OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Washoe County Board of County Commissioners Meeting - February 17, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 57:20

Transcript — Verbatim
0:05

Good morning.

0:06

I'd like to call the meeting for the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners to order at 1001 on February 17th, 2026.

0:17

And I'd like to, if I could start with asking Mr.

0:22

Brooks again, salute to the flag.

0:34

And to the republic for which it stands.

0:44

Thank you.

0:45

We'll move now to roll call.

0:47

Chair Andreola.

0:49

Present.

0:50

Vice Chair Garcia.

0:52

Commissioner Garcia.

0:55

I mean Commissioner Hill.

0:56

Here.

0:57

Commissioner Clark.

0:59

Present.

1:00

And Commissioner Herman via phone.

1:03

Here.

1:04

County Manager Kate Thomas.

1:07

Chief Deputy DA Mike Clarge.

1:09

Present.

1:10

And I'm Jan Gallisini or County Clerk, Madam, you have a quorum.

1:13

Thank you.

1:14

We are going to share that the invocation due to weather will be rescheduled.

1:21

So we'll move now to item four.

1:24

Chief Edwards.

1:34

Actually, it's 4A1 to be technical.

1:37

Perfect.

1:39

Good morning, Madam Chair, Madam Vice Chair, Manager Thomas and Commissioners.

1:45

Richard Edwards, Fire Chief, Chucky Meadows Fire and Rescue.

1:49

Here to share some important fire safety updates.

1:54

In the last month or so, since we've been providing this information and out in the community talking about wildfire preparedness, we've been getting a lot of questions about home hardening and so forth.

2:03

So I want to just provide a quick overview, if I can, use the overhead.

2:08

And talk a little bit about fire safety and wildfire preparedness real quick.

2:14

You would never know it with today's weather.

2:17

But now is the time to do our preparations because before we know it, fire season's going to be right around the corner.

2:24

And so we should take the advantages that we have now to take care of these things.

2:29

And what we talk about is uh home hardening, and there's different zones around our homes that we should be looking at.

2:36

Um at home, really is our vegetation management.

2:39

We're trying to look atwards.

2:40

I don't mean to interrupt, but did you have an overhead?

2:43

I I do if we can get the overhead.

2:46

Thought maybe we could check behind you.

2:49

There we go.

2:51

Voila.

2:51

All right.

2:52

Just like sorry to interrupt.

2:53

Thank you.

2:54

Um, so at home, really, vegetation management's the key.

2:58

We want to limit those flammable um vegetation in three different zones.

3:03

Uh the immediate zone is that zero to five foot zone, uh, closest to our home where it's the most vulnerable and should be rigorously maintained for fire resistance.

3:12

This is what we worry about during large wildfires where we get the ember casts that come through the neighborhoods where those embers are going to land up against the home.

3:19

And if there's something combustible there or flammable, that's what's going to catch your home on fire.

3:24

So ideally, we should have nothing combustible uh within that zero to five foot uh area.

3:29

So try to use rock instead of mulch, um, remove any plants, prune back those overhanging bushes and shrubs.

3:36

Um, we really don't want to see any fuels within about 10 feet of your chimney.

3:40

Um, and then no storage under decks.

3:42

Um, that's another big one and firewood piles.

3:45

Uh, we use a lot of firewood here in Washoe County, trying to make sure our residents don't store the firewood on their deck.

3:51

And I get it, there's a convenience factor to that, but it's also a great way to catch those embers and burn down your home.

3:57

Um, that the next zone is that immediate zone.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Health Awareness████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement██████████████████18%
Procedural███████████████15%
Fire Safety██████████10%
Library Operations██████6%
Election Integrity██████6%
Budget Equity Analysis█████5%
Elderly Issues███3%
Voter Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Washoe County Board of County Commissioners Meeting - February 17, 2026

The Washoe County Board of County Commissioners met on February 17, 2026, at 10:01 AM in Reno, Nevada, with Chair Clara Andriola presiding. The meeting was adjourned at 10:58 AM. Key agenda items included updates from Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue, a presentation from Northern Nevada Public Health, acceptance of donations, consent items, and a grant award for child welfare services. Public comments addressed library trustees, elderly discrimination, nonprofit capacity building, vendor licensing, and election concerns.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Alana Fitzgerald (District 1 constituent) thanked the county for supporting the Library Board of Trustees during a period without a director and urged the commission to consider appointing a commissioner liaison to the library system. She also emphasized the importance of careful appointment or reappointment of two trustees whose terms expire in June and the need for robust training for new trustees.
  • Terry Brooks spoke about discrimination against the elderly, highlighting the cascading effects of unemployment, isolation, and declining health. He called for greater community support for seniors.
  • Marisella Gutierrez Rodriguez (Community Foundation of Northern Nevada) expressed appreciation for the proposed ARPA allocation (Item 9E1) to support nonprofit capacity building, describing the initiative as a three-year pilot that will provide organizational assessments, technical assistance, coaching, and leadership development for 20–25 Washoe County nonprofits.
  • Veronica Cortez (Sun Valley resident and candidate for Nevada Assembly District 27) raised concerns about unlicensed street vendors, noting she had offered to help vendors obtain licenses but faced backlash and accusations of racism from some in the Hispanic community.
  • Eileen Eklund voiced concerns about the 2026 elections, including voter suppression, intimidation, the threat of federal takeover of election administration, and the DOJ demand for Nevada's unredacted voter registration list. She asked the commission to stand strong in defense of local election processes.
  • Joanna Katz (Aha Projects) spoke during the consent item (9E2) about the nonprofit resource center her organization is developing, a 16,000-square-foot building off Moana with event space, offices, co-working space, and conference rooms. She noted the ARPA award would fund a WiFi mesh network, fiber internet, and soundproof meeting pods, with opening expected around June 2026.

Informational Update – Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue (Item 4A1)

Chief Richard J. Edwards presented on home hardening and wildfire preparedness, describing three defensible space zones (0–5 ft, 5–30 ft, and 30–100 ft) and emphasizing vegetation management. He announced a community forum on February 24, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the commission chambers featuring Nevada Insurance Commissioner Ned Gaines to discuss new homeowners’ insurance laws related to wildfire. Additionally, he reported on the Regional Fire Service Study Board (SB319): the board selected Emergent Global Solutions to conduct a regional fire and EMS feasibility study; the final report is due November 2026. Vice-Chair Garcia clarified that the board will only acknowledge receipt of the report, not approve options.

Presentation – Northern Nevada Public Health (Item 7B1)

Dr. Chad Kingsley, District Health Officer, presented the accountability and impact of an active, well-resourced public health district. Key highlights:

  • A Community Health Assessment (CHA) was completed with 15 focus groups and 600+ survey responses, identifying eight priority findings: mental health, access to health services, economic stability, health risk behaviors, violence prevention, environmental sustainability, substance abuse, and maternal child health. Economic stability appeared for the first time.
  • Air quality efforts helped secure a $2.15 million grant for hybrid buses.
  • Pertussis cases rose from 8 in 2024 to 40 in 2025, with two high school exposure events involving over 200 students. Surveillance capacity is approaching limits due to workforce constraints.
  • A new tuberculosis clinic (funded by ARPA) is on track to open April 1, 2026, with 100% on-time construction.
  • Environmental Health completed over 400 inspections at major events and maintained 92–98% on-time commercial plan reviews (14-day goal). A new pilot of announced inspections is underway.
  • EMS franchise agreement with REMSA was secured.
  • Dr. Kingsley reported ongoing concerns about uninsured Nevadans and potential impacts on emergency departments and the health district's walk-in clinic (46% of clients are uninsured). He discussed collaboration with other health districts and state partners, including watching federal grant volatility (e.g., WIC, EPA, public health infrastructure grants that were briefly canceled and restored).
  • Commissioner Clark noted crowded staff workspace and was assured that space will improve with the TB clinic opening and potential use of a building under construction. Dr. Kingsley agreed to report back when moves occur.

Donations (Item 8A1)

The board unanimously approved acceptance of monetary donations totaling $3,690.29, dog/cat food and treats from SPCA valued at $1,355.75, various goods valued at $2,663.82, and 300 feline and 300 canine vaccine doses from Petco Love valued at $2,457.00 for Washoe County Regional Animal Services, retroactive for July 1–September 30, 2025.

Consent Items (Items 9A1–9E1)

The board approved the consent items as a block except for a brief discussion of Item 9C1 (Interim Financial Report). The report showed a $31 million fund balance increase as of December 31, 2025, but Comptroller Cathy Hill clarified it is an unaudited snapshot and likely to change. Commissioner Clark expressed skepticism about unaudited reports. The consent block included:

  • 9A1: Tax roll change requests (net decrease to all taxing entities $243,425.15).
  • 9B1: Rejection of all bids for Galena Creek Schoolhouse Restoration Phase 2 due to insufficient funding.
  • 9B2: Approval of a state liquor license for Comstock Distillers LLC in Spanish Springs.
  • 9C1: Acknowledgement of the Interim Financial Report (unaudited).
  • 9D1: Acceptance of two Older Americans Act subgrants for congregate meals ($186,291.20 with $27,944 county match) and home-delivered meals ($816,590.53 with $122,489 county match).
  • 9E1: Approval of ARPA/SLFRF awards – $100,000 to Community Foundation of Northern Nevada and $55,000 to Aha Projects for nonprofit capacity building and a shared resource center. The consent items passed unanimously.

Individual Action Item (Item 10)

The board unanimously approved acceptance of a $607,022 Adoption Savings subgrant from the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services (no county match) retroactive for July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, to support adoptions from the Washoe County Child Welfare System.

Key Outcomes

  • Donations (Item 8A1): Approved unanimously.
  • Consent Items (9A1–9E1): Approved unanimously; no items pulled for separate vote.
  • Adoption Savings Subgrant (Item 10): Approved unanimously.
  • Closed Session (Item 11): Pulled from agenda due to inclement weather.
  • Agenda Changes: Item 7A1 (Nevadaworks presentation) was rescheduled; Item 11 was removed.
  • Next Steps: Dr. Kingsley will report back on staff workspace improvements by July 2026. A presentation from the Registrar of Voters is scheduled for March 17, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. I'd like to call the meeting for the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners to order at 1001 on February 17th, 2026. And I'd like to, if I could start with asking Mr. Brooks again, salute to the flag. And to the republic for which it stands. Thank you. We'll move now to roll call. Chair Andreola. Present. Vice Chair Garcia. Commissioner Garcia. I mean Commissioner Hill. Here. Commissioner Clark. Present. And Commissioner Herman via phone. Here. County Manager Kate Thomas. Chief Deputy DA Mike Clarge. Present. And I'm Jan Gallisini or County Clerk, Madam, you have a quorum. Thank you. We are going to share that the invocation due to weather will be rescheduled. So we'll move now to item four. Chief Edwards. Actually, it's 4A1 to be technical. Perfect. Good morning, Madam Chair, Madam Vice Chair, Manager Thomas and Commissioners. Richard Edwards, Fire Chief, Chucky Meadows Fire and Rescue. Here to share some important fire safety updates. In the last month or so, since we've been providing this information and out in the community talking about wildfire preparedness, we've been getting a lot of questions about home hardening and so forth. So I want to just provide a quick overview, if I can, use the overhead. And talk a little bit about fire safety and wildfire preparedness real quick. You would never know it with today's weather. But now is the time to do our preparations because before we know it, fire season's going to be right around the corner. And so we should take the advantages that we have now to take care of these things. And what we talk about is uh home hardening, and there's different zones around our homes that we should be looking at. Um at home, really is our vegetation management. We're trying to look atwards. I don't mean to interrupt, but did you have an overhead? I I do if we can get the overhead. Thought maybe we could check behind you. There we go. Voila. All right. Just like sorry to interrupt. Thank you. Um, so at home, really, vegetation management's the key. We want to limit those flammable um vegetation in three different zones. Uh the immediate zone is that zero to five foot zone, uh, closest to our home where it's the most vulnerable and should be rigorously maintained for fire resistance.

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