WASHOE COUNTY NEWS RELEASE
The last of three Washoe County public meetings dedicated to discuss Nevada Assembly Bill 46 (AB 46) regarding the Washoe County School District’s (WCSD) capital funding needs is scheduled for 4 p.m. today. AB 46 proposes to increase sales tax by ¼ of 1 percent in Washoe County and property tax by 5 cents per $100 of the assessed value in Washoe County.
The meeting will be a workshop format, which allows the county commissioners to combine one or more of the agenda items for discussion purposes. As with all county commission meetings, public comment will be included in the format and the meeting will be held in the Washoe County Commission Chambers at 1001 E. Ninth St. in Reno.
Visit the Washoe Channel to view the meeting live or on-demand. In addition to the meeting, another opportunity to provide feedback to Commissioners is to visit Open Washoe County, an online forum which allows citizens to weigh in on community issues. The current question is:
Please express your recommendation for AB 46 to the county commissioners by choosing one of the following options:
- Approve passage of taxes authorized in AB 46
- Approve a portion of the taxes authorized in AB 46
- Approve the sales tax increase only
- Approve the property tax increase only
- Approve taxes as authorized with a sunset provision
- Take no action and allow the item to expire on January 1, 2014 as provided for in the bill
Visit our frequently asked questions about the school funding bill on Washoe County’s AB46 FAQs.
Commissioners will receive your comments the evening of Oct. 21 after this question closes. This item will be discussed with a possible vote by the Board at the October 22 regularly scheduled Washoe County Commissioner meeting. Commission meetings are scheduled in the Washoe County Chambers located at 1001 East Ninth Street, Building A in Reno. Meeting agendas are posted online.
Governor Brian Sandoval signed AB 46 into law June 11. The bill passed by the Nevada Legislature included an amendment that allows the Washoe County Board of Commissioners to determine whether to enact a proposal that would generate funding for critical school repairs and maintenance in the WCSD. The school capital needs initiative proposes to increase sales tax by ¼ of 1 percent in Washoe County and property tax by 5 cents per $100 of assessed value in Washoe County. The proposal needs to be approved by four of the five county commissioners by Jan. 1 to be enacted.
