In a surprise move last month, the Washoe County Commission voted to withhold its legally required payment to the regional agency that oversees growth and development, igniting the latest front in the increasingly volatile fight among county and city elected officials.
Flouting both state law and an inter-local agreement the county signed in 1990, the commission voted 3-2 to withhold the $205,000 it owes to help run the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency — a cost that is shared among Washoe County, Reno and Sparks.
The commissioners supporting the move to defund the agency complain the two cities can block developments in the unincorporated county because of the governing board’s voting structure.
The board includes three county commissioners, three Sparks officials and four Reno officials. It approves major projects of “regional significance,” such as the massive housing development planned for Rancharrah in south Reno.
Source: RGJ — County reignites growth battle with cities
