Washoe County’s infrastructure is in better shape than it was a year ago, but county staff on Tuesday told members of the Board of County Commissioners that there’s not enough money to keep up with maintenance and the community’s needs. The problem is likely to get worse in coming years, they added.
The issues were highlighted in a presentation of an infrastructure scorecard, which grades roads, facilities, parks, wastewater, stormwater and the county’s fleet based on eight criteria including capacity, condition, funding, safety and future need. The scorecard is intended to help county leadership prioritize funding for projects based on need, safety and community impact.
Stormwater infrastructure has fallen to the back of the class and maintained an F grade for meeting future needs and a D for funding.
“We are in a constant battle with Mother Nature, who is trying to fill our stormwater ditches and pipes with everything from sediment to shopping carts,” county analyst Aaron Smith said. “Our pipes are reaching the end of their useful life, and we’re also seeing more intense localized stormwater events that’s impacting sedimentation.”
The county’s stormwater maintenance is funded through the roads fund, except for a small area in north Spanish Springs that is funded by a special stormwater assessment. Maintaining the stormwater infrastructure takes up one-quarter of the roads department’s labor hours and nearly one-quarter of its budget.
“Given the challenges in fuel tax funding…there is a growing trend across the country to fund stormwater maintenance through other sources.”
According to Community Services Director Eric Crump, revenues for roads generated through the fuel tax have been declining since 2019. He projected the county would be nearly $6 million over budget for road maintenance this fiscal year if it were to complete all the work planned.
Crump said part of the problem is that vehicle miles traveled in the state continue to place wear and tear on the roads. Another problem is that cars are increasingly fuel efficient, and many new cars are electric and use no gas at all.
“While the fuel-efficient vehicles are certainly great from an environmental standpoint, the use and resultant wear on our roads is increasing without supporting fuel tax revenue,” Crump said.
Stormwater fees: they’re trendy
One idea suggested was the addition of a stormwater utility assessment, similar to the fee the City of Reno has proposed, to generate funding to maintain the county’s stormwater infrastructure separate from funding for road maintenance. The city’s proposed fee—which many have called a tax and a duplication of sewer fees—has been panned by community members, Washoe County School District and the University of Nevada, Reno.
“Given the challenges in fuel tax funding … there is a growing trend across the country to fund stormwater maintenance through other sources,” Crump said.
Washoe County Commissioner Jeanne Herman suggested that with development happening across the county, developers should bear some of the costs associated with stormwater, roads and sewer utilities.
Crump said developers do cover the costs for a lot of infrastructure when they build, but they aren’t responsible for ongoing maintenance and replacement costs, which often don’t arise until years after development is completed.
Crump said his team has been exploring other approaches to maintaining and improving the county’s infrastructure as well.
Smith added that a “maintenance prioritization method” is used to complete the highest value work, predict with more certainty using data, and focus on work planning.
“We’re using the taxpayer dollars where it provides the most value … being proactive in addressing upstream issues while they’re small and inexpensive before they become big and expensive,” he said.
What’s in the scorecard?
The county’s stormwater infrastructure was graded C two years ago when the scorecard launched, earning an F for its ability to meet future needs. County staff also had little information on the condition of the infrastructure and considered funding close to failing.
The latest scorecard, presented Tuesday, shows stormwater infrastructure continues to be a concern, largely for the same reasons it was in 2022. A county review of the infrastructure found its condition to be C-minus at best. The county’s roads also dropped from a B-minus to a C-plus.
Two years ago, county parks received the lowest grade, a D-plus, including ratings of F for funding and future need. There wasn’t enough funding for existing parks, and those parks were inadequate for projected community growth.
“You see the most recent scorecard, parks scores a C because of the improvement of short-term funding,” Smith said. “The addition of maintenance staff and ranger staff, and also a new trails coordinator, is helping absorb some of that deferred maintenance.”
Smith said capital funds have helped to replace some aging playgrounds, such as the playground refresh at Ellen’s Park in south Reno.
Commissioner Mike Clark said he found facilities operations and maintenance to be a big concern. Facilities were graded a D-minus for operations and maintenance.
“Protecting the assets is where I’m concerned,” he said. “More damage is done by water to real estate than by fire … Make sure that we don’t have leaky buildings, mold issues. At the very least, we need to make sure that the roofs are maintained on all county facilities. We may be able to limp along with a pothole or two, but we just can’t get by with leaky roofs.”
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Crump said. “Facilities is one of those things that competes for general fund [dollars] … but it is this tool and these discussions that we benefit from looking at the scorecard.”
Crump and Smith reiterated that Washoe County scores well on infrastructure compared to other communities.
“In general, we should be proud to live in this county,” Smith said. “Our infrastructure scores higher than average compared to state and national levels, with parks and stormwater being the exception.”
Commission Chair Alexis Hill suggested more discussion in the future among board members focused on budget solutions to address roads, parks, stormwater and building maintenance.
