The Reno City Council on Wednesday approved allocating $315,000 toward wild horse fencing in south Reno.
Dozens of community members provided comment in person, virtually and by email in support of using contingency funds to erect a fence to keep wild horses and drivers safe from each other.
In May, council members approved a $60,000 temporary fence which has now been completed. However, funding of the Southern Fence Project for $550,000 failed by a 3-2 vote because Mayor Hillary Schieve and council member Jenny Brekhus were not at the meeting. A total of four votes would have been needed for the measure to have passed.
During Wednesday’s meeting however, all council members except Council member Jenny Brekhus voted in favor of using contingency funds for the project, which, along with the previously approved Northern Fencing Project, will create a full barrier in the area to keep the horses out of roadways.
Contingency funds are meant to cover any costs that were not considered when the budget was created at the beginning of the fiscal year.
The contingency budget includes $1 million. Prior to Wednesday’s meeting, $75,000 had been used as part of the new city manager search and $60,000 for the temporary fencing.
Other proposed allocations of the remaining $865,000 include $100,000 toward cold case investigations, $100,000 for hazardous and e-waste cleanups, $250,000 for city cameras and $200,000 for a rapid re-housing program.
Initially, $215,000 was proposed for the fencing project.
Brekhus first said she was going to vote no on the fencing proposal because they might be continuing development up the hill. She said that, if the surrounding area ever becomes developed, it will negate the need for fencing.
“Well, that’s very unfortunate,” Mayor Hillary Schieve said.
Later, however, Brekhus said she would not be voting for the project because she did not believe it counted as an emergency.
“If you ever see a horse being hit by a car, you will never forget it. You will have nightmares for the rest of your life. This is do or die.”
Contingency funds that are not allocated by the end of the fiscal year roll over into the city’s stabilization fund, which Brekhus thought was more important than any of the proposed allocations.
“Stabilization is so important for when the economy turns, and it will,” Brekhus said. She added that departments can “find the money” for proposed projects, suggesting for example, that city police should be able to find funding for their cold case files.
Council member Naomi Duerr became choked up when addressing public commenters, who described the horror of horses having to be shot to death after collisions with cars, thanking them for showing up and speaking from the heart. There have been dozens of collisions with horses in south Reno in recent years.
“I’ve been advocating for this issue for 10 years, and I think it’s time,” Duerr said. “I think there is support on the council to take the action, regardless of any future development, because action is needed now to deal with the current problems. You spoke very eloquently and from the heart, and it meant a lot.”
Duerr suggested allocating money from the hazardous and e-waste clean-up funds to increase the fence funding from $215,000 to $315,000.
“[Disposing of] hazardous waste is nice for us to do, but it’s not a must-do,” she said.
Council member Meghan Ebert agreed, and said council members can use their discretionary funds for waste cleanups within their wards as each cleanup only costs $6,000.
Duerr also suggested council members consider paying for ward-specific activities from their discretionary funds and defer or reduce some other projects planned for contingency funds.
She also noted that $500,000 of the fencing project has been funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Many road safety projects had been paid for by the city using funds from different areas, and this was just another road safety project that needed to be completed, she added.
It was also determined that the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) will refund $115,000 for the fencing project once it is completed. 
Schieve said the city cannot continue allowing horses to be hit in the area.
“If you ever see a horse being hit by a car, you will never forget it,” Schieve said. “You will have nightmares for the rest of your life. This is do or die. Yes, it’s RTC’s responsibility but if they don’t, then we need to.”
Schieve commended staff for bringing down the price. Initially, the entire fencing project was going to cost $1.1 million, but now staff has been able to bring it down to $875,000, according to Schieve.
Brekhus again said the city needed to “buckle down” on its finances, as it has hired 31 new positions and has upcoming labor discussions.
“And lawsuits,” Scheive said, alluding to the lawsuits Brekhus has continued to bring against the city.
Director of Finance Vicki Van Buren suggested taking $50,000 from the hazardous and e-waste clean-up fund and $50,000 from the downtown camera funds to bring the total amount for the fencing project to $315,000.
Ebert approved and said it’s important to fund the project now, because it will only continue to get more expensive. The council approved the funding, with Brekhus voting against it.
