to door and and handed
[3:02:44] out uh project descriptions. Uh, so we we think we we we hope we've done a
[3:02:48] good job communicating to the public
[3:02:50] what's going on. Uh, so that's the end
[3:02:51] of my uh, presentation. I'm happy to
[3:02:53] elaborate as needed. Thank you.
[3:02:57] >> Thank you, Madam Cler. Do you have any
[3:02:59] public comment on this item?
[3:03:01] >> There's no one registered to speak.
[3:03:03] >> Thank you. We'll bring it back to the
[3:03:04] body. Council member Anderson.
[3:03:07] >> Yes. [clears throat] Thank you for the
[3:03:08] presentation. This is a question for
[3:03:10] you, the developer. Um, I appreciate the
[3:03:13] PGOS plan on the slopes. One thing that
[3:03:18] we know and what we've learned is that
[3:03:20] the vegetation in the PGOS in that
[3:03:22] specific area that you're going to be
[3:03:24] developing or you want to develop could
[3:03:27] be problematic. So what is the plan to
[3:03:29] make sure that you just don't have that
[3:03:31] many acres of PGOS that's overgrown and
[3:03:34] becomes sparkable on the edge of those
[3:03:37] houses?
[3:03:38] >> Um so it would be a pretty simple matter
[3:03:41] to include in um the HOA document for
[3:03:44] the site uh that maintenance of that
[3:03:46] area is required.
[3:03:47] >> Okay. And inspected like have it
[3:03:49] inspected and things like that.
[3:03:51] >> Yeah, there's a routine for that.
[3:03:52] Somerset does this. they come around
[3:03:53] with with uh guys that cut they you know
[3:03:56] they they somehow get machines into
[3:03:57] those into those gullies and they and
[3:03:59] they cut some of that vegetation. So
[3:04:00] yeah, we'd replicate exactly that sort
[3:04:02] of agreement.
[3:04:02] >> Okay, great. And then one other
[3:04:04] question. I don't know if you've gotten
[3:04:05] this far in your plan, but do you have a
[3:04:07] plan for um fire resistant fencing?
[3:04:11] Um I don't recall if that was in the
[3:04:14] conditions, but we'd be happy to have
[3:04:15] that as a condition for
[3:04:17] >> I'm just noticing that the fences um
[3:04:20] that they end up being ignition points
[3:04:22] as well. So if you have the opportunity
[3:04:24] to use those materials, we would
[3:04:26] appreciate it.
[3:04:26] >> Sure.
[3:04:27] >> Thank you.
[3:04:30] Yeah, Council Member Der.
[3:04:31] >> Yeah, thank you. Um this is going to be
[3:04:34] a really tough one for me. Um I support
[3:04:37] housing pretty much everywhere. Um, you
[3:04:40] said that you were leaving part of the
[3:04:42] property as PGOS and what I see is that
[3:04:45] you showed the slope map. This the part
[3:04:47] you're leaving as PGOS is over 30% slope
[3:04:50] and so it'd be very difficult to build
[3:04:52] up there. I'm not even sure if it's
[3:04:54] allowed. Um, but that being said, here
[3:04:57] here's my challenge and this is really a
[3:04:59] conversation for council. Over the
[3:05:02] years, I have advocated for a couple
[3:05:05] things. I've advocated for more than two
[3:05:07] ways in and out of a development as I'm
[3:05:10] thinking of the Santara development
[3:05:12] right now, which I voted against for a
[3:05:14] couple reasons. Six fires had started on
[3:05:16] that property. Um they were proposing
[3:05:19] two ways in and out to meet our code for I think it's thousand thousands of
[3:05:24] acres and 3,000 homes, something like
[3:05:26] that. And um I was working really hard
[3:05:29] to acquire them a third access point
[3:05:32] through a bridge which was ultimately
[3:05:34] closed and deemed not not usable for um
[3:05:37] egress even in a fire. Um, we originally
[3:05:40] had we were worried about fire there and
[3:05:42] we had recommended using a house for a
[3:05:45] twoerson crew I think temporarily and um
[3:05:48] I did not support this but the developer
[3:05:51] suggested that they get rid of that
[3:05:53] house and just give us a couple
[3:05:55] hundred,000 for an emergency vehicle
[3:05:57] down in South Reno and I did not support
[3:06:00] that um because I didn't feel like that
[3:06:02] addressed the fire safety over there at
[3:06:04] Santara. Um and and so today there is no
[3:06:08] that we have 200,000 sitting in a bank
[3:06:10] for a future fire station sometime which
[3:06:13] compared to multi multi-million dollar
[3:06:15] is not going to get us very far. Um on
[3:06:18] other projects um looking at the
[3:06:21] infrastructure out in north valleys I
[3:06:24] recommended widening extending Virginia
[3:06:27] Street before we ever began the road
[3:06:29] work on 395 so that there would be an
[3:06:31] alternate route. Um that was not
[3:06:34] supported. the the the NDOT and RTC etc
[3:06:37] said no we have to fix this road first
[3:06:39] and I absolutely did not agree I felt
[3:06:42] like we need an alternate route while
[3:06:43] we're fixing the road um there have been
[3:06:47] other projects too that I have
[3:06:49] recommended denial because of fire risk
[3:06:51] and so I voted no and um today I I
[3:06:55] cannot get uh support this project and
[3:06:57] here's why if you could put up the map
[3:06:59] the first map I think you showed shows
[3:07:02] this area would have been in the area
[3:07:04] that um was first declared where the
[3:07:07] fire was. So um if you there's a maybe a
[3:07:11] bigger view of this I think the same map
[3:07:13] but a bigger view I think on your maps.
[3:07:17] is there not
[3:07:18] >> you mean closer?
[3:07:19] >> Yeah, that's a good one. So, um, to the
[3:07:22] left is Sand Destin, as I recall, and
[3:07:25] the line for this fire went right along
[3:07:28] the interface of the yellow and the
[3:07:30] green, and everything north of there was
[3:07:34] in the red, and everything south was in
[3:07:36] the get ready to evacuate. This property
[3:07:37] would have been in the red in in the
[3:07:40] original map that was posted. Um, they
[3:07:44] are in the WOOI. Uh, there's been
[3:07:47] numerous fires started up there,
[3:07:48] including this most recent one. Okay,
[3:07:51] which is right there. So, until we
[3:07:53] figure out this infrastructure issue and
[3:07:56] how we evacuate properties,
[3:07:59] um I don't know how to support this. I
[3:08:01] mean, we have a fire going on today. Um
[3:08:05] this whole entire Somerset had to
[3:08:07] evacuate. These people would have been
[3:08:08] the furthest out, would have had the
[3:08:10] longest um egress. Uh, and I I I just I
[3:08:15] don't know how in good conscience that
[3:08:18] we move forward and change the zoning.
[3:08:20] So, let me explain one more thing and
[3:08:22] I'll hand it over. Um, every property
[3:08:25] isn't designed to be everything. Like,
[3:08:28] we're not recommending putting a
[3:08:30] warehouse out there and we're not
[3:08:31] recommending putting a grocery store out
[3:08:33] there or changing it to commercial. Um,
[3:08:36] it is registered today, I think, as SF3,
[3:08:39] single family 3, which says three homes
[3:08:41] per acre. That is probably a reasonable
[3:08:44] um zoning. It It says you can build and
[3:08:47] you can build three homes in this acre.
[3:08:49] That would have been three people
[3:08:50] evacuating, not 46 families. Three
[3:08:53] families. What's that? You're saying no.
[3:08:57] And then there's how many acres?
[3:08:58] >> Property is 42 acres. So times three
[3:09:01] would have been a 120.
[3:09:03] >> 120. Okay. So, but you've also pointed
[3:09:06] out that's incredibly difficult to build
[3:09:08] on over half of this property because
[3:09:10] it's over 30% slopes. So, I think that
[3:09:13] it's probably half of that at least at
[3:09:15] the best. Okay. So, let's just say 20
[3:09:18] times three might be 60. Um and I just I
[3:09:22] really you know that's what would be my
[3:09:25] recommendation is that we don't um
[3:09:27] densify in this particular area that has
[3:09:31] had fire started has a fire going on
[3:09:33] today has very difficult egress um is at
[3:09:36] the furthest point from let's say the
[3:09:39] highway I I 80 as compared to all the
[3:09:42] other housing around there and and
[3:09:44] that's where I struggle and I struggle
[3:09:46] because for literally and and this is no
[3:09:49] um hit to our fire department. But what
[3:09:51] I've asked for 12 years is that the fire
[3:09:54] department get more involved in these
[3:09:55] developments. And there's obviously a
[3:09:57] lot of recommendations that you've put
[3:09:59] on there, right, to deal with fire. And
[3:10:02] you think about why are we putting so
[3:10:04] many recommendations on. We don't put
[3:10:05] the same level of recommendations on
[3:10:07] every property. That was like, I think
[3:10:09] 10 additional conditions or six. I'm not
[3:10:12] sure how many they translate in because
[3:10:14] you read them into the record. But the
[3:10:16] point is is it's a very uh risky area to
[3:10:18] build in my opinion. And I don't think
[3:10:20] we should be doing things to be moving
[3:10:22] people into this particular area. So
[3:10:24] that's just my perspective. Others may
[3:10:26] not share it, but it's been a
[3:10:28] longstanding concern. I have voted on
[3:10:30] fire over and over again, even when the
[3:10:33] fire department said it's all right. You
[3:10:34] can build this. I've said I I I'm very
[3:10:37] concerned about the egress and it's
[3:10:39] those are the things we're supposed to
[3:10:41] worry about.
[3:10:41] >> Thank you, Council Member.
[3:10:43] >> Yeah. Council member Taylor.
[3:10:45] >> Thank you, Mr. Vice Mayor. I certainly
[3:10:46] appreciate my colleagues comments. Um,
[3:10:48] I'm going to ask if Chief Mandel can
[3:10:50] come up and maybe answer the fire
[3:10:53] question. I know there's a lot of
[3:10:54] emotion in making these decisions,
[3:10:56] especially right now. So, I want to
[3:10:57] understand um is this a project that you
[3:11:00] have seen and um your team has reviewed
[3:11:04] and what is it looks like they could
[3:11:06] possibly do and something homes and
[3:11:08] they're reducing it a little bit. I just
[3:11:10] want to I want to hear it from your
[3:11:12] mouth what your thoughts are.
[3:11:13] >> Yeah, I will defer to um Captain Charl
[3:11:15] Bryan who's reviewed the
[3:11:17] >> Thank you. Hi, Cam. I'm Sean O'Brien,
[3:11:19] Fire Prevention and Reno Fire
[3:11:20] Department. Um, so this project, I mean,
[3:11:23] as we just went over the numbers, it's
[3:11:25] actually under, so if we were to take
[3:11:27] half and say 60, it's going to be uh
[3:11:30] under 50. It's 46 as far as the density
[3:11:33] goes. We are adding more access for our
[3:11:35] firefighters, which is good. The other
[3:11:37] big thing about this being a newer
[3:11:39] development, to your point,
[3:11:40] Councilwoman, um, it will fall under the
[3:11:43] WOOI, our new WOOI standards that we
[3:11:45] have adopted. So, these homes are going
[3:11:47] to be built through a higher ignition
[3:11:48] resistance standard than the homes that
[3:11:50] are behind it um by our code with the
[3:11:54] vegetation management plan, which is
[3:11:55] going to provide a buffer. So, any
[3:11:57] future fires, that's going to give our
[3:11:58] firefighters a lot of room to be able to
[3:12:00] work and protect these homes. On top of
[3:12:03] that, they will have the extra water
[3:12:04] infrastructure to help protect them as
[3:12:06] well.
[3:12:06] >> So, to Councilwoman Der's point, it
[3:12:08] sounds like you have been involved in
[3:12:10] this process and you are giving feedback
[3:12:12] and I I appreciate you guys very much.
[3:12:14] Thank you very Thank you,
[3:12:20] » Madam.
[3:12:20] >> Yeah. Um why don't you come on back?
[3:12:24] Okay. Um you made some comments that um
[3:12:28] I I need you to repeat. You said wild
[3:12:32] fire mitigation plan, I think, or you
[3:12:35] said you were updating
[3:12:36] >> vegetation management.
[3:12:37] >> Yeah, vegetation management. You also
[3:12:40] said you were updating or you had
[3:12:42] recently updated.
[3:12:44] >> We adopted the 2024 wildland urban
[3:12:47] interface code for the city of Reno for
[3:12:49] the first time last year.
[3:12:50] >> Okay.
[3:12:50] >> Correct.
[3:12:51] >> Um and it would be helpful to kind of go
[3:12:54] through that. Um but talk a little bit
[3:12:58] about what that what you're saying there
[3:13:01] would be new standards that we didn't
[3:13:04] have before is what I'm hearing.
[3:13:05] Correct.
[3:13:06] >> Correct. And those standards are what
[3:13:08] exactly?
[3:13:09] >> So the developers are having a map and
[3:13:12] then the wildland urban interface code
[3:13:14] has a table where we get to dictate
[3:13:16] depending on the map the ignition
[3:13:18] resistance of how the house is built. So
[3:13:21] things like now the house has to have a
[3:13:23] certain classification of roof material
[3:13:25] that's ignition resistant. Uh 1 hour
[3:13:28] rated walls, maybe even a 6-in flashing
[3:13:30] at the base depending on where the house
[3:13:32] is located and the wildfire threat in
[3:13:34] the area. So they have a lot more
[3:13:36] development into the actual construction
[3:13:38] of each structure, including vents,
[3:13:41] gutters, doors, windows, things so that
[3:13:44] those embers when we're fighting the
[3:13:45] fire and trying to keep it out of the
[3:13:47] houses, those embers that we can't stop
[3:13:49] that come over us, they land and they
[3:13:51] don't set anything on fire.
[3:13:52] >> Okay. And tell me why this um this exit
[3:13:57] I assume
[3:13:59] triggers something that requires this
[3:14:02] exit or now you're telling me oh you
[3:14:06] know this will also provide another
[3:14:08] exit.
[3:14:10] Why are we um approving that now and not
[3:14:15] a year ago?
[3:14:17] Well, I I would have to look at the map
[3:14:19] again, but with this section particular
[3:14:22] being sprinklered, this additional
[3:14:25] access point that they're giving to us
[3:14:27] is actually it's a benefit. It's not
[3:14:30] required by code. They're doing an above
[3:14:32] and beyond to for the fire reasons.
[3:14:35] >> Oh, okay.
[3:14:35] >> Yeah, there's already that that
[3:14:37] neighborhood already has two exit uh two
[3:14:40] sorry, two fire access points. Uh, if we
[3:14:44] look at the map and with these buildings
[3:14:46] being sprinklered, another one wouldn't
[3:14:48] be required and they're adding that in
[3:14:49] for our ability to
[3:14:51] >> Thank you. I really appreciate that.
[3:14:53] That's you as the developer representing
[3:14:55] the developer saying we want to put in
[3:14:56] this extra access, right? Thank you. I
[3:15:00] really appreciate that. That is that is
[3:15:03] fantastic.
[3:15:04] >> And I'm not here. He's doing a great
[3:15:05] job. I should shut up.
[3:15:06] >> No, he is doing a great job.
[3:15:08] >> I I just want to clarify. There might
[3:15:09] have been an incorrect statement
[3:15:11] earlier. Um, our access road runs east
[3:15:14] from our project. So, it goes from our
[3:15:16] project to the neighborhood to the east.
[3:15:17] So, that was the only point I wanted to
[3:15:18] make. It creates a loop uh between the
[3:15:20] Moose Ridge neighborhood and then the
[3:15:22] project the neighborhood to the to the
[3:15:24] east. So, that's all I want to clarify.
[3:15:25] >> But you're here today saying you want to
[3:15:27] provide an extra access point. Correct.
[3:15:30] >> Yeah, absolutely.
[3:15:30] >> And you're here today telling me that
[3:15:32] you approve of this extra access point.
[3:15:35] Correct.
[3:15:35] >> Oh, yeah. We'll take every access we can
[3:15:37] get.
[3:15:38] >> So, then here's Thank you so much. I'm
[3:15:40] glad you just pointed that out. So,
[3:15:42] here's my problem. It shouldn't be that
[3:15:44] the developer comes in and says, "Here
[3:15:46] you go. We think this is a nice
[3:15:48] gesture."
[3:15:51] It should be up to us
[3:15:54] to say, "Hey, council, wait a minute.
[3:15:58] This is what we need." That's where we
[3:16:01] can be proactive and it can help. And
[3:16:03] so, let me ask you this next question.
[3:16:06] If we would have had 25 homes or even
[3:16:09] one home um burn
[3:16:13] in any area, I don't care whether it's
[3:16:15] the North Valleys or Somerset, would you
[3:16:18] be standing here today saying this is a
[3:16:19] good idea?
[3:16:21] >> I would say that everything that's been
[3:16:22] proposed meets code.
[3:16:24] >> It meets code. That's very different
[3:16:26] than it than if it just because you can
[3:16:29] doesn't mean you should. And it's
[3:16:32] something that I've been frustrated with
[3:16:33] and wanted our chief to come back with
[3:16:36] out of the box thinking, fire mitigation
[3:16:38] plans. I've been saying it forever and
[3:16:40] ever and ever. So much like Councilwoman
[3:16:42] Der, I could not get there and this is
[3:16:45] not the answer, especially coming off we
[3:16:48] are still in an event today,
[3:16:50] >> if I may.
[3:16:51] >> Yes, please.
[3:16:51] >> Part of our upset with you.
[3:16:53] >> Oh, no. I totally understand where I
[3:16:55] appreciate your honesty. I appreciate
[3:16:58] your honesty very much. Part of the big
[3:17:01] part for me is so we have ignition
[3:17:03] resistant construction. So the houses
[3:17:04] that will be there are going to be built
[3:17:06] to the high standards. Also with what
[3:17:09] we're talking about the vegetation
[3:17:10] management plan for the property that's
[3:17:12] going to give us an actual bigger buffer
[3:17:14] than they have by far for that whole
[3:17:16] neighborhood right now in fire
[3:17:18] protection. So when you add in an extra
[3:17:20] road, you add in the extra water, and
[3:17:22] then you add in this buffer that's going
[3:17:24] to be created by the vegetation
[3:17:25] management plan for defensible space, it
[3:17:28] actually does add to safety in the
[3:17:29] neighborhood.
[3:17:30] >> Okay. Thank you.
[3:17:32] >> All right, I'm going to send it back to
[3:17:34] you.
[3:17:36] >> Thanks. Yeah, council member.
[3:17:39] >> Yeah. So on the No, it's you guys can
[3:17:44] take a seat for a minute probably if you
[3:17:46] like.
[3:17:47] So on the um the map for the project,
[3:17:54] I don't know if you can come up um
[3:17:58] there's a page where it shows um
[3:18:01] proposed emergency roadway uh in Tumla
[3:18:06] water main easement. There you go.
[3:18:09] >> Is that yellow line going to become
[3:18:13] paved or maintained? Is it going to be a
[3:18:17] permanent feature?
[3:18:19] >> Permanent paved emergency road.
[3:18:20] >> Okay. Is do you think that in the future
[3:18:23] that will become, you know, developed
[3:18:25] [clears throat] as well that there there
[3:18:26] will be additional houses put along that road?
[3:18:30] >> I strongly doubt it. That parcel is
[3:18:32] owned by the city of Reno. So So we have worked with the city of Reno
[3:18:36] with Tama with fire on on this layout.
[3:18:39] Uh so we certainly have no plans to try
[3:18:41] to acquire a parcel from the city of
[3:18:43] Reno.
[3:18:43] >> Yeah. So, because it's City of Reno, are
[3:18:45] you going to pave it?
[3:18:47] >> It's at the developer's expense.
[3:18:49] >> Okay. Okay. And at the other side of the
[3:18:52] project, is there any additional um
[3:18:55] access or emergency access going to be
[3:18:58] connected
[3:18:59] >> to the existing neighborhood to the
[3:19:00] east?
[3:19:01] >> Uh on the other side of the project. So,
[3:19:03] there's one on that side.
[3:19:05] >> Oh, sorry. The other the west end of our
[3:19:07] project.
[3:19:08] >> Yeah.
[3:19:08] >> Uh no, no. Uh there there's very little
[3:19:12] development there now. Um that's a privately owned parcel. I've
[3:19:16] talked to that owner. He plans to to
[3:19:17] build a family house there.
[3:19:19] >> Okay.
[3:19:19] >> Um so there isn't a complete
[3:19:21] neighborhood over there.
[3:19:22] >> Okay. So I know it was mentioned that
[3:19:24] the density is lower for the area, but
[3:19:28] it's the houses are densely
[3:19:32] shown in the map. They're really close
[3:19:33] together. Um,
[3:19:38] is there any concern for fire risk
[3:19:41] regarding that? I mean, I only ask
[3:19:43] because I know that there's a lot of um
[3:19:45] insurance companies that are no longer
[3:19:47] offering fire insurance in in the entire
[3:19:50] state. Um, and I know that some people
[3:19:52] in my community were told they had to
[3:19:54] remove their trees, otherwise they would
[3:19:55] lose their coverage. Um, so when you
[3:19:58] have homes that are close together and
[3:19:59] with trees and things like that, do you
[3:20:02] think that that poses a safety risk just
[3:20:05] from them uh being in such close
[3:20:08] proximity to each other?
[3:20:10] >> Um,
[3:20:11] I I personally feel like that's a lower
[3:20:14] risk. Uh, we could get a technical
[3:20:15] answer from from more [snorts] important
[3:20:17] people than me, but I think smaller lots
[3:20:19] people uh tend to keep them clear. Um,
[3:20:21] I've lived on a halfacre lot and I can
[3:20:23] tell you controlling the trees there was a lot of work. Um, I prefer a
[3:20:27] smaller lot. Uh, so I think smaller lots
[3:20:29] people do a better job of controlling uh
[3:20:32] debris and tumble weeds and and dead
[3:20:34] trees. Uh, but the structures themselves
[3:20:37] given the the higher um fire resistance
[3:20:40] standards we just discussed, uh, I think
[3:20:42] they're lower risk than a lot of stuff
[3:20:44] that was built 20, 30 years ago.
[3:20:46] >> Okay. All right. Um,
[3:20:49] I do have other comments, but um
[3:20:54] I I'm I'll wait if other people want to
[3:20:57] have another round.
[3:20:58] >> Yeah, Council Member Anderson.
[3:21:00] >> Um, okay. Fire, if you could come up one
[3:21:02] more time.
[3:21:06] You have a wingman. At least he escorts
[3:21:09] you up there, right? Yeah.
[3:21:12] Um would you say that with this
[3:21:15] development by adding the vegetation
[3:21:18] plan, the fireresistant building
[3:21:21] materials and then the additional space
[3:21:24] between this neighborhood and the
[3:21:26] neighborhood below that you are
[3:21:28] effectively and then bringing water the
[3:21:31] extra access road
[3:21:34] um and then sprinklered homes. Would you
[3:21:37] agree that that's actually improving the
[3:21:39] break for the houses that are existing
[3:21:42] down here?
[3:21:42] >> Yes, ma'am.
[3:21:43] >> Okay. Thank you.
[3:21:46] >> Thanks.
[3:21:47] >> Before you go.
[3:21:48] >> Yeah. Council member.
[3:21:49] >> Yeah. Um I wanted to understand about
[3:21:51] this road. So it's an emergency access.
[3:21:53] So there'll be a gate. Is that correct?
[3:21:55] Or is it a regular open road?
[3:21:58] >> Yeah.
[3:21:59] >> Be a gate and it's like a breakaway gate
[3:22:00] or what? What kind of How do people know
[3:22:03] this is a good way to go? Um, we would
[3:22:06] do whatever is current safety standards.
[3:22:08] >> Okay. And is it a good way to go?
[3:22:10] Because when you pulled back, I think we
[3:22:12] had a a bigger picture here. Uh, the
[3:22:14] lady who was here earlier today, she
[3:22:16] lives actually downhill from this point.
[3:22:19] So, she these people are higher, she's
[3:22:22] lower. Um, it took her x amount of time.
[3:22:24] I didn't hear the full amount, hour, two
[3:22:27] hours, I don't know, three hours. Um,
[3:22:29] how does this help? This gives these
[3:22:32] people two ways to go, right? They can
[3:22:34] come out of the main development or they
[3:22:36] can go east.
[3:22:37] >> Yes.
[3:22:38] >> But I'm missing the point about how it
[3:22:40] helps somebody else. Can you explain
[3:22:42] somebody?
[3:22:46] » Map.
[3:22:46] >> Sure.
[3:22:47] >> A different map.
[3:22:51] » Okay.
[3:22:53] So, you've drawn it in because it wasn't
[3:22:55] part of the original plan. Is that it's
[3:22:57] a new thing?
[3:22:57] >> I just drew this in so that you guys
[3:22:59] would be able to see it.
[3:23:00] >> Right. But I mean was it added something
[3:23:02] required more recently?
[3:23:04] >> No. So I I think what we're saying here
[3:23:07] is that with this connection between
[3:23:10] these
[3:23:11] >> whereas the woman who was speaking
[3:23:13] earlier was on Morgan Court, right?
[3:23:15] >> So that's right here. Now I don't know
[3:23:18] exactly how she tried to access but we
[3:23:20] have Rob Drive over here.
[3:23:22] >> Right.
[3:23:23] >> And we also
[3:23:24] >> and avenue avenue dinda.
[3:23:27] >> I can go even bigger here if we need to.
[3:23:33] me down. Okay, so we do have I mean you
[3:23:38] guys can talk about this.
[3:23:39] >> So you see where this star is? I mean
[3:23:41] this is just about as far away as you
[3:23:43] can get.
[3:23:43] >> It is. But I but I want to point out
[3:23:46] that
[3:23:48] there's several ways to exit out here.
[3:23:50] So we have Seventh Street.
[3:23:53] >> This I think is Seventh Street. This is
[3:23:55] Mayanne.
[3:23:56] >> Yep.
[3:23:57] >> We have down here on Rob.
[3:23:59] We have uh Mayberry, I think, over here.
[3:24:03] So, what this does is it gives people
[3:24:06] another avenue. If they're trying to
[3:24:09] exit from here, like let's say let's say
[3:24:12] there was a fire.
[3:24:13] >> Yeah.
[3:24:14] >> Right. And people can't get out over
[3:24:16] here, then this neighborhood could then
[3:24:19] take this
[3:24:20] >> over and come down through this way.
[3:24:22] >> I see.
[3:24:23] >> Same thing as this. They would be able
[3:24:24] to go around and take it down through
[3:24:26] there. So, it's just adding an extra
[3:24:29] level of protection.
[3:24:30] >> So, let me ask our chief. Um, does you said something to the mayor earlier
[3:24:35] and I wasn't sure if I caught it
[3:24:36] correctly. You said sprinklering is not
[3:24:38] required, but they're doing it. Is that
[3:24:40] correct?
[3:24:41] >> No, sprinkling is required.
[3:24:42] >> Oh, I thought you said it's not required
[3:24:44] under the new
[3:24:45] >> No, no, the road would not be required
[3:24:48] because they are sprinkling.
[3:24:50] >> Which this red road that she drew in is
[3:24:52] not required.
[3:24:53] >> The access road would not be required.
[3:24:55] >> Okay. The spring clearing is required.
[3:24:58] >> Okay. All right. I'm going to just
[3:25:00] explain one more thing. Up above this
[3:25:02] property to the north, there is a whole
[3:25:04] there are quite a few. It's it doesn't
[3:25:06] butt up against the wilderness. It butts
[3:25:08] up against a number of private lots. And
[3:25:10] those private lots, it's it's one of
[3:25:12] these things where it's lading. I
[3:25:14] thought saw this happen in South Reno.
[3:25:16] We approved one and then the one above
[3:25:17] it came in and the one above it came in.
[3:25:19] I don't believe this area on the flank
[3:25:21] of this mountain is a good place to add
[3:25:24] additional housing. It's not that I'm
[3:25:26] opposed to more housing. It's not like I
[3:25:28] don't like the plan or the density or
[3:25:31] the sprinklering or anything. I don't
[3:25:33] like the location and I think that it
[3:25:35] opens the door for additional
[3:25:37] developments up the hill which I looked
[3:25:39] up on the map. We had the meeting with
[3:25:41] staff and as I as I looked there was
[3:25:44] private property, private property, till you finally got to
[3:25:49] either federal or state or city-owned
[3:25:51] property. And so I think it's a bad
[3:25:53] precedent. I think we should stop right
[3:25:55] here and not continue to to go and I I
[3:25:58] just don't think it's a good place to be
[3:26:00] developing. So, I'll just leave it at
[3:26:01] that. Thank you.
[3:26:04] >> Thank you, Council Rever, you have more?
[3:26:06] >> Yeah. Um, just to kind of piggyback off
[3:26:09] of some other comments made by Council
[3:26:11] Member Der and I believe Mayor Shivi as
[3:26:14] well. So, there's things that
[3:26:18] this development is doing that is not
[3:26:20] required by code, right? they're going
[3:26:22] above and beyond what's required. Um,
[3:26:26] do you think that this council has a
[3:26:29] responsibility to maybe change the code
[3:26:32] to include these additional
[3:26:36] um safety
[3:26:38] measures, especially given what's
[3:26:40] happening currently? Um, you know, this development has how many would have
[3:26:46] access points?
[3:26:49] >> With this one, it'd be three.
[3:26:50] >> Three. Okay. So, that development would
[3:26:52] have more access routes than the entire
[3:26:55] north valleys, which is great, right,
[3:26:57] for them. So, do you think that, you
[3:27:00] know, in your opinion, I'm trusting you
[3:27:04] guys to be subject matter experts here
[3:27:06] on fire safety. Do you think that
[3:27:09] council should prioritize making um some
[3:27:13] changes to the code to require more um
[3:27:19] access points and and safety measures um
[3:27:23] for development?
[3:27:24] >> I I'd be more than happy to meet with
[3:27:26] you and discuss the pros and cons of
[3:27:28] that. Absolutely.
[3:27:29] >> Okay. Um, I that's something I would
[3:27:32] like to request to be agendaized, that
[3:27:34] we review this, especially with what's
[3:27:36] happening currently and with what I
[3:27:39] personally had to go through with
[3:27:40] evacuation and only having one road to
[3:27:42] get in and out of with 40,000 other
[3:27:45] people. Um, so um, thank you.
[3:27:48] >> We're going to do a much bigger um,
[3:27:50] afteraction and it'll be a much bigger
[3:27:53] broader. Yeah, it's it's not just about
[3:27:55] this particular fire which was a
[3:27:57] nightmare to leave, but I think code
[3:28:00] needs to make some modifications
[3:28:02] [clears throat] for what's required
[3:28:04] because
[3:28:05] >> that's what I'm saying. We This is like
[3:28:07] a very big big conversation. So,
[3:28:11] absolutely.
[3:28:13] >> Chief, could you you said three. I just
[3:28:15] want to get this on the record. You said
[3:28:16] there were three ways in and out of
[3:28:18] this. I You still said three. We have we
[3:28:20] have three access points.
[3:28:21] >> My time my time's not up. I apologize.
[3:28:24] >> Okay. Yeah. So, um
[3:28:33] do you think that this project would be
[3:28:35] safer if there was less density than
[3:28:37] what they're showing now? Or are you
[3:28:40] you're totally fine? You think this is
[3:28:42] great and it's not just well code says
[3:28:44] this is okay. Do you think that this is fine? you don't have any
[3:28:49] concerns about it
[3:28:51] >> with the construction that's going to be
[3:28:52] required that's going to be stipulated
[3:28:54] by the WOOI.
[3:28:55] >> Yeah.
[3:28:56] >> Whether they're on, you know, the third
[3:28:58] acre or halfacre lots, it's not going to
[3:28:59] make much of a difference for us on the
[3:29:01] fire side. No.
[3:29:02] >> Okay. All right. Um
[3:29:08] » Okay. Thank you.
[3:29:08] >> Of course.
[3:29:10] >> Maybe we talk a little bit too about um
[3:29:13] Sorry, Vice Mayor. Is it okay?
[3:29:14] >> Yeah, of course.
[3:29:15] >> Okay. um talk a little bit about what's
[3:29:19] the I guess um sprinklers
[3:29:24] versus exit roads, those kinds of
[3:29:27] things. And give me some statistics on
[3:29:29] sprinklers and why we're giving one up
[3:29:33] for the other. Is there a reason that
[3:29:35] I'm not aware of or tell me tell us
[3:29:37] educate us on this thought. Essentially,
[3:29:41] depending on which study you look at,
[3:29:43] sprinklers reduce the um not only the
[3:29:46] damage to the structure, but the chances
[3:29:48] of injury and death by over 90%, most of
[3:29:51] the time over 95%. So fire code actually
[3:29:54] requires when you're building individual
[3:29:56] homes what we consider you know R3's uh
[3:29:59] single and you know single family homes
[3:30:02] anytime that you have an area like this
[3:30:04] and it goes over 30 homes without a
[3:30:06] secondary access for fire department
[3:30:09] that it needs to be sprinklered and
[3:30:11] that's the acknowledgement of the
[3:30:12] effectiveness of sprinklers. So if the
[3:30:14] roadway does get jammed up because
[3:30:16] people are while trying to evacuate jam
[3:30:19] up the road or there's a bad accident
[3:30:20] and then an emergency happens, uh the
[3:30:23] sprinklers we understand and have faith
[3:30:25] that they will act and they will help
[3:30:27] people make sure they get out unharmed.
[3:30:30] Um where if you add another access point
[3:30:33] now we can all of a sudden go up to a
[3:30:34] couple hundred houses before we start
[3:30:36] talking about sprinklers. So our adopted
[3:30:39] amendments also have a over 5,000 square
[3:30:41] feet or a six minute response time.
[3:30:44] Again, that response time is based on
[3:30:45] the same concept as these as we're
[3:30:48] expanding as the city's expanding. If
[3:30:50] you know, for instance, station 12, as
[3:30:52] we brought up earlier, if they're
[3:30:54] building and it's going to be past the
[3:30:56] six minute response time, then we want
[3:30:58] sprinklers there to make sure that the
[3:31:00] people in the house if the fire does
[3:31:02] occur that they're safe.
[3:31:04] >> Okay. What's the response time now from
[3:31:08] uh the closest station there
[3:31:10] >> for for this plan? We have um what we
[3:31:13] put on the LDC when we looked at it, it
[3:31:14] was 7 minutes for both for the two
[3:31:17] stations for either station 8 or station
[3:31:19] 11. Both are about a seven minute
[3:31:21] response time.
[3:31:22] >> And that's to the beginning of the Yeah.
[3:31:24] of the parcel.
[3:31:25] >> Seven minutes.
[3:31:26] >> Yes, ma'am.
[3:31:26] >> Okay. And then um Leah, just confirm,
[3:31:31] how many homes are we looking at? 46.
[3:31:35] >> Yes, ma'am.
[3:31:36] >> I'm sorry.
[3:31:37] >> That's okay. Thank you.
[3:31:38] >> 46 homes.
[3:31:39] >> Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
[3:31:41] Okay. No further questions.
[3:31:44] >> I had one followup for a one minute if I
[3:31:47] may.
[3:31:47] >> Yeah.
[3:31:48] >> Um I I've gotten confusing information.
[3:31:51] Please stay up here. Um Leah, um do we
[3:31:54] have three or two points of access? I'm now very confused. Could you put
[3:31:59] that up again? On this particular site,
[3:32:02] there are two point there's going to be
[3:32:04] two points of access.
[3:32:04] >> Okay. Well, the chief said three, so I'm
[3:32:07] confused.
[3:32:08] >> How many?
[3:32:08] >> Yeah, that's fine.
[3:32:10] >> Do you have your other one?
[3:32:11] >> Yeah, we've got lot we've got lots of
[3:32:13] them here.
[3:32:14] >> Your pen?
[3:32:15] >> Yeah, of course.
[3:32:16] >> Thank you. When I said three, where I'm
[3:32:18] looking at three is you're going to have
[3:32:19] the new road connecting these. Yes.
[3:32:21] >> Yeah. Um, so from us from the fire
[3:32:24] perspective, we would kind of be looking
[3:32:26] at this whole area even though this is
[3:32:28] this these 46 homes would only have two.
[3:32:31] >> Okay.
[3:32:31] >> But this area where the, you know, the
[3:32:36] Yeah. We have one there, one there, and
[3:32:38] then the new one.
[3:32:39] >> So we kind of look that as one big
[3:32:41] cluster really. So that's why we're
[3:32:43] saying three.
[3:32:43] >> Okay. And then
[3:32:44] >> from our perspective, it'd be three.
[3:32:46] From their lot, it's two.
[3:32:47] >> And then on sprinklers, I just want to
[3:32:49] make sure I understand. It's always been
[3:32:51] explained that sprinklers are very good
[3:32:53] for a fire that starts inside the house,
[3:32:55] >> right?
[3:32:56] >> And not so great for the fire that
[3:32:58] starts outside the house, like a
[3:32:59] wildland fire,
[3:33:00] >> because you're not watering the roof and all the land. You're watering inside
[3:33:05] in the kitchen where the fire started or
[3:33:07] whatever. Right. I just want to make
[3:33:08] sure we're talking apples and apples.
[3:33:10] Yes, we are.
[3:33:11] >> Okay. Thank you.
[3:33:12] >> Of course.
[3:33:16] [clears throat]
[3:33:17] >> Do any of the members have any? Yeah.
[3:33:19] >> Um so with the last fire, do we have any
[3:33:22] time estimates
[3:33:25] now that we have some um
[3:33:29] experience unfortunately with these
[3:33:32] fires? Do we know about how long it
[3:33:34] takes for people in Somerset to evacuate
[3:33:36] or the north valleys? Like do we no
[3:33:41] information? There's no kind of tracking
[3:33:43] of that whatsoever to say this many
[3:33:46] people take this long to evacuate.
[3:33:50] >> I am not familiar with any studies on
[3:33:52] that with that data. No.
[3:33:53] >> Okay. Are you aware of any other areas
[3:33:57] doing anything like that?
[3:34:00] >> Areas in our city doing studies on time?
[3:34:02] >> No, just in general like how long it
[3:34:04] takes to evacuate because it's relevant,
[3:34:08] right, for safety and
[3:34:13] There's [clears throat]
[3:34:14] how many more homes in this project?
[3:34:16] >> 46.
[3:34:17] >> So, what is the impact of at least 46
[3:34:19] more cars on this? You know what what
[3:34:23] how long does it take per car to
[3:34:26] evacuate an area? Like is are we going
[3:34:28] to hit an upper limit where we say it
[3:34:31] takes too long? Just kind of like you
[3:34:34] guys having a response time that you
[3:34:36] want to hit. We likewise should have
[3:34:38] like an evacuation timeline, right? Or
[3:34:41] like it's it would take too long for
[3:34:44] people to get out. There's too many
[3:34:45] cars. It would be too much traffic.
[3:34:48] People would not be able to get out in a
[3:34:50] timely manner. So, I was just curious if
[3:34:52] there's any kind of information like
[3:34:54] that.
[3:34:54] >> So, we don't I don't know of any studies
[3:34:56] that actually take that into account.
[3:34:59] Um, a lot of that comes down to from
[3:35:02] prevention bureau comes down to
[3:35:03] education. you know, when that yellow
[3:35:05] area hits and it's saying get prepared
[3:35:07] to evacuate. We need to make sure our
[3:35:09] citizens understand that means be
[3:35:10] prepared. So that it is, hey, you're
[3:35:12] within your you're in your car within
[3:35:13] five minutes. Also, you know, there's
[3:35:16] homes with multiple cars. Instead of
[3:35:18] taking one vehicle, they want to remove
[3:35:20] all vehicles because [clears throat]
[3:35:21] rightfully so, they're worried about
[3:35:22] their personal property and that really
[3:35:24] clogs the road.
[3:35:25] >> There's also only so much we can do when
[3:35:27] it comes to the number of exits. And
[3:35:28] when you have a site like this, even if
[3:35:30] you have, you know, two or three more
[3:35:33] additional exits, at some point it's
[3:35:35] kind of like the football stadium that
[3:35:37] has a 100 exits, but if everybody was to
[3:35:39] leave at the same time in a panic, it
[3:35:41] would still be tight and it would take
[3:35:43] longer to
[3:35:43] >> exit. Yeah, that's just curious to see
[3:35:46] how long from evacuate now till people
[3:35:51] are done evacuating. you know, we we can
[3:35:54] get a lot of information about the
[3:35:55] downtown area, track how many cars are
[3:35:57] going on different streets and things
[3:35:59] like that. So, um just curious to see
[3:36:01] if, god forbid, we have another fire
[3:36:03] like this, we can figure out how long it
[3:36:06] takes for everybody to clear out that's
[3:36:07] leaving. Okay. Thank you,
[3:36:10] >> Council Member.
[3:36:12] >> Um Missy Bert, I just wanted to and you
[3:36:14] might you guys may know about this
[3:36:16] process. we may be able to learn from
[3:36:18] the firewise process that the HOA in
[3:36:21] Somerset went through. I think your
[3:36:23] questions are really interesting. Um
[3:36:25] Somerset did a mass um mock evacuation
[3:36:30] to prepare their their whole
[3:36:32] neighborhood for exactly what they went
[3:36:34] through. And Jacob Williams, who was on
[3:36:36] our planning commission, is the HOA
[3:36:38] president. So, I think it might be
[3:36:40] interesting to have him come and talk to
[3:36:42] us about what they learned during their
[3:36:44] mock evacuation compared to what
[3:36:47] happened in their real evacuation. Yeah.
[3:36:49] And if the if Somerset's HOA has any
[3:36:52] advice
[3:36:54] >> for other neighborhoods in the in the
[3:36:56] valley for how we can better prepare um
[3:36:59] for evacuations and learn from what they
[3:37:02] have learned.
[3:37:03] >> Yeah. Yeah. Because I think it's not
[3:37:04] necessarily just distance, right? should
[3:37:07] be access points and how long it takes
[3:37:09] people to get out maybe should help
[3:37:12] guide how many access points we need as
[3:37:15] well. So, okay, that's great
[3:37:17] information. Thank you.
[3:37:21] >> Thank you all. Are there any other
[3:37:24] questions? If not, we'll look for a
[3:37:25] motion.
[3:37:39] I'll try a motion based on what is in
[3:37:41] the staff report in the matter of LDC
[3:37:45] 25-000065
[3:37:47] based upon compliance with applicable
[3:37:49] findings. I move to uphold the
[3:37:51] recommendation of the planning
[3:37:52] commission and refer for a second
[3:37:54] reading and adoption.
[3:37:59] » I'll second for discussion. Is there
[3:38:01] any? Yeah, council. Yeah, just a comment
[3:38:04] on the motion. Um, I just want to tell
[3:38:06] our fire department that I really
[3:38:08] appreciate the work they put into the
[3:38:10] WOOI changes. We they brought them to
[3:38:13] us. We went over them. Um, it was that time I asked we amend the WOOI
[3:38:17] recommendations to ACR to include three
[3:38:20] points of access or egress in certain
[3:38:22] areas. Uh, they said no, the national
[3:38:25] was two. And I said, "Well, that's great
[3:38:27] for the national, but we're a different
[3:38:29] place with different grass with
[3:38:31] different fire risk, and can't we make
[3:38:33] our own changes? Like, do we have to
[3:38:35] follow some Americans,
[3:38:39] our level of fire?" And at that time,
[3:38:41] the answer was no. And I hope that the
[3:38:43] answer could be yes going forward. Um, I
[3:38:46] really appreciate the time and attention
[3:38:47] that you all have put in. I don't
[3:38:50] believe this is a good location for a
[3:38:53] new development. and um based on not
[3:38:56] being able to find uh for um finding F,
[3:39:01] which is protect life and property in
[3:39:04] areas subject to floods, landslides, and
[3:39:06] other natural disasters, which includes
[3:39:08] fires. I'm not going to be able to
[3:39:10] support the motion. It's nothing
[3:39:12] personal to anybody, and it's not
[3:39:13] against our fire department. It's more
[3:39:16] about my years of experience and where
[3:39:19] we've put what I think are risky
[3:39:21] developments, including in my ward.
[3:39:23] Okay. Not W five, my ward, W two. And um
[3:39:27] that I also did not support for the very
[3:39:29] same reasons. Um it's only a matter of
[3:39:31] time. So with that, um it's again I
[3:39:34] appreciate the direction we're going in
[3:39:36] and I'm really excited, mayor, that
[3:39:38] you've said we're going to have a big
[3:39:39] debrief that the council can participate
[3:39:41] in as well, not just our staff. And um I
[3:39:45] think those are all good moves. I'm just
[3:39:46] not prepared at this time to approve
[3:39:48] this vote yes on this. So, thank you,
[3:39:53] >> Mr. Mer. I think that that's an
[3:39:55] excellent point. I don't I didn't see it
[3:39:57] as we are approving a development or
[3:39:59] we're not approving a development. I
[3:40:00] think they can I think they can build no
[3:40:02] matter what. Um, so if that was the
[3:40:05] actual discussion of whether we're
[3:40:08] saying they can build or they can't
[3:40:10] build, I think my position would be
[3:40:12] different. Um, so that that is why I can
[3:40:17] make this motion. Thank you.
[3:40:23] It's just they they already can build.
[3:40:27] They're making a zoning recommendation.
[3:40:28] So, we're not saying by by denying this,
[3:40:31] we're not stopping the development.
[3:40:34] >> I I don't know. That's a question for
[3:40:36] our staff, I guess.
[3:40:41] » Was that
[3:40:42] >> We have Patty for the record. Um, so the
[3:40:44] zoning is currently SF3 and the
[3:40:47] applicants could come in and build
[3:40:49] something under the SF3 standard right
[3:40:51] now. Um, what they're asking for is SF8
[3:40:55] so that they can do the smaller lot
[3:40:57] sizes, focus that on the southern
[3:40:59] portion of the property and zone the
[3:41:00] northern portion.
[3:41:02] >> I have a question. Didn't you say that
[3:41:04] the rest of the property really couldn't
[3:41:05] be developed anyways? It was really
[3:41:08] steep. it's over 30% and that we do have
[3:41:11] standards for hillside development.
[3:41:13] However, if they were going to build
[3:41:15] single family residences on larger lots
[3:41:18] out there, there are some
[3:41:21] >> there are some ways that they could do
[3:41:22] that. They just couldn't do what they
[3:41:25] are proposing today
[3:41:27] >> up the hill.
[3:41:28] >> Okay. Looks like he might want to chime
[3:41:31] in too.
[3:41:32] >> Yes. Thank you. Just to clarify, um,
[3:41:34] yes, absolutely. There there are
[3:41:36] existing development rights out there.
[3:41:37] uh with the current zoning, we we could
[3:41:40] push the grading further up the hill. We
[3:41:43] could we could get more aggressive with walls and and getting and building
[3:41:46] road access to some of the some of the
[3:41:49] pockets of of smaller slopes. Uh to me,
[3:41:52] that feels like a lot of aggressive
[3:41:53] grading uh to not gain very much. I
[3:41:55] think what we've proposed is a is a much
[3:41:57] cleaner and more accessible design.
[3:42:00] >> And how many homes should you have
[3:42:01] proposed before this requested zone
[3:42:03] change or did you get that far? Uh there have been other projects approved
[3:42:10] on this site. Yes. Um my personal
[3:42:12] experience doesn't extend that far back.
[3:42:14] So I I don't have those numbers in my
[3:42:16] head.
[3:42:16] >> Okay. Leah, do you have any information
[3:42:17] on that?
[3:42:19] Like what's the difference in number of
[3:42:21] homes in the uh existing zoning
[3:42:25] >> to this requested change?
[3:42:28] >> Right now they could build um they could
[3:42:31] build approximately
[3:42:33] 120 homes. Um, as Councilwoman Door
[3:42:36] pointed out, there are some points that
[3:42:38] are above that 30%. So, that would have
[3:42:41] to be looked at. But even if that were
[3:42:43] reduced to in half and it was 60, it's
[3:42:46] still less than they're asking for 46
[3:42:49] today.
[3:42:50] >> Okay. So, right now they could build 100
[3:42:53] >> 100ish 100ish.
[3:42:55] >> Okay. With the zone change, it's reduced
[3:42:58] to 40ish with parks and open space.
[3:43:04] >> Correct. Okay, thank you for that.
[3:43:07] >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. All
[3:43:10] those in favor say I.
[3:43:12] >> I.
[3:43:13] >> All those opposed?
[3:43:14] >> No.
[3:43:16] >> Motion passes 42, I believe. Madame
[3:43:19] clerk,
[3:43:20] >> that's correct.
[3:43:21] >> Thank you.
[3:43:25] [clears throat]
[3:43:27] » We'll move on to agenda item F1.
[3:43:30] Uh, Madame Clerk, or we'll send it over
[3:43:33] to Mr. Mr. Shipman or Mr. Hall for an
[3:43:36] ordinance adoption bill reading
[3:43:39] >> item F1 ordinance adoption ordinance
[3:43:41] number 6748 case number LDC 26-000082
[3:43:46] one mic place zoning map amendment
[3:43:48] ordinance to amend title 18 chapter
[3:43:50] 18.02 02 of the Reno Municipal Code
[3:43:52] entitled zoning reszoning a 14.92 acre
[3:43:55] site comprised of two parcels from
[3:43:58] general commercial GC to multif family
[3:44:00] residential 21 units per acre MF21
[3:44:04] site is located on the north side of
[3:44:06] Marine Way 160 ft west of North Virginia
[3:44:09] Street and has a master plan designation
[3:44:11] of suburban mixed use SMU.
[3:44:15] » Thank you.
[3:44:17] Um, madam clerk, will there any public
[3:44:19] comment received on this item?
[3:44:20] >> There is none.
[3:44:22] >> Awesome. Great. Any questions or
[3:44:24] discussion from the council?
[3:44:26] >> All right, I'll look for a motion.
[3:44:28] >> Mr. Vice May, I move to adopt the
[3:44:29] ordinance.
[3:44:31] >> Second.
[3:44:32] >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. All
[3:44:34] those in favor say I.
[3:44:35] >> I.
[3:44:36] Any opposed? Motion passes
[3:44:38] unanimously.
[3:44:41] Great. With that, we'll move on to
[3:44:43] agenda item G1.
[3:44:47] Um, I'd like to move to appoint Animan
[3:44:50] Aran to the Youth City Council for a
[3:44:53] partial term from September 1st, 2026
[3:44:56] through January 31st, 2027. I move to
[3:45:00] appoint Analia Rodriguez and Satvic Vad
[3:45:04] Lakinta
[3:45:06] to the U City Council for partial terms
[3:45:09] from September 1st, 2026 through
[3:45:11] November 11th, 2027.
[3:45:14] >> Second. We have a motion and a second.
[3:45:16] All those in favor say I.
[3:45:18] >> I.
[3:45:18] Any opposed. Motion passes
[3:45:21] unanimously.
[3:45:23] Thank you. With that, we'll move on to
[3:45:25] G2.
[3:45:27] Believe this is you and city manager.
[3:45:29] >> Thank you, Vice Mayor. After
[3:45:30] consultation with the ward one council
[3:45:32] member, the recommendation is Janice
[3:45:33] McKenzie.
[3:45:37] » Second.
[3:45:39] >> Oh, sorry. Sorry. [laughter] We did
[3:45:41] receive public comment on this item
[3:45:43] which was distributed as one letter of
[3:45:44] neutral or concern.
[3:45:46] >> Thank you, madame clerk. And sounds like
[3:45:48] we have a motion from council member.
[3:45:50] Second from council member Anderson. All
[3:45:52] those in favor say I.
[3:45:53] >> I.
[3:45:54] Any opposed?
[3:45:55] >> No.
[3:45:56] >> Motion passes unanimously.
[3:45:59] Thank you. With that, we will move to
[3:46:01] our redevelopment agency.
[3:46:04] Um,
[3:46:05] >> did you want to do council comments
[3:46:06] first?
[3:46:07] >> Oh, yeah. Thank you for the reminder.
[3:46:08] We'll do council comments um and see if
[3:46:11] there are any comments or updates from
[3:46:14] any of the members.
[3:46:17] Not
[3:46:18] >> yet. Council member Eert.
[3:46:20] >> Yeah. Just again want to um thank all
[3:46:24] the firefighters from all the different
[3:46:25] agencies that have come out and spent
[3:46:28] time away from their families and risk
[3:46:30] their lives to um work on this fire.
[3:46:33] That was just incredible. and um um
[3:46:37] remind everyone that it's not it's not
[3:46:39] completely over yet. There's still
[3:46:40] people in my community without power. Um
[3:46:44] people that are not comfortable leaving
[3:46:45] evacuation zones because of um livestock
[3:46:49] type animals that they they can't take
[3:46:51] with them and they can't leave behind
[3:46:54] without anybody to take care of them.
[3:46:56] So, it's um ongoing for my awards still
[3:47:00] and um
[3:47:03] just if anybody can help in any way um
[3:47:07] it would be really appreciated um
[3:47:11] please reach out to me. My city cell
[3:47:13] number is um available online at on
[3:47:16] reno.gov. But um just want to remind
[3:47:20] everybody again that access is a is a
[3:47:23] huge um issue in my ward and um a lot of
[3:47:27] the roads that we have are getting
[3:47:30] widened and that's wonderful but having
[3:47:33] the 395 and um Military and Buck and um
[3:47:41] next will be Moya and Virginia Street
[3:47:44] all under construction at the same time
[3:47:47] is extremely dangerous to public safety
[3:47:50] when you live in an area that um might
[3:47:53] have to evacuate um you know 40,000 plus
[3:47:58] people on um one one road um and
[3:48:02] Virginia is is quite parallel and close
[3:48:05] to the 395. So if if we have a fire and
[3:48:10] um it jumps to 395,
[3:48:14] my community is not going to have a
[3:48:15] whole lot of options. So just want to
[3:48:17] put that on the radar. I know that
[3:48:19] there's been comments made by council
[3:48:21] members on RTC that there's been a lot
[3:48:23] of money put into Ward 4, but I'm just
[3:48:26] going on the record to say we need more.
[3:48:29] access points and if
[3:48:32] nothing else, even just a
[3:48:34] well-maintained dirt road that people
[3:48:37] can use to get in and out. Um it's it's
[3:48:40] really gotten to the point where um we
[3:48:43] cannot ignore this anymore. And I know a
[3:48:47] lot of people have compared it to the
[3:48:49] Paradise fire, myself included. Um
[3:48:52] they're just the fires are getting
[3:48:53] progressively worse and we're going to
[3:48:56] get to a point where people can't get
[3:48:58] out. they'll be in their cars and get
[3:49:01] overcome by fires. It's just not if, but
[3:49:04] when at this point if we don't address
[3:49:06] it and um this is my community that I
[3:49:09] care about deeply and we cannot ignore
[3:49:13] this anymore and we have to um give this
[3:49:16] area the resources um just to survive
[3:49:22] um safely in an emergency. Thank you.
[3:49:26] >> Thank you, Council Member D. Yeah.
[3:49:28] Similarly,
[3:49:30] >> Yep. You want to go first?
[3:49:31] >> Yes.
[3:49:32] >> Um, okay. Thank you. I appreciate it. I
[3:49:35] can I just say I I'm confused as because
[3:49:37] you keep saying my community and um what
[3:49:40] does that mean because I feel like
[3:49:43] there's a different community and
[3:49:47] we're we're being excluded. So, maybe
[3:49:49] you can address that.
[3:49:51] Uh, my community means the people I was
[3:49:54] elected to represent and the area where
[3:49:57] I live, which only has one access point.
[3:50:00] So, I I had assumed that the mayor would
[3:50:02] understand that we are ward
[3:50:04] representatives.
[3:50:05] >> I represent that area, too.
[3:50:06] >> Okay. Well, I haven't seen you. I
[3:50:09] haven't heard from you. I know that you
[3:50:10] are very involved with Somerset, but I
[3:50:13] haven't seen you at all.
[3:50:14] >> I let you speak.
[3:50:15] >> You asked me a question and I'm
[3:50:17] answering it. My community is who
[3:50:20] elected me to represent them.
[3:50:22] >> Megan, it's my turn. I don't interrupt
[3:50:24] you and when you call me out on it, I
[3:50:26] say, "You're right." And then I let you
[3:50:27] finish. First of all, I did call you.
[3:50:30] Um, I checked in with JW. JW has called
[3:50:33] you over 24 times. I said, "Have you
[3:50:35] checked in with Megan?" I have it on my
[3:50:37] phone that I called you to check on you.
[3:50:40] First of all, you need to know
[3:50:41] >> I've been checking my phone. I have no
[3:50:42] missed call for text messages. is I
[3:50:45] texted you yesterday and said, "Please
[3:50:47] come in."
[3:50:48] >> Councilwoman, hold on a second.
[3:50:50] >> I'm going to address something right
[3:50:51] now. What you're talking about is
[3:50:53] campaign rhetoric. And if it wasn't that
[3:50:55] last
[3:50:58] counciloman, you wouldn't have voted
[3:51:00] like this on a development in Somerset.
[3:51:03] And you just did. So, it's it's clearly
[3:51:06] campaign rhetoric.
[3:51:07] >> No, it's not. Yes, it is. Yeah. 100
[3:51:10] homes 40. Is it 100 homes or 40?
[3:51:14] >> Port of order.
[3:51:15] >> You've allowed them to You would have
[3:51:17] allowed them to build a 100 home. I've
[3:51:19] had enough.
[3:51:20] >> No, I've had enough.
[3:51:21] >> You're creating You're creating a divide
[3:51:23] saying my community all of us represent
[3:51:26] that community. Matter of fact, my
[3:51:27] boyfriend lives there. So, please stop
[3:51:29] saying that.
[3:51:31] >> Anyway, um
[3:51:33] >> nobody in my community feels represented
[3:51:36] by you. No one.
[3:51:38] >> That's fine.
[3:51:43] the Reno City Council meeting. We're um
[3:51:46] still looking at item H1, city council
[3:51:48] comments, and I'll send it over to you,
[3:51:50] Council Member Der.
[3:51:51] >> Thank you. I too wanted to do a huge
[3:51:53] shout out to all of the first
[3:51:55] responders, fire, police, the sheriff,
[3:51:58] the Truckucky Meadows, the people that
[3:51:59] have come in from all 15 states, I
[3:52:03] understand, as well as several
[3:52:04] countries. Um, and the the offers are
[3:52:07] still coming in. had an offer from the
[3:52:09] Israeli consulate to send both
[3:52:12] firefighters, predictive, also people to
[3:52:15] help with sheltering. Um, I've had
[3:52:17] offers from Target, offers from all kind
[3:52:20] of resources. So, it we do live in an
[3:52:23] incredibly giving community and
[3:52:26] apparently we're respected both in the
[3:52:28] West and worldwide, the people that are
[3:52:30] coming to help us. And I hope we can
[3:52:33] return the favors. I know we go help
[3:52:35] people with other fires when necessary.
[3:52:37] and I'm just incredibly grateful that
[3:52:39] they've come to help us. Um,
[3:52:43] long time ago and prior to virtually the
[3:52:46] people remaining on council here, um, I
[3:52:48] advocated for us to pave and, um, extend
[3:52:52] Virginia Street, which turns into Long
[3:52:55] Valley Road, which turns into Scott
[3:52:56] Road, which is a parallel road to 395.
[3:53:01] if we I reason I advocated for it was I
[3:53:04] knew that construction was going to be
[3:53:05] difficult and it seemed like we needed
[3:53:07] an alternate road before we closed down
[3:53:09] the main 395. So I think it really could
[3:53:13] have helped us through these terrible
[3:53:14] difficult years of building 395 and the
[3:53:17] impacts it's had on so many. I talked to
[3:53:20] one person that lives up north valleys.
[3:53:22] He said he used to have 12 mill minutes
[3:53:24] to get to city hall. He now has an hour
[3:53:26] regularly. That's that's his life. you
[3:53:29] know, he went from buying a house and
[3:53:31] having 12 minutes to having an hour
[3:53:33] commute. Um, the second thing, so I
[3:53:36] really think that we should talk to RTC
[3:53:39] about re-evaluating their schedule based
[3:53:41] on what we've just been through and look
[3:53:44] at what it would take to upgrade
[3:53:45] Virginia Street where it's basically
[3:53:47] dirt and gravel to become a traversible
[3:53:50] road that's parallel to 395. We could
[3:53:53] have evacuated much more easily. we
[3:53:55] could have turned both sides of
[3:53:57] Virginia's street going south. That
[3:54:00] would have been um three, four, five
[3:54:02] lanes. Who knows? Um and it would have
[3:54:04] still left lanes to go north for the for
[3:54:06] the emergency response. So, I really I'm
[3:54:09] going to recommend this to our city
[3:54:12] manager and also to our RTC
[3:54:14] representatives that before we start on
[3:54:16] the next roads up there in North Valleys
[3:54:17] that we look at providing an additional
[3:54:20] parallel road to 395.
[3:54:22] Um the second thing is um I am very I
[3:54:26] saw a lot of social media about when I
[3:54:29] posted about what the requirements are.
[3:54:31] The federal requirements are in this
[3:54:33] season you can do target shooting up to
[3:54:36] 1 p.m. I think in red flag days we
[3:54:39] shouldn't be having target shooting at
[3:54:41] all. I don't care if it's on federal
[3:54:43] land, state land, any kind of open land,
[3:54:45] Reno land. I don't believe on red flag
[3:54:48] days there should be any kind of target
[3:54:50] shooting at all. They said that you can
[3:54:52] also hunt
[3:54:54] um on red flag days and and that might
[3:54:57] be something different, but even when
[3:54:59] you hunt, you often have a problem of
[3:55:01] hitting a rock and that generates a
[3:55:03] spark and there you go. So, I I just
[3:55:05] think we should take a really hard look
[3:55:07] at restricting use in this open country
[3:55:10] that is so susceptible fire. And last
[3:55:13] comment I want to make um and I've
[3:55:15] already talked to JW about this but
[3:55:17] sharing with everyone and you got a
[3:55:18] little flavor when we're talking to
[3:55:20] Liberty dogs but the animal sheltering
[3:55:22] was very difficult. The Wo County Animal
[3:55:25] Services had been on three backto-back
[3:55:27] fires. They um had 400 animals at the
[3:55:31] livestock event center. Uh the livestock
[3:55:34] event center unfortunately was closed
[3:55:36] and I think that that should be looked
[3:55:37] at like if there was an event going on
[3:55:39] there it probably should have been
[3:55:40] cancelled. um if the animals were
[3:55:42] already there, we should have I don't
[3:55:44] know what we maybe that's just how it
[3:55:45] had to be. But they they luckily were
[3:55:48] able to find but it took many many hours
[3:55:51] to find an alternate to the livestock
[3:55:53] event center. That should just be
[3:55:54] automatic. We should have several
[3:55:55] backups north, south, wherever. And I'm
[3:55:57] going to work on that because I'm chair
[3:55:59] of animal services advisory board for
[3:56:01] two more months. And even after I go off
[3:56:03] council, I'm going to be keep keep
[3:56:05] working on it because I think it's
[3:56:06] really important. Um, related to this is
[3:56:10] for the other animals. The shelter is
[3:56:12] often at capacity during the summer.
[3:56:14] They've sent us numerous letters or
[3:56:17] messages that we've had to put on social
[3:56:18] media that the shelter's closed. Why?
[3:56:20] Because we still have in our community
[3:56:22] animal hoarding cases. 30 cats, 40 dogs
[3:56:26] that are living in substandard
[3:56:28] conditions, horrific conditions where
[3:56:30] they have to be impounded and taken to
[3:56:32] the shelter. 30 dogs. 30 cats. I mean,
[3:56:35] there's just not that kind of room. Um,
[3:56:37] I think the shelter should be expanded.
[3:56:39] It has not been expanded for decades,
[3:56:41] okay? Going back to 2003.
[3:56:44] Um, if that takes extra money from us,
[3:56:46] then so be it. But I believe the county
[3:56:47] has the funds to do it, and there is
[3:56:50] room. I think the shelter should be
[3:56:51] expanded, the staffing should be
[3:56:53] expanded. And then finally, I think that
[3:56:56] pets should be allowed to come with
[3:56:58] their people. We have too many people in
[3:56:59] this last fire who [laughter]
[3:57:02] uh slept in their cars even in the um
[3:57:04] Reena Sparks Convention Center because
[3:57:07] they had a pet and they would not let
[3:57:09] them in. And we just need to prepare for
[3:57:11] that. We've done it before. We've set up
[3:57:13] parts of the convention center with
[3:57:15] cages with staffing. They cannot do it
[3:57:18] this time. They were out 25 miles out
[3:57:20] pyramid. They had a full shelter.
[3:57:22] They're out of people. And so one of the
[3:57:24] things I'm going to work on is I already
[3:57:27] talked to JW about this is setting up a
[3:57:29] volunteer emergency CP for animals that
[3:57:32] will be prepared whether it's to go out
[3:57:33] to a large animal sheltering or or pet
[3:57:37] sheltering so that people can stay with
[3:57:39] their pets. It's it's embarrassing to me
[3:57:41] that we have a shelter there but people
[3:57:43] aren't coming in and they're sleeping in
[3:57:44] their car and it's pretty hard to sleep
[3:57:46] in your car. So, I just I'm going to be
[3:57:49] keep pushing on these three issues about
[3:57:51] Virginia Street, about changing the
[3:57:53] rules of the road for the open country
[3:57:54] during red flag days and for animals.
[3:57:57] And I I know that I believe most of you
[3:58:00] will support those kind of ideas whether
[3:58:02] I'm here or not. So,
[3:58:03] >> thank you, Council Member D. Yeah,
[3:58:05] Council Member Anderson.
[3:58:06] >> Um, I just I wanted to bring attention
[3:58:09] to something that often gets overlooked
[3:58:12] in these big events. We're often um
[3:58:18] importantly thanking our first
[3:58:20] responders that are out there doing the
[3:58:22] crazy hard dangerous work. But I think
[3:58:25] what we the people that we overlook is
[3:58:28] their families.
[3:58:29] And something that I don't think that um
[3:58:31] I mean most of us should understand that
[3:58:33] there's nobody in this room that wasn't
[3:58:35] affected by this fire or we don't know
[3:58:37] someone that was affected by this fire.
[3:58:40] The first responders on the fire were
[3:58:42] having their partners evacuate and their
[3:58:46] families were evacuating while their
[3:58:48] partners were working the emergency
[3:58:51] whether it was paramedic, sheriff, RPD,
[3:58:55] Reno fire, Truckucky Meadows fire. So
[3:58:57] every one of those firefighters that
[3:58:59] were local, let's say 500 of them, they
[3:59:02] had families that were left to do their
[3:59:05] evacuating on their own and then also
[3:59:08] parenting and managing and dealing with
[3:59:10] the animals and everything else. So I
[3:59:12] just want to acknowledge their families
[3:59:15] and I want to acknowledge um a specific
[3:59:17] group with fire because the partners
[3:59:21] within the fire family and I mean the
[3:59:23] regional fire family, there's no real
[3:59:25] borders here. They have a subgroup that
[3:59:29] helps each other in these times. They're
[3:59:32] meal prepping. They're housing their
[3:59:35] animals. They're inviting them into
[3:59:36] their homes. They're watching each
[3:59:38] other's children. They're having the
[3:59:40] grit and determination that their
[3:59:42] partner that's out there doing the work,
[3:59:44] they're having it times 10 because
[3:59:46] they're managing their families. And so
[3:59:48] I just want to acknowledge that because
[3:59:50] they often get overlooked and um they
[3:59:53] were impacted multiple ways by these by
[3:59:56] this emergency all of the first
[3:59:59] um responder families. So just wanted to
[4:00:02] call attention to that.
[4:00:04] >> Thank you.
[4:00:05] Council Member Anderson.
[4:00:09] >> Um
[4:00:11] with that, we'll close out and open up
[4:00:12] the redevelopment agency.
[4:00:14] >> Yes. Uh, real quick, I just wanted to
[4:00:15] note for the record that council member
[4:00:17] Taylor did join us remotely at 3:46.
[4:00:20] Now we can move into redevelopment
[4:00:22] agency.
[4:00:22] >> Thank you. Yeah, if we can take role,
[4:00:24] please.
[4:00:26] >> All right. So, we are calling ro for the
[4:00:29] redevelopment agency board. Council
[4:00:31] member Taylor
[4:00:33] >> here.
[4:00:34] >> Council [clears throat] member Der
[4:00:35] >> here.
[4:00:36] >> Vice Mayor Martinez
[4:00:37] >> here.
[4:00:38] >> Council member Eert
[4:00:39] >> here.
[4:00:40] >> Council member Reese is absent. Council
[4:00:42] member Anderson
[4:00:42] >> here. and Mayor Shivi is absent. You do
[4:00:45] have a quum.
[4:00:46] >> Thank you. Can we please open up the
[4:00:48] first section of public comment? Do you
[4:00:51] have any public commenters today?
[4:00:53] >> Uh we do not have anyone registered to
[4:00:54] speak, but we did receive uh one letter
[4:00:56] of correspondence that has been
[4:00:58] distributed and is available to the
[4:00:59] public on the meeting portal.
[4:01:01] >> Thank you so much. And with that, we'll
[4:01:04] look for an approval of the agenda. And
[4:01:06] just double checking with our assistant
[4:01:08] city manager. Are there any updates?
[4:01:10] >> There are no updates.
[4:01:11] >> Thank you.
[4:01:13] I move to approve the agenda.
[4:01:15] >> Great to have a motion. I'll second. All
[4:01:19] those in favor say I. I. I. Any opposed?
[4:01:22] Motion passes unanimously.
[4:01:25] Thank you. With that, we will move on to
[4:01:27] an approval of the minutes. Are there
[4:01:29] any edits or changes from anybody from
[4:01:31] the body? Now, I'll look for [snorts] a
[4:01:33] motion.
[4:01:34] >> Move to approve the minutes.
[4:01:36] >> I'll second. So, there's a motion in a
[4:01:38] second. All those in favor say I.
[4:01:40] >> I.
[4:01:40] Any opposed? Motion passes
[4:01:44] unanimously.
[4:01:45] Thanks. With that, we will open up the
[4:01:48] consent items um and see if anybody
[4:01:51] would like to pull the one consent item
[4:01:53] that we have or if not, we will look for
[4:01:55] a motion on that one.
[4:01:56] >> I'll make a motion to approve the
[4:01:58] consent agenda item.
[4:02:01] >> Second.
[4:02:01] >> Great. We have a motion in a second. All
[4:02:03] those in favor say I.
[4:02:04] >> I.
[4:02:05] Any opposed?
[4:02:08] >> Mr. Vice Mayor, this is Councilwoman Tim
[4:02:10] Taylor. I'm opposed. I don't think it's
[4:02:11] responsible to spend a quarter of a
[4:02:13] million dollars on a feasibility study
[4:02:15] for the Lyric Theater. Thank you.
[4:02:17] >> Thank you. Motion passes
[4:02:20] 4 to one.
[4:02:23] >> Thank you.
[4:02:24] With that, [snorts] we will move on to
[4:02:26] agenda item C1 and uh get a presentation
[4:02:29] of the redevelopment ay's fisc year Q4
[4:02:33] update for discussion only. Mr. Mardo.
[4:02:37] Chair.
[4:02:41] I'm here to give an update on what the
[4:02:45] redevelopment agency now called REUP was
[4:02:48] um participating in the last quarter. So
[4:02:50] these are the months from uh April, May
[4:02:54] and June.
[4:02:56] So the first thing you'll notice is we
[4:02:58] have a new name. Uh this is now the
[4:03:00] redevelop Reno Redevelopment urban
[4:03:02] placemaking agency otherwise known as
[4:03:04] REUP. Uh the website is live. We're
[4:03:07] introducing people. We're introducing
[4:03:09] ourselves uh to the community through
[4:03:11] the social media channels. So, I
[4:03:12] encourage you all to go on Facebook,
[4:03:15] Instagram, uh LinkedIn to follow those
[4:03:17] new channels. And we're starting to
[4:03:18] communicate on what we do as an agency.
[4:03:21] Uh so, I always say we're the Reno
[4:03:23] Redevelopment and Urban Placemaking
[4:03:24] Agency, but you can call us Rio. And you
[4:03:27] notice the new uh branding as well as
[4:03:29] the new presentation deck.
[4:03:33] We also have a new website, which is
[4:03:34] very exciting. I think council member
[4:03:36] Taylor uh really wanted to know when the
[4:03:38] website was going live. Last time I gave
[4:03:40] an update. It is live. It's fully
[4:03:42] populated. It looks fantastic. Uh there
[4:03:44] is a video that pops up on the main
[4:03:46] page. All the programs, the application
[4:03:49] processes, uh agency documents,
[4:03:52] descriptions of our activities are all
[4:03:54] on the website as well as some news and
[4:03:56] updates uh and newsletters on there as
[4:03:58] well. So, I encourage you to take that
[4:04:00] for a spin. It's pretty exciting and
[4:04:02] it's it came out great.
[4:04:05] To summarize the agency operations for
[4:04:07] the last quarter, uh the budget was
[4:04:09] approved for this fiscal year as well as
[4:04:11] all the identified capital improvements.
[4:04:13] Uh that includes uh the riverfront
[4:04:16] improvements that includes beastro
[4:04:18] lighting on Four Street as well as
[4:04:20] lighting for the University Village
[4:04:22] area. As I mentioned, we just got
[4:04:24] through the rebrand, so that is fully
[4:04:26] live. It's been announced. We're now
[4:04:27] known as REUP. Uh there were some
[4:04:29] governance resolutions around uh signing
[4:04:32] limits, the role of the executive
[4:04:34] director uh and then cleaning up some aging uh policy guidance uh that
[4:04:40] was passed. And then in June, the RAB
[4:04:42] held a half-day workshop where we went
[4:04:44] through uh proposing or discussing the
[4:04:48] uh extension of RDA2.
[4:04:50] uh they learned about sort of
[4:04:52] redevelopment best practices across the
[4:04:54] nation as well as updates to uh to our
[4:04:57] programs and processes.
[4:05:01] Some capital improvements that are being
[4:05:03] undertaken or were undertaken last
[4:05:04] quarter is mainly the Amtrak ADA
[4:05:07] restroom improvements which are almost
[4:05:09] completed. uh that will separate the
[4:05:11] Amtrak station from the historic rail
[4:05:14] depot so that we can start looking
[4:05:16] towards reinvisioning and and sort of
[4:05:18] bringing online uh that historic site.
[4:05:21] And you may have noticed the Riverwalk
[4:05:22] banners throughout the Riverwalk
[4:05:23] districts. Those were replaced and
[4:05:26] supported with uh some some of the
[4:05:27] agency funds.
[4:05:32] You all passed resolutions in that
[4:05:33] quarter uh sort of streamlining the
[4:05:36] process to create a small walls uh mural
[4:05:39] program that was announced uh we
[4:05:41] received applications. The winners have
[4:05:44] been notified but we do not have signed
[4:05:45] contracts yet but those will be
[4:05:47] announced soon. Same thing with the
[4:05:48] rescue program that's a crimerevention
[4:05:51] through environmental design program. Uh
[4:05:54] that program went live. Uh we received
[4:05:56] applications. We're speaking with those
[4:05:59] uh business owners and property owners
[4:06:01] right now. And then you heard some
[4:06:03] proposals on a vacant storefront
[4:06:05] program. How do we uh handle and address
[4:06:07] some of the challenging empty
[4:06:09] storefronts in downtown that our restore
[4:06:11] program has not been able to address? Uh
[4:06:14] there'll be more information to come
[4:06:15] about that program in the coming months.
[4:06:20] Some new development activities.
[4:06:21] Although the redevelopment agency now
[4:06:22] reup didn't play a role in the 118 West
[4:06:25] apartments, this is a new development
[4:06:27] downtown. It's 86 apartments that were
[4:06:29] rehabbed. This is the formal colonial
[4:06:32] apartments. Um, everyone else knows as
[4:06:34] Ross Manor, but that was rehabbed. Uh,
[4:06:37] the historic character was was retained
[4:06:39] in that. Medaf did a a fantastic job.
[4:06:42] Um, they're leasing now, so that's 86
[4:06:44] units downtown. And then this body
[4:06:47] approved our parking gallery operational
[4:06:50] assessment as well as all the
[4:06:51] implementation activities for us to
[4:06:53] renew and improve the parking gallery
[4:06:55] and bringing on a new parking operator
[4:06:57] over there.
[4:06:59] And then we did uh bring to the ra uh
[4:07:03] two tiff applications. One of those was
[4:07:05] for Lake Street. Uh that is a workforce
[4:07:08] housing project uh on Lake Street. uh
[4:07:11] that was sort of continued while we make
[4:07:13] some changes to our application process
[4:07:15] and criteria that will likely come back
[4:07:17] in a month. And then the RAB heard uh
[4:07:20] the gap analysis for the red retail
[4:07:22] project but that was um continued uh
[4:07:24] delayed for some additional information
[4:07:28] and that was what we're up to last
[4:07:30] quarter.
[4:07:31] Happy to answer any questions.
[4:07:33] >> Thank you so much. Turn it over to the
[4:07:35] board. Yes,
[4:07:37] >> I don't have any questions, but I just
[4:07:38] wanted to comment on the social media
[4:07:40] content. The imagery is really, really
[4:07:43] engaging and it looks different than
[4:07:45] other Reno imagery. I don't know if it's
[4:07:47] the filter or if it's like just the the
[4:07:50] offset with the colors and the branding,
[4:07:51] but it's really eye-catching in places
[4:07:54] like LinkedIn, which nothing is
[4:07:56] eye-catching in LinkedIn. So, I just
[4:07:58] wanted to give you a shout out for that.
[4:08:00] >> Well, thank you. Uh the comm's
[4:08:01] department has been helpful uh as well
[4:08:03] as Rachel McIntyre has done a great job
[4:08:05] sort of taking the lead on that.
[4:08:08] >> Awesome. Any of the other members have
[4:08:10] questions or comments
[4:08:12] this [snorts] piece?
[4:08:15] >> Great job. Thank you for the update.
[4:08:20] » Okay, that item was for discussion only.
[4:08:23] Um I think D1
[4:08:26] >> I I have a question on D1. Yeah, I I see
[4:08:28] that Mr. Klein's not here. I don't blame
[4:08:30] him, but I wanted to ask Brian if he has
[4:08:33] an update on that. Are we going to have
[4:08:35] an update from the RAB ever again or
[4:08:38] what what is the thought? And this is
[4:08:41] irrespective of any future changes to
[4:08:44] the structure. I just would like to have
[4:08:46] some engagement.
[4:08:47] >> Yep. Brian McCarter, for the record, um
[4:08:48] it is agenda to have the chair come and
[4:08:51] speak. Um he does plan to make it when
[4:08:53] he can, I imagine.
[4:08:55] >> Um
[4:08:56] >> I would say that at least the last six
[4:08:57] times he has not made it. So, I don't
[4:08:59] think he's planning to come. Um, not
[4:09:01] saying that he doesn't have a busy work
[4:09:03] life, but then could he delegate this to
[4:09:06] someone else on the RAB that maybe could
[4:09:08] attend? That would be my recommendation.
[4:09:10] >> That would be a fair representative of
[4:09:13] whatever happened there. I think we'd
[4:09:15] love to hear what they're doing.
[4:09:17] >> Right.
[4:09:17] >> Okay. Thanks.
[4:09:19] >> Yeah. Thank you.
[4:09:22] Uh we'll close that up and then see if
[4:09:24] there are any member comments on the
[4:09:27] redevelopment agency.
[4:09:30] Seeing none, madame clerk, we'll move on
[4:09:32] to our final public comment for the
[4:09:34] redevelopment agency. Do you have any
[4:09:36] public commenters?
[4:09:37] >> Uh there's no final public comment, but
[4:09:39] I did want to note for the record that
[4:09:40] we did receive one letter of support for
[4:09:42] item B1. So we just wanted to get that
[4:09:44] on the record.
[4:09:45] >> Thank you so much. With that, we'll look
[4:09:47] for a motion to adjourn the
[4:09:49] redevelopment agency. Is this our final
[4:09:51] public comment?
[4:09:52] >> No, we still have one more.
[4:09:53] >> Thank you.
[4:09:54] >> So move to
[4:09:57] >> second.
[4:09:57] >> Great. We have a motion and a second.
[4:09:59] All those in favor say I.
[4:10:01] >> I. Any opposed? Motion passes
[4:10:03] unanimously.
[4:10:04] >> Close that up and move back to the Reno
[4:10:07] City Council meeting. Um if I can,
[4:10:09] Madame Clerk, I forgot to mention
[4:10:12] something on the H1 section of uh
[4:10:16] council comments. So, I'll just open
[4:10:18] that up just to quickly um mention
[4:10:21] [snorts] that earlier today we got an
[4:10:24] email with a letter attached um from
[4:10:26] Madame Mayor. She wanted me to put that
[4:10:29] on the record and I think JW, assistant
[4:10:31] city manager Hodgej, she had a
[4:10:33] conversation with you um about it, but
[4:10:35] she just wanted me to inform um the
[4:10:38] public and put on the record that we're
[4:10:39] probably going to address some of the
[4:10:40] issues um that she has been reviewing
[4:10:44] when it comes to human caused wildfire
[4:10:47] prevention policies in particular local
[4:10:50] ignition analysis, existing authority
[4:10:53] and policy gaps, extreme fire date
[4:10:55] protections, no ignition zones,
[4:10:57] enforcement and accountability, regional
[4:11:00] coordination,
[4:11:01] public communication, and a broader
[4:11:04] wildfire policy. So, as this continued
[4:11:06] conversation is relevant for today's
[4:11:08] purposes, I just want to make sure to
[4:11:10] put that on the record for our mayor and
[4:11:12] make sure that was captured. So, with
[4:11:14] that, we'll close that and move on to
[4:11:16] our final public comment for the Reno
[4:11:20] City Council. Uh there's no one
[4:11:22] registered to speak, but we did receive
[4:11:24] four comments after 4 p.m. yesterday uh
[4:11:26] that will be distributed and available
[4:11:27] on the meeting portal.
[4:11:30] >> Will you be sending those to us?
[4:11:32] >> Who or do we have to go look for them or
[4:11:34] are you sending them to us?
[4:11:35] >> We'll send them to you.
[4:11:36] >> Thank you.
[4:11:36] >> Yes.
[4:11:38] >> Thank you. With that, we'll look for a
[4:11:39] motion to adjurnn city council meeting.
[4:11:41] >> I had a final comment.
[4:11:44] >> Okay. I just wanted to say um
[4:11:48] again um my family and I evacuated on
[4:11:52] Saturday. We got home yesterday. Um this
[4:11:56] is the third time we've evacuated in
[4:11:58] since 2020. Um this was the second time
[4:12:02] this month. Um multiple roads we used to
[4:12:06] evacuate were under construction. The
[4:12:10] power was out. The traffic signals were
[4:12:12] out. there was miles of cars on the
[4:12:14] roads. Um, and I don't think it's um
[4:12:18] appropriate for um
[4:12:22] the mayor to personally attack me for
[4:12:25] asking for safety precautions for a
[4:12:29] community of 40,000 plus people to get
[4:12:33] out of an area safely for an evacuation.
[4:12:37] um and make an accusation that a vote to
[4:12:39] reduce density on a project that has
[4:12:42] more access points in the entire North
[4:12:44] Valleys currently um is becoming of
[4:12:48] somebody in that position. Um, I do
[4:12:50] apologize for for yelling in that
[4:12:53] situation, but um
[4:12:57] to call that campaign rhetoric when the
[4:13:00] intent was literally to reduce density
[4:13:03] and to make sure that they had enough
[4:13:05] access points and to request that we
[4:13:08] agendaize
[4:13:09] um making more conditions on um code
[4:13:13] regarding fire safety. Um frankly, it's
[4:13:16] appalling. And to piggy back that off
[4:13:19] the fact that I was asking for residents
[4:13:22] of W 4 to be able to safely evacuate is
[4:13:26] unbelievable to me. So, um
[4:13:30] I'm not exactly sure why public safety
[4:13:33] for that particular ward is so
[4:13:35] triggering to the mayor. Um, but
[4:13:38] nonetheless,
[4:13:39] um, it's relevant and it's overdue and,
[4:13:44] um, I I I'll stand by my vote to help
[4:13:48] reduce the risk for the community. Um,
[4:13:52] again, that was a project that was
[4:13:53] already approved to be built for 100
[4:13:55] homes. It was over 50% reduction in in
[4:14:00] the project. So, um it's just really
[4:14:04] disappointing to have that kind of
[4:14:06] reaction because of a an ask for
[4:14:11] um help for the people that need it the
[4:14:16] most during emergencies. So, thank you.
[4:14:20] >> Thank you. Yeah, that
[4:14:22] >> one final public comment, I guess, for
[4:14:24] me. Um, you know, my record speaks for
[4:14:27] itself, but over and over the things
[4:14:29] that I voted no on are exactly this,
[4:14:32] public safety. And, um, although many of
[4:14:35] them occurred before my current
[4:14:37] colleagues are here on the dis, many of
[4:14:39] them were in the north valleys.
[4:14:40] Everything from Hogue Road to things out
[4:14:44] by Swan Lake to um, most recently voting
[4:14:48] no on the Stonegate uh, re changes. So,
[4:14:53] a lot of u my issues with Stonegate
[4:14:56] initially had to do with both flooding,
[4:14:57] drainage, and fire. And I felt like the
[4:15:00] applicant had addressed it, but they
[4:15:03] walked away from that application. But
[4:15:05] it doesn't matter what W it is. If I,
[4:15:08] you know, it's happened in W five. I
[4:15:10] gave some examples. It's happened on W
[4:15:12] two when W 2 went to South Reno. Um it's
[4:15:15] happened in W three on related to
[4:15:17] flooding in that case on um Talis
[4:15:20] Valley. Um it it when when I see what I
[4:15:23] think is risk that we can't handle. It's
[4:15:26] not that it can never be handled but
[4:15:28] it's difficult to handle at a particular
[4:15:30] point in time and maybe a future time
[4:15:32] when things are different and maybe it
[4:15:33] could be handled but um over and over I think it's really important that in
[4:15:40] you know these findings that we make can
[4:15:44] be changed. They're they're not in
[4:15:45] stone. It's not the only things we
[4:15:47] should ever be looking at. And we know
[4:15:49] this because we're also now looking at
[4:15:51] data centers, something that was never
[4:15:53] in front of us before. And we're looking
[4:15:55] at amending our ordinances. We amended
[4:15:57] them to deal with um the secondary ADUs.
[4:16:02] You know, we we have a capacity to
[4:16:04] change. And I think that's something
[4:16:06] that I'm really proud of our council for
[4:16:07] doing is stepping up to the plate and
[4:16:10] making changes where warranted. And so
[4:16:12] as I think it's really good that we just
[4:16:14] keep that mindset, that attitude of
[4:16:17] dealing with issues as they come and
[4:16:19] always seeking to de do better and keep
[4:16:21] our residents um safe the the best that
[4:16:25] we can provide. There's no perfection.
[4:16:26] We can we can do three exits and we're
[4:16:29] still going to have people's houses go
[4:16:30] up and even people lose their lives.
[4:16:33] there there's no guarantee in life, but
[4:16:36] we can make um decisions that avoid,
[4:16:40] you know, risky challenges that we know
[4:16:43] about. And so, um I just want to
[4:16:46] continue to encourage the council to,
[4:16:48] you know, take this seriously, adopt new
[4:16:51] ordinances if we need to um to meet new
[4:16:54] demands. And then that's it. And just
[4:16:56] keep up the keep charging forward and
[4:16:59] keep doing the good work really. Okay,
[4:17:01] so that's it.
[4:17:03] >> Thank you. With that, we'll get look for
[4:17:06] a motion to adjurnn.
[4:17:07] >> Sorry, really quick. I just wanted to
[4:17:09] note that council member Taylor is
[4:17:10] absent as of 4:09 p.m.
[4:17:12] >> Thank you for the update.
[4:17:14] >> Can we get a motion to adjurnn?
[4:17:16] >> Motion to adjurnn.
[4:17:18] >> Have a motion to second. All those in
[4:17:19] favor say I.
[4:17:20] >> I. Any opposed? Motion passes
[4:17:22] unanimously. Thank you all.