On Thursday, the Carson City Board of Supervisors will discuss an 81-acre open space purchase in Ash Canyon, expanding the local courts, and a new request to charge the public for providing public records.
The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Feb. 19, 2026, in the Robert ‘Bob’ Crowell Board Room at the Carson City Community Center.
Ash Canyon Acquisition
Supervisors will vote on submitting a grant application to “Conserve Nevada” for $1.63 million to purchase approximately 81.55 acres of private land in Ash Canyon. If awarded, the city would provide a 10 percent match of roughly $163,100 from the Quality of Life Open Space fund.
According to city staff reports, the purchase is a high priority because it includes a section of Ash Creek, a drinking water source for the community, and emergent freshwater wetlands. The acquisition would also resolve legal issues regarding a popular “user-built” hiking path known as the “Creek Trail,” potentially allowing the city to sanction and maintain it as part of the Unified Pathways Master Plan.
New Fees Requested for Public Records
Both the Sheriff’s Office and the Clerk-Recorder are requesting approval to implement new fee schedules that would charge the public fees to cover the hourly overhead costs of their employees to research and/or redact public records.
The Sheriff’s Office said that redacting frame-by-frame video to protect privacy has become a significant administrative burden when asked for videos by the public. While they say “run-of-the-mill” requests will largely remain free consistent with state legislative intent, each agency’s proposal includes specific charges for “complex requests requiring extensive research”:
- $23 per hour for administrative research (based on minimum staff salary).
- $40 per hour for attorney review time.
The departments are seeking similar authorization to recoup “direct costs” for onerous requests, noting that current personnel hours are being diverted from their typical duties to fulfill records requests. The Sheriff’s Office also requested additional hourly fee costs to view footage, sourced from the equivalent hourly salary of the deputy required to provide the footage in person for members of the public to watch.
Editor’s note: It should be noted that state law prohibits implementing fees for public records with the exception of what it costs to print them — paper, toner, ink, flash drives, CDs etc. We reached out to the city for clarification and will follow up in a separate report.
Population Growth Triggers Third Judge
For the first time, Carson City has officially surpassed a population threshold that mandates an expansion of its judiciary.
Staff reports indicate that Governor Joe Lombardo approved population estimates placing Carson City over 60,000 residents as of July 2025. Under Nevada law, this milestone automatically triggers the creation of a third department in the Justice Court.
On Thursday, City Manager Glen Martel will introduce an ordinance to create a corresponding third department in the Municipal Court, allowing the new Justice of the Peace to serve in both capacities. The new judge would not take office until Jan. 4, 2027.
V&T Fund to pivot towards Local Road Maintenance
The Board is also expected to finalize a shift in tax revenue from historical tourism to local pavement. Supervisors will hold a second reading of an ordinance renaming the “V&T Special Infrastructure Fund” to the “Street and Highway Infrastructure Fund”.
The original sales tax of 0.125 percent was enacted to pay for the reconstruction of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. According to the city finance department, that bond was paid in full as of Dec. 1, 2025. The tax revenue will now be permanently redirected toward local road projects.
In other business:
- Sewer Facility: Vote on awarding a $2.38 million contract to Reyman Brothers Construction for a new metal warehouse building at the Water Resource Recovery Facility to house sewer operations staff.
- Water Supply: Receive a presentation on the 30-Year Regional Water Report, a study examining the long-term reliability of the Carson River watershed amidst climate variability.
- Recognitions: Present the Medal for Bravery to firefighter/paramedics Erik Hopper and Houston Berntson.
The public may view the meeting via livestream at www.carsoncity.gov/granicus.
See the full agenda below:
