Carson City Supervisors to act on hemp moratorium, discuss budgets, grants and more

The next Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting will take place Thursday May 7 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center located at 851 E. William Street.

Notice to Public: The State of Nevada and Carson City are currently in a declared State of Emergency in response to the global pandemic caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) infectious disease outbreak. In accordance with the Governor’s Declaration of Emergency Directive 006, which has suspended the provisions of NRS 241.020 requiring the designation of a physical location for meetings of public bodies where members of the public are permitted to attend and participate, public meetings of Carson City will not have a physical location open to the public until such time this Directive is removed.

• Members of the public who wish only to view the meeting but do NOT plan to make public comment may watch the livestream of the Board of Supervisors meeting at www.carson.org/granicus and by clicking on “In progress” next to the meeting date, or by tuning in to cable channel 191.

• The public may provide public comment in advance of a meeting by written submission to the following email address: publiccomment@carson.org. For inclusion or reference in the minutes of the meeting, your public comment must include your full name and be submitted via email by not later than 3:00 p.m. the day before the meeting.

• Members of the public who wish to provide live public comment may do so during the designated public comment periods, indicated on the agenda, via telephonic appearance by dialing the numbers listed below. Please do NOT join by phone if you do not wish to make public comment.

Join by phone:
— Phone Number: +1-408-418-9388
— Meeting Number: 965 933 995

Among the agenda items:

— A discussion and possible action will be held to adopt on second reading, Bill No. 104 which is an ordinance declaring a moratorium for a period of up to 180 days with the ability to extend it by resolution for up to an additional 60 days, on the acceptance and processing of planning or other applications for the cultivation of hemp in Carson City.

According to the report, federal and Nevada laws allow the cultivation of hemp and manufacturing of certain products from hemp.

The city is currently being sued by Tahoe Hemp LLC., over its refusal to allow the company to grow a hemp crop on leased land on Buzzy’s Ranch in eastern Carson City.

You can learn more about that here.

— A discussion and possible action regarding the proposed submittal of a grant application to the staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) Grant Program to hire an additional nine firefighters.

The SAFER Grant provides funding for three years to hire additional firefighters providing 75 percent of entry level firefighter’s salaries and benefits fo rate first two years and 35 percent for the third year based on the total cost of the first year salary and benefits.

— The Carson City Cultural Commission will be submitting their annual report and work plan to the Board of Supervisors.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding a proposed cost share agreement between the counties that make up the Multi-Agency Coordinating (MAC) Group, comprised of Carson City and Douglas, Lyon and Storey Counties, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

This is to increase regional participation and to share costs associated with the emergency.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding the First Judicial District Court’s proposed budgets in the amount of $26,814 for 2021 and $27,340 for 2022 for reimbursement from the State Child Support Enforcement Program.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding a proposed donation from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the installation of an informational kiosk about the American Flat Mill at the Virginia and Truckee East Gate Depot in Carson City.

The BLM has offered to install the kiosk about the American Flat Mill on Carson City-owned property at the V&T East Gate Depot. The American Flat Mill was related to two spurs of the V&T Railroad and was associated with a 10,000 foot electrified tunnel. The kiosk would cover the history of the mill including its association with the V&T Railroad and the haulage tunnel.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding the proposed purchase of a medical transit vehicle for the Fire Department, utilizing the State of Nevada’s Vehicle competitive bid with RO Bus Sales for a total not to exceed $60,278.25.

The vehicle being replaced has surpassed its useful life by mileage and time and it is not cost-effective to continue to maintain the vehicle, according to the report. This requested purchase was planned for and is funded as part of the approved 2020 Capital Improvement Vehicle Replacement Program.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding Amendment No. 2 to the contract previously entered into as a joinder contract for the purchase of four additional Body Worn Camera Systems and four licenses through Axon Enterprise, Inc. for an additional amount of $12,395.72 over the four years remaining of the original five-year contract to be funded from the 911 Surcharge Fund.

— There are two special presentations to be held during the meeting. The first is a presentation of a proclamation to recognize May 2020 as Nevada Wildfire Awareness Month.

The second presentation is a proclamation to recognize the month of May as Historic Preservation and Archaeological Awareness Month.

— A discussion and possible action regarding a final appropriation for the Community Support Services Grant (CSSG) funding for 2021 will be held.

The CDBG funding granted to Carson City for 2021 is $492,582 and no additional funding is expected. A maximum of 15 percent is allowed for public services; staff is planning on $71,873 of the allocation going towards public service programs. A minimum of 65 percent must be spent for public facilities and improvements; staff is planning on $340,868 (69 percent) of the allocation going toward public facilities and improvements.

— A discussion and possible action regarding the adoption of a proposed resolution authorizing expenditures of $377,400 in total funds for community support services grants to non-profit organizations and the Quality of Life Initiative for 2021 will beheld.

Statutes require that any funds granted by the Board of Supervisors to private, non-profit organizations be made my resolution. The Board of Supervisors initially authorized funding on April 16 with the city’s annual budget. Staff is recommending funding of $114,500 for non-competitive programs: $90,250 to be warded for adult programs, $52,650 to be awarded for youth programs, and $120,000 to be awarded to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada in accordance with the Quality of Life initiative.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding the authorization of proposed lease amendments at the Carson City Airport pertaining to square footage of lease holdings.

The Carson City Airport Authority and Sierra Mountain Airpark North, LLC (Sierra Mountain) are proposing to reduce the existing Sierra Mountain leasehold at the Carson City Airport of 580 square feet and thereby also reducing the corresponding rent by $72.50 per year.

Sierra Mountain has agreed to reduce its existing leasehold by 580 sf so that the Airport Authority and Trimotor, LLC. may be able to enter into a separate lease amendment for Trimotor to take over the 580 sf. Their new leasehold would total 53,372 sf.

The Airport Authority and Mountainview Community Association is also asking for their leasehold to be amended, reducing the area held from 96,000 sf to 32,000 sf.

— There will also be discussion and possible action held regarding the proposed acceptance of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant awarded to the Carson City Airport under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The amount is for $69,000.

— A Public Hearing will be held regarding the intention of the Board of Supervisor’s to act upon a proposed resolution authorization the issuance of the Carson City, Nevada Lease Revenue Refunding Bonds (Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Project) in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $8,600,000 to finance the costs of acquiring, constructing, and equipping an office building for the benefit of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency through the prepayment of certain outstanding obligation previously issued but he State of Nevada Department of Business and Industry for the benefit of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and paying related costs.

According to the agenda, the city would like to aid a neighboring agency in the issuance of conduit debt, which would allow them access to a better interest rate. The city will have no obligation to repay any of the bonds, even n the event of default, and is similar to the conduit debt issued for the hospital in 2017.

For these and other agenda items, you can read the full agenda here.