City supervisors approve voluntary job buyout plan

Carson City employees will be able to participate in voluntary job buyout program.

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved the plan after hearing the amount of money available for vehicles and equipment will drop from more than $4 million to roughly $1 million during the next fiscal year.

"We're facing a downturn," said Mayor Marv Teixeira. "If we don't increase revenues, we're going to face cuts."

Because so many employees are nearing retirement age and the overall government work force will be shrinking, the city will ask employees if their jobs can be eliminated and how they believe this can be achieved.

Employees taking the offer would receive up to $25,000 to leave, depending on their salary and time working for the city.

Called the Voluntary Separation Program, it would start Oct. 1 and end Dec. 31.

There have been 33 inquiries, and two applications submitted, according to Ann Silver, human resources director.

Part of the problem is, auto sales comprise the largest amount of sales tax revenue but are down.

"Having all our eggs in one basket like that is a very precarious place to be," Teixeira warned.

A bare-bones capital budget for that year - with a lot of repairs and other projects put on hold Ð likely would exceed $2 million, said City Manager Linda Ritter.

Employee costs comprise three-quarters of the city's general fund of $56 million for this fiscal year that began July 1. The entire budget is roughly $116 million. The budget that will be impacted by the shortfall is next year's. Ritter said she wants to take measures now to offset the spending gap.

The goal is to ensure that public safety services are adequately funded while non-mandated services - parks, recreation and culture - are not impacted, Ritter said.

The supervisors also approved a plan to keep city vehicles at least until they reach higher mileage rates than the three-year, 36,000-miles guideline used previously. Public safety vehicles could be retired at 60,000 miles, and others at 80,000 miles.

The city has no other dedicated-funding source for capital improvements, and it's a situation that should be looked into, Ritter said.

In other business, the supervisors:

• Consented to a change in terms of a 2003 bond for construction of Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center. This $50 million portion of the total $95 million bond was a variable-rate arrangement, and its required reserve of about $3.5 million will now be available for construction.

• Approved the tentative application for the Newport Village housing plan. This planned-unit development will offer 43 homes on a 5.4-acre lot in the 3800 block of East Nye Lane.

• Allowed city staff to continue working toward obtaining a conservation easement from owner Michael Fagen that would protect up to 200 acres of irrigated meadow at Horse Creek Ranch.

• Accepted a grant for up to $309,000 from the Nevada Resources and Conservation Service for assessment and rehabilitation of land affected by the Waterfall fire. Money can be used to continue and initiate new treatments on city, state and private land within the burn area.

• Approved 17 projects they would like to see funded with Question 1 money from the state. The Aquatic Trail Plan for the Carson River, from Silver Saddle ranch downstream to Lyon County, and the connecting Carson River Canyon Trail received high priority. Other new projects include the Potter property, an open-space project off of Kings Canyon Road and Ormsby Boulevard; the Linear Park Trail extension from the freeway right-of-way near Fifth Street to the wastewater plant on Butti Way; and the Virginia & Truckee Railway Trail at Carson River Canyon, which will run near the train route.

• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.