The Carson City Board of Supervisors will discuss several major items during Thursday’s meeting, including an ordinance to officially add a third municipal court judge to the city now that our population is set to expand past 60,000; the termination of a nonprofit’s lease to make way for courthouse renovations; and a new $161 million collective bargaining agreement for city employees.
Courthouse Renovations and Vitality Unlimited
The board will consider issuing a notice of lease termination to Vitality Unlimited, an addiction treatment nonprofit that currently occupies 6,998 square feet of a city-owned building at 900 East Long Street. Vitality has been operating on a month-to-month holdover tenancy since its previous lease expired in December 2020.
The termination is a necessary first step in a complex logistical shuffle tied to the Carson City Courthouse Renovation Project. To allow the construction of new judges’ chambers, the Department of Alternative Sentencing must vacate the courthouse and move into the current Health and Human Services (HHS) Annex. HHS staff must then relocate to the Long Street building, requiring Vitality to vacate the premises so the city can renovate the space.
The city proposes giving Vitality until Dec. 31, 2026, to leave. City Manager Glen Martel noted in his staff report that this provides ample time for the nonprofit to relocate, as Vitality has already submitted architectural plans for a new residential treatment facility expected to be completed in December 2026.
Expanding the Municipal Court
Driven by a growing community, the board will hold a second reading of an ordinance to establish a third department in the Carson City Municipal Court. After the governor approved Carson City’s population estimate at over 60,000 residents, state law triggered the creation of a third department in the Carson City Justice Court.
The proposed city ordinance establishes a parallel third department in the Municipal Court, ensuring the newly elected justice of the peace will also serve ex officio as a municipal judge. If approved, the ordinance and the new department will officially take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, with the new judge taking office on Jan. 4, 2027.
City Employee Contract
Supervisors will review a proposed five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Carson City Employees Association (CCEA) that would extend through June 30, 2031.
The new contract carries an estimated fiscal impact of $4.66 million above the city’s previously projected five-year budget, bringing the total projected personnel cost for the unit to over $161 million through 2031. Key negotiated changes include raising annual merit increases from 3% to 4%, doubling the annual tool allowance to $1,200, introducing a 10% responsibility pay premium for employees performing duties in a higher classification, and adding Juneteenth as an officially observed city holiday.
Department of Alternative Sentencing to discuss increased caseloads, tech use
The board will also receive an annual report from the Carson City Department of Alternative Sentencing (DAS), with Chief of Alternative Sentencing Marlina Stone scheduled to present an overview of the department’s operations, staffing, and offender monitoring.
The presentation highlights a large surge in the department’s drug testing volume. According to the report, DAS processed 18,078 specimens in 2025 — a nearly 170% increase compared to the 6,724 specimens tested just five years prior in 2020. The department’s lab operations are currently managed by one full-time senior laboratory technician and two collectors.
Caseloads have steadily climbed across the board. The number of defendants requiring pre-trial supervision grew to 1,183 in 2025, up from 1,125 in 2022, while pre-sentence supervision cases increased to 279. Furthermore, DAS sworn officers actively supervise 222 defendants on formal probation, alongside 514 informal probation cases and 196 court-monitored cases.
Social Services and Infrastructure
The board is also scheduled to discuss local social service priorities. Health and Human Services Director Jeanne Freeman will present the findings of a recent social services landscape assessment — the first of its kind for the city.
Surveys and focus groups identified housing, healthcare, behavioral health, food, and workforce development as critical community needs. The presentation highlights a “Missing Middle” in the local housing supply and calls for collaborative efforts to establish supportive housing with less restrictive income requirements.
The board will also set funding priorities for the Fiscal Year 2027 Community Support Services Grant (CSSG) program, which has approximately $293,425 available to fund local non-profits providing essential services.
Additionally, the board is slated to approve several major public works contracts, including a $678,876 award to Rapid Construction for the Southeast Sewer Conversion Phase 9B, $337,398 to Summit Line Construction for electrical upgrades at the Carson City Landfill, and $335,867 to Sierra Nevada Construction for asphalt replacement at city parks.
The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 2, at the Community Center’s Robert ‘Bob’ Crowell Board Room.
For these and other items, see the full agenda below:
