City’s capital projects in cross hairs

Capital projects will hog the focus Thursday at the final regular meeting this year for Carson City’s Board of Supervisors.

Also on the morning agenda, soon after the session starts at 8:30 a.m., is recognition of retiring City Manager Larry Werner on his last day of city service. Late in the morning and at mid-afternoon, items dealing with capital improvement projects go before the board. The main event is scheduled at 3 p.m. in the Community Center’s Sierra Room meeting.

The item seeks direction for staffers as to “what projects to include in the proposed ‘Plan of Expenditure’ such as the Animal Services Facility, the Multipurpose Athletic Center, and the Downtown, North Carson Street, South Carson Street, William Street and Highway 50 East corridor improvement projects ...”

It also seeks direction on the timing to provide a two-week notice prior to conducting a public hearing, as required by state law, before adoption of a plan of expenditure.

“It’s just to get them to say what goes into the bucket,” Werner said. The question involved, he said, is “What would you build?” He added that just three votes are needed to proceed at this stage, which also was the case in November. Then, there was a 3-2 tally on moving another step forward, but four votes eventually will be required for financing of the “bucket” of projects if a one-eighth-cent increase in city sales tax is used.

Werner has said that’s the revenue source available if four votes materialize. Finance Director Nick Providenti said the $1 million annually that tax hike could raise would underpin up to $15 million in bonding authority.

The four votes will be required not only to boot the tax, Werner said, but to make any subsequent change to what is in the bucket after the favored projects are selected.

On the late-morning agenda are Redevelopment Authority and board items, basically the same, to provide $159,273 for capital project improvements at Fuji Park and Fairgrounds for the Sesquicentennial Fair planned from next summer.

The mayor and supervisors function as the Redevelopment Authority, as well as the city governing board. Pursuant to state law, four votes also are required to finance the Fuji improvements from the redevelopment revolving fund.