Carson City supervisors to discuss adding shade structures downtown, motel taxes and more

The next Carson City Board of Supervisors meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 17 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center, located at 851 E. William Street.

Items for discussion include new shade structures in the downtown area, grant funding for fuel reduction, surplus city funding, and more.

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 p.m. the day before the meeting.

For more information on public comment you can read the first page of the agenda here.

In board action supervisors will:

— Hold a discussion and take possible action regarding alternative shade structures at the Brewery Arts Center, the 3rd Street Parking Lot, and McFadden Plaza.

According to the agenda, city staff was directed by the Redevelopment Authority to work with a design consultant to develop shade structure concepts and preliminary cost estimates for shade structures in the downtown area at Brewery Arts Center, 3rd Street Parking Lot, and McFadden Plaza. The Board of Supervisors may provide direction to staff regarding which alternatives to pursue and bring back to the Redevelopment Authority and Board of Supervisors for funding authorization.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding long-term stay motels, and possible amendments to the Transient Lodging Tax provisions of the Carson City Municipal Code.

— A discussion and possible action regarding allocation of up to $283,213 of Community Development Block Grant funding will be held, relating to COVID-19.

According to the agenda, four public service project applications were submitted for a total request of $208,682. Staff is requesting that $28,322 be allocated for administration of the grant, and $208,682 be allocated to the four applications that were received for public services projects for COVID-19: $79,826 to the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada, $20,080 to St. Vincent de Paul Society, $57,191 to the Nevada Health Centers, and $51,585 to Spirit of Hope. The remaining $46,209 will not be allocated in this grant cycle but will be advertised alongside the regular CDBG funding in fall of 2020.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding the Carson City Treasurer’s proposed policy for the investment of surplus money.

According to the agenda, Art. 3, sec. 3.045 of the Carson City Charter requires the Treasurer to establish and maintain a policy for the investment of the surplus money of Carson City and also requires the Board of Supervisors to review that policy at least once each year during a public hearing at which public comment is accepted. The policy has not changed since it was approved by the Board of Supervisors in October 2019. This item will include a presentation by Rick Phillips, President & Chief Investment Officer of FHN Financial Main Street Advisors, LLC concerning the performance of the City’s portfolio over the last year.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding a grant awarded to the Carson City courts in the amount of $56,532 from the Office of Criminal Justice Assistance Grant program, which will be used with purchasing technology equipment, online subscriptions for interviews, funding for deep cleaning the Detention Facility and Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) to assist with combating COVID-19.

— A discussion and possible action will be held regarding authorization for the Carson City Fire Department to apply for a $1.8 million grant through the Nevada Division of Forestry from money appropriated by Senate Bill 508 to fund hazardous fuel reduction projects in the Carson City woodland urban interface areas.

According to the agenda, money appropriated by SB 508, which was enacted during the 80th (2019) Regular Session of the Nevada Legislature, provides grant funding for hazardous fuel reduction efforts in the wildland urban interface areas in and adjacent to power line utility rights-of-way. By reducing the fuels in these strategic locations, the potential impact of a wildfire will be greatly reduced. The grant application will seek $1,802,033 in funding for equipment, vehicles and personnel costs. The grant provides 100 percent funding; therefore, there is no match requirement.

— Additionally, a discussion and possible action will be held regarding two more proposed grant applications totaling $2.09 million to the Nevada Division of Emergency Management for the design and construction of detention basins in the Goni Watershed.

According to the agenda, the Public Works Department is seeking approval from the Board of Supervisors to submit two grant applications to the Nevada Division of Emergency Management (NDEM) for detention basins in the Goni Watershed approved under the North Carson Area Drainage Plan. The first grant application in the amount of $1,925,000 is for the design and construction of the Maxwell Basin. The second application in the amount of $165,000 is for the preliminary design, environmental clearance and cost benefit analysis for the Sutro Terrace Storm Drain & Basins. The City's grant policy requires any grant application over $50,000 be approved by the Board of Supervisors prior to submittal by City staff.

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