Carson City Chief Financial Officer Sheri Russell pointed out the largest portion of city funding goes to public safety, including the fire department, sheriff’s office, juvenile services, and alternative sentencing.
The Carson City supervisors approved a tentative budget for fiscal year 2023 on Thursday.
One goal they emphasized is working toward a 16 percent end fund balance for city savings. Chief Financial Officer Sheri Russell said that during the previous recession, the city had built up a 22 percent safety net and used up the funds within two years.
She projected that the city would have a 10 percent ending fund balance by fiscal year 2023.
Though there were no outstanding changes to the budget from previous years, one item that stirred discussion was possibly funding cancer screening for fire department employees.
In its supplemental funding request, the fire department asked to hire an outside provider to visit the station annually and conduct optional cancer screenings. The funding was denied, but Supervisor Stacey Giomi, a previous Carson City fire chief, championed the request.
Mayor Lori Bagwell expressed concern that the screenings would be an added cost on top of employee medical insurance, which the city already pays for.
The supervisors did not back Giomi’s motion to add the funding to the budget, but they did express interest in rehearing the issue at a later meeting or during collective bargaining with the fire department’s union next year.
The board will hold a final hearing and formally adopt the budget May 19.
Additionally, the supervisors adopted a resolution to accept bids on city property at 2621 Northgate Lane.
Only nonprofits may submit bids, and minimum price is $385,000. If at any point the nonprofit that owns the property no longer uses it for charitable purposes, ownership would automatically revert to the city.
Currently, Ron Wood Family Resource Center, Capital City C.I.R.C.L.E.S., Nevada Rural Counties RSVP, and UNR Cooperative Extension are all tenants at the location.
Joyce Buckingham with Ron Wood expressed concerns about several of the conditions in the resolution. As a party interested in bidding on the property, her main worry is that she won’t find a willing lender with the condition that the city would reclaim ownership of the property if the tenants changed its purpose to non-charitable work.
“If there is any reversion back to the city, unfortunately, it looks like lending will be out of the question,” she said.
Bagwell emphasized that because the property currently belongs to the public, that condition is mandated by law.
“I want to make it clear; this is the public’s property,” she said. “The law is put out there to govern what can and cannot be transferred.”
The supervisors will open sealed bids July 7.
