CITY OF RENO NEWS RELEASE
Today the Reno City Council held its regularly scheduled meeting. Below are some highlights from the meeting.
• Dispatch Transition Services and Fire Deconsolidation items: Agenda Items J.12 and H.5
The city council approved an interlocal agreement to provide dispatch transition services from the Reno Emergency Communications 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (Reno ECOMM) to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office for service to the Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District.
Some transition services from Reno ECOMM to the Sheriff for TMFPD include:
– Continuing to answer incoming emergency lines until January 2013.
– Answering non-emergency lines until January 2013 and beginning transfer of these lines in stages in order to allow for sufficient time for the sheriff to complete the training of their employees.
– Maintaining all fire radio configurations until January 2013, which allows the capability to assist in a critical incident and maintain continuity of services to both TMFPD and Reno citizens.
The agreement will assist in ensuring a smooth transition for dispatch from Reno ECOMM to the Sheriff for TMFPD and, more importantly, the citizens of Washoe County. It will reduce disruption of fire services to the agencies and our citizens.
To additionally help with a smooth transition when fire deconsolidation occurs, the council approved an amendment to the Interlocal Agreement for Fire Service and Consolidation to extend the time by which the agreement terminates from June 30, 2012, at midnight to July 1, 2012, at 8 a.m. Since 24-hour operational shifts are from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. daily, this termination time would have occurred at midnight in the middle of a work shift. Both the Reno fire chief and the new Truckee Meadows Protection District fire chief agree on this time in order to provide for a reasonable and effective transfer of operations for the best interest of the citizens.
• Agenda Item E.8
The city council approved an agreement with the Black Rock Arts Foundation for the display and placement of a public art piece, known as Portal of Evolution, at the western portion of the City Plaza at 1 East First Street (across from City Hall) for one year. The piece is scheduled for installation in late June with an opening event during Artown. Artist Bryan Tedrick created Portal of Evolution and displayed it on the playa during Burning Man 2011.
• Agenda Item G.5
The city council amended Reno Municipal Code (8.30.040), an ordinance outlining distance limitations for solicitation near business doorways, ATM locations, transportation stops and other specified areas. With the amendment, all distances are limited to 20 feet, which allows for uniformity and less public confusion as well as increased enforcement by police officers. As previously outlined in the ordinance, the distances varied between 10, 15 and 20 feet, which caused confusion with the public and creates difficulty for law enforcement.
• Agenda Item H.2 and H.3
The city council approved donating fencing, sheds, bleachers and netting to the Sky Tavern Jr. Ski Program and donating portable stage platforms and accessories to Artown. All the items are from the Moana Park renovation project. Council had directed staff to proceed with decommissioning of the Moana Stadium and proceed with the sale or salvage of property in order to move forward with the Miracle on Turf: The Rebirth of the Moana Stadium Fields, a project to rebuild athletic fields, transforming the Moana Site into a multi-use complex featuring a modern aquatics facility, soccer fields, baseball fields and other community amenities.
• Agenda Item H.6 and H.7
The city council approved two Cooperative Agreements for Mutual Aid, one with Storey County for the Storey County Fire Department and the other with Carson City for the Carson City Fire Department. Due to the location of each agency’s resources, it is in the best interest of the citizens in the jurisdictions to develop cooperative agreements for mutual aid resources.
The agreements consider the location and capabilities of all involved jurisdictions and results in a fair financial arrangement between all parties. The agreements are based on capabilities, depth of resources and location of stations. The agreements provide for an exchange of resources for most short duration incidents, i.e., 12 hours, without expectation of reimbursement. Long protracted incidents such as a multi-day wildland incident would be subject to cost recovery after the initial period with a commitment to reimburse cost from FEMA reimbursements whenever possible. These agreements develop a strong working relationship among all affected jurisdictions.
• Agenda Item H.8
The city council approved placing an advisory ballot question pertaining to the manner in which city council members representing wards are elected on the 2012 General Election ballot. Currently, each voter is able to vote for all council members in the General Election, not just in their respective wards.The advisory only ballot question will read as follows: Shall the five (5) City Council members representing wards continue to be voted upon by all registered voters of the City in the General Election?
At the request of the city council, the City Charter Review Committee reviewed the Reno City charter and provided a recommendation to the council as to the ballot question language.
• Agenda Item J.4
After the Design Review Committee examined and the public was solicited for their input, the Reno City Council selected aesthetic treatments for the Virginia Street Bridge replacement. The selections include the bowstring truss, arch railing and a pewter color scheme. In November, the pony truss structure was selected as the structure type.
After more than a century of use, the Virginia Street Bridge is showing signs of extreme wear and must be replaced to ensure continued public safety. The city of Reno, in partnership with the Truckee River Flood Management Authority and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, has initiated a plan to replace the bridge while respectfully preserving its distinguished history. For information about the Virginia Street Bridge Replacement Project visit www.vsbreno.com.
• Agenda Item J.11
The city council approved an agreement bringing the United States Bowling Congress’ Championship Tournaments to the National Bowling Stadium through 2030. For more than 30 years USBC has been coming to Reno-Tahoe.
The agreement would not be possible without the support the city of Reno received from the Washoe Legislative Delegation for passing legislation that gave us the ability to fund these projects (AB 376). The city of Reno is committed to working with the RSCVA to bring first class events and visitors to our area.
• Agenda Item L.7 and L.8
The city council approved $1,000 to the Historic Reno Preservation Society to offset costs associated with its Children’s Historic Architecture Tours. The tours provide children the opportunity to see and learn about the rich architectural history of the city of Reno. The council also approved $3,000 to the Historic Reno Preservation Society to offset costs associated with constructing and installing the Powning District Pillar of History Monument for Lunsor Park. The monument will commemorate and promote the historic significance of Reno’s Powning District.
