Carson City supervisors will consider additional spending

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday will revisit spending on major projects and supplemental requests for fiscal year 2021.

When the 2021 budget was approved in the spring, staff recommended the minimum in terms of capital improvement projects and did not make any supplemental spending requests such as additional personnel or equipment, all in anticipation of a drop in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, staff said they would bring back the budget items when it was clearer the impact of the public health crisis on revenue. Now, the ending fund balance for 2020 is projected to be $9.34 million higher than initially anticipated. The total CIP and supplemental requests for the board to decide on are $6.29 million.

The board will also consider removing the exemption for stays of over 28 days from the room tax, an item carried forward from the most recent meeting.

The 11 percent transient lodging tax applies to room stays under 28 days and is not collected on longer stays. Staff estimates that about a third of the city’s inventory of motel/hotel rooms are used for extended stays while the Culture and Tourism Authority estimates extended-stay nights represent about 20 percent of the city’s room nights. That adds up to about $570,000 in lost revenue.

The board has previously discussed removing the exemption as part of a bigger effort to rehabilitate the city’s rundown motel properties, which are used primarily as residences.

The supervisors will discuss and give staff direction on several designs proposed for shade structures for the Brewery Arts Center, 3rd Street parking lot, and McFadden Plaza.

The board will vote on two application for grants totaling $2.1 million to construct detention basins in the Goni watershed.

And the supervisors will allocate up to $283,213 in Community Development Block Grants. Applications were received from the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Nevada Health Centers, and Spirit of Hope.

The board meets at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 17 in the Sierra Room, Community Center, but the meetings are currently closed to the public due to the public health emergency.

To watch the meeting remotely, go to www.carson.org/granicus and click on “In progress” next to the meeting date or tune in to cable channel 191.

Public comment can be made by emailing the comment to publiccomment@carson.org by 3 p.m. Sept. 16 or during the meeting by calling (408) 418-9388 and using meeting number. Use the phone number only to make comment.

The agenda is available online at https://www.carson.org/government/meeting-information/agendas/board-of-supervisors-agendas-with-supporting-materials/2020-agendas-with-supporting-materials/09-17-20-agenda-with-supporting-materials.