OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Washoe County Board of Commissioners Meeting - May 12, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodyWashoe County, Nevada
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:47:03

Transcript — Verbatim
0:11

Good morning.

0:13

I'd like to call the meeting of the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners to order on May 12th, 2026 at 10.02, please.

0:24

Welcome everyone.

0:27

Mr.

0:27

Brooks, would you be so kind with a salute to the flag?

0:46

Indivisible with liberty and justice properly.

0:51

Thank you.

0:52

We'll move to roll call, please.

0:55

Chair Andreola, present.

0:57

Vice Chair Garcia.

0:59

Commissioner Hill.

1:00

Yeah.

1:01

Commissioner Clark.

1:02

Commissioner Herman here.

1:04

County Manager Kate Thomas.

1:06

Here.

1:06

Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Larch.

1:09

Present.

1:09

And Amy Von Strickland, Deputy Clerk.

1:11

Madam Chair, you have a quorum.

1:13

Thank you.

1:13

We'll move now to public comment.

1:16

Manager Thomas.

1:18

Thank you, Madam Chair.

1:19

This is public comment and comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person, and it may pertain to matters both on and off the commission agenda.

1:26

Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers, and the commission will also hear public comment during individual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person.

1:35

Comments are to be made to the commission as a whole, and virtual public comment may be taken when facilities are available.

1:42

First up is Tammy Holtz still.

1:58

Tammy Holt still for the record.

2:06

This primary ballot.

2:08

I am live, I live in unincorporated Washoe County, as you know.

2:14

And my ballot as a sample ballot is showing the city of Reno and the City of Sparks, on top of what I should be voting for.

2:36

Now you talk about trying to confuse people.

2:50

As a candidate, one of the things, if I do not make it in that seat, I am going to be working on because I understand now that the voter registrar both for Washoe County and Clark County has been changed from being something that is voted on, so there's an oath of office to do the right thing and make it come out correctly.

3:15

It needs to go back to that.

3:17

Every other county votes for their voter registrar.

3:32

And that's not what's happening here.

3:35

Also, the fact that in the umfices that are nonpartisan.

3:45

It used to be as you see, like these right here.

3:56

And it's not that difficult, but yet it was dropped.

4:01

Elections, everybody has said there's been an issue with Washoe County elections.

4:06

I can see why there's so many issues.

4:10

Just with this piece of paper, I got.

5:00

If they fall in one because they are blind, then they really have a fear of being left behind.

5:05

But just like other people who have lost one of their senses, the blind have learned to make good use of the rest of their senses.

5:13

Even though they're blind and they don't have vision, they can use their sense of touch with accurate precision.

5:20

They can use their fingers to read things written in Braille, and they learn to do so with extraordinary detail.

5:28

They have learned to use their really good sense of touch because they can't see, they depend on it so much.

5:35

When they hear someone's voice but can't see them with their eyes because they're depending on their ears who they hear, they recognize.

6:28

Thank you.

6:29

Heidi Soperation.

6:42

Good morning.

6:43

Um, my name is Heidi Soper.

6:46

I'm chairman of the Sun Valley Citizens Advisory Board, but I'm here today as a 38-year citizen of Sun Valley and would like to discuss item 13.

6:57

As you are all aware, we have a terrible problem in Sun Valley with unauthorized occupants and illegal dumping on vacant lots that have either absent, uninterested owners or deceased owners.

7:13

Warshow County Code Enforcement has issued a complaint on the conditions of such lots on Fifth Street, Quartz Lane, and Gerds Drive.

7:24

These lots are in such terrible condition, they look like a war zone.

7:29

They are a public and a health nuisance as well as a major fire hazard.

7:35

Incidentally, Sunday on Courts Drive, there was a fire.

7:39

And I don't know if it was on one of these lots or not.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████████38%
Election Integrity███████████████15%
Public Safety████████8%
Affordable Housing████████8%
Public Engagement██████6%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Library Operations███3%
Public Health███3%
Zoning Code Review███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Washoe County Board of Commissioners Meeting - May 12, 2026

The Washoe County Board of Commissioners met on May 12, 2026, at 10:02 AM, recessed at 11:51 AM, and reconvened at 1:00 PM, adjourning at 1:48 PM. The meeting included proclamations, public comments, consent items, presentations, and first/second readings of ordinances. Key topics included election transparency, housing incentives, stormwater fee reduction, and property nuisance abatement.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 8.A.1 through 8.I.1 were approved unanimously. Notable items include:
    • 8.A.1: Acknowledgment of Interim Financial Report for nine months ended March 31, 2026, showing a $63 million year-to-date and $17 million year-over-year fund balance increase.
    • 8.B.1: Authorization to initiate forcible detainer action to remove unauthorized occupants from county-owned property at 520 Carnes Drive, Sun Valley. The District Attorney's office expected to serve notices by May 13-14, with a five-day deadline for occupants to respond, and eviction anticipated by end of June 2026.
    • 8.C.1 through 8.C.6: Acknowledgment of petty cash/change fund audits for Animal Services, Community Services (Building Services), Juvenile Services, Recorder's Office, Registrar of Voters, and Treasurer's Office.
    • 8.C.7: Certification of $118,645.53 in special assessments for groundwater basins for FY 2026/2027.
    • 8.D.1: Acceptance of a $37,309.80 Homemaker subgrant from ADSD (with $5,597 county match).
    • 8.F.1 and 8.F.2: Budget amendments for Hospital Acquired Infections grants (Sharp 1: $49,421; Sharp 2: $47,923; no county match).
    • 8.G.1: Approval for Animal Services volunteers to drive county vehicles.
    • 8.H.1 and 8.H.2: Approval of conference/ training costs for Reno Justice Court contracted personnel ($2,100 and $1,830, respectively).
    • 8.I.1: Appointment of Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Richard Edwards to the 911 Emergency Response Advisory Committee (term expiring June 30, 2027).
  • Items 11, 12, and 13 were voted on in a block (approved unanimously):
    • 11: Resolution #R26-0000029 to augment the FY26 Library Expansion Fund budget by $457,956.43 for materials purchases. County Manager clarified this is an accounting function, not new funding.
    • 12: Award of contract (RFP 3287-25) to The Reno Initiative for Shelter and Equality (RISE) for Safe Camp and Resource Center Operations, with a two-year term (June 16, 2026 - June 30, 2028) and up to three one-year renewals. Total not to exceed $38,750 (June 2026), $2,010,417 (FY27), and $2,080,782 (FY28).
    • 13: Acknowledgment of code enforcement complaints and setting a public hearing for June 16, 2026, regarding public nuisances on multiple parcels in Sun Valley.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Tammy Holtzstill and Cliff Nellis criticized sample ballots for including Reno/Sparks races for unincorporated residents, and called for hand-counting paper ballots and an elected registrar.
  • Heidi Soper (Sun Valley resident, 38-year citizen) urged support for item 13 (nuisance parcels), noting fire hazards and illegal dumping, and thanked the county for action on 520 Carnes Drive.
  • Steve Letty (Field Creek HOA) thanked the board for completing the Arrow Creek soundwall repair after 20 years, and praised Commissioner Clark, Dwayne Smith, and Candy Ramos.
  • Cynthia Cooper, Maureen McElroy, Laura Wetherington, Ithni Marie Barton, and Marie Rodriguez spoke in favor of item 11 (library augmentation), emphasizing the library's value and the need to meet the 10% materials budget standard (currently 4.51%).
  • Oscar Williams and Penny Brock alleged election law violations by Registrar Andrew McDonald, including inaccurate sample ballots and improper ballot scanning processes, and demanded transparency.
  • Dora Martinez praised the county for making voting accessible for disabled individuals, including the use of the NVES system and tactile ballots.
  • Penny Brock also objected to the block vote on items 11-13, criticized the Safe Camp contract (RISE), questioned the lack of public presentation, and asked about Grant Denton's role. She also opposed the data transparency project as "just another layer" and demanded paper ballots and hand-counting.

Discussion Items

  • Item 6.A.1: Jail Status Report (Q3 FY26) – Captain John Stewart presented statistics: average daily population decreased to 1,217 inmates; average length of stay dropped to 15.91 days; bookings increased (1,327, 1,192, 1,287 in the three months); inmate-on-staff assaults and fights up slightly; 21 suicides prevented; IAP program saved 5,355 jail days (approx. $867,000). Commissioner Garcia requested data on ICE detainee costs, which was not yet provided.
  • Item 9: First Reading – Small Unit Density Incentive (Bill 1948) – Staff presented a 25% density bonus for dwelling units under 1,200 sq. ft. in suburban/urban/commercial zones (excluding Tahoe Basin). Analysis showed reduced traffic and building bulk impacts. Planning Commission recommended approval. Public comment: Pat Davison (District 5 resident) supported the incentive, noting it addresses the mismatch of smaller households needing smaller homes. The board set a public hearing for June 16, 2026.
  • Item 10: First Reading – Regional Road Impact Fee (RRIF) Amendments (Bill 1949) – Dwayne Smith (Engineering Director) explained the 8th Edition RRIF General Administrative Manual and Capital Improvement Plan updates, reflecting an average 2.3% fee decrease. The board set a public hearing for May 26, 2026.
  • Item 14: Presentation – Data Transparency Project (Project Plain Sight) – Registrar Andrew McDonald, with Ira Victor (Discovery Technician), Justin Warren (ROV), and Josh Franklin (Center for Internet Security) introduced a public-facing tool allowing voters to download and verify voter registration data using SHA-256 hashing. The project is a pilot with no cost to the county. Commissioner Garcia and Chair Andriola expressed support; public comment from Penny Brock criticized the project as unnecessary.
  • Item 15: First Reading – Stormwater Fee Reduction (Bill 1950) – Ordinance to decrease stormwater management fees from $9.31 to $2.00 per residential ERU effective July 1, 2026, and to direct staff to design the North Spanish Springs Floodplain Detention Facility Phase 2. Public hearing set for May 26, 2026.
  • Item 16: First Reading – Groundwater Remediation District Bound ary and Fee (Bills 1951 and 1952) – Two ordinances: one amending District No. 24 boundaries, another imposing a fee for remediation of PCE contamination. Second readings set for June 16, 2026.
  • Item 17: Second Reading and Adoption – Residential Uses in Commercial Zones (Ordinance 1755) – Dr. Young presented the final ordinance to comply with AB 241, allowing multifamily residential by right in commercial zones, with minimum commercial percentages, 35-foot height limit, and municipal water/wastewater requirement. Vice Chair Garcia expressed concern about potential loss of essential services. The ordinance was adopted unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Votes: All proclamations, donations, consent items, and block items (11-13) were approved unanimously.
  • First readings of Bills 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1952 were introduced and public hearings scheduled for May 26 or June 16, 2026.
  • Ordinance 1755 was adopted unanimously, completing the county's AB 241 compliance.
  • Public nuisance hearing set for June 16, 2026, for Sun Valley properties (APNs as listed in item 13).
  • Forcible detainer on 520 Carnes Drive: notices to be served by May 13-14; occupants have 5 days to respond; eviction expected by end of June.
  • Data Transparency Project launched as a pilot; no fiscal impact.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. I'd like to call the meeting of the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners to order on May 12th, 2026 at 10.02, please. Welcome everyone. Mr. Brooks, would you be so kind with a salute to the flag? Indivisible with liberty and justice properly. Thank you. We'll move to roll call, please. Chair Andreola, present. Vice Chair Garcia. Commissioner Hill. Yeah. Commissioner Clark. Commissioner Herman here. County Manager Kate Thomas. Here. Chief Deputy District Attorney Mike Larch. Present. And Amy Von Strickland, Deputy Clerk. Madam Chair, you have a quorum. Thank you. We'll move now to public comment. Manager Thomas. Thank you, Madam Chair. This is public comment and comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person, and it may pertain to matters both on and off the commission agenda. Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers, and the commission will also hear public comment during individual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are to be made to the commission as a whole, and virtual public comment may be taken when facilities are available. First up is Tammy Holtz still. Tammy Holt still for the record. This primary ballot. I am live, I live in unincorporated Washoe County, as you know. And my ballot as a sample ballot is showing the city of Reno and the City of Sparks, on top of what I should be voting for. Now you talk about trying to confuse people. As a candidate, one of the things, if I do not make it in that seat, I am going to be working on because I understand now that the voter registrar both for Washoe County and Clark County has been changed from being something that is voted on, so there's an oath of office to do the right thing and make it come out correctly. It needs to go back to that. Every other county votes for their voter registrar. And that's not what's happening here. Also, the fact that in the umfices that are nonpartisan. It used to be as you see, like these right here. And it's not that difficult, but yet it was dropped. Elections, everybody has said there's been an issue with Washoe County elections. I can see why there's so many issues. Just with this piece of paper, I got. If they fall in one because they are blind, then they really have a fear of being left behind. But just like other people who have lost one of their senses, the blind have learned to make good use of the rest of their senses. Even though they're blind and they don't have vision, they can use their sense of touch with accurate precision. They can use their fingers to read things written in Braille, and they learn to do so with extraordinary detail. They have learned to use their really good sense of touch because they can't see, they depend on it so much. When they hear someone's voice but can't see them with their eyes because they're depending on their ears who they hear, they recognize. Thank you.

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