[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6486948,"mediaKeyId","5509340-b36b3687afe232a3c24906975115e681","parentId",5509340,"title","Reno City Council adopts several measures; staff to study lighting, police-fee amendment initiated","audioSeconds",1094,"startMs",4920000,"endMs",6014000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5509340-b36b3687afe232a3c24906975115e681&start=4920&end=6014","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5509340-b36b3687afe232a3c24906975115e681/thumbnail_4920000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6486948/Nevada/Reno-City-Council-adopts-several-measures-staff-to-study-lighting-police-fee-amendment-initiated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6486948-7634dd8ec9a2b140c9241e7e4affd279/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569910&Signature=PY~pCPX04uuDZkP4fJdFmT52SzMtgrN3spY0wbhxi37obfSV5ke4wVx1j5PaWIOm6awevvBZc0uw2WtP3ayMfPExuOH18RcoEWLOdAy9UGjwIRxrs3XS0htYLv~3ap2SxhvnRMFkPOiAv4DaVqShLHAPkONr9K53mxYz0Dp8~sqcSB7SRQ9idUwj2KbcyaplZt0e0Qk2lUPUhaBcpK3MUo3o3z-2LkifYINlC-2k76pltSWx1zmZbmodM4Tgg8mUCBMGFcZpRl2YRScUr~udBHVc0WqfQMZruM57DwFqV9MAAHBHieGGIRju1ni5GAMrHphcynJDrZ~M~W7C1K5jCQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Reno, NV","date","2025-07-30T22:06:37.367Z","article","The Reno City Council met July 30 and took a series of routine and policy actions. Highlights include a purchase authorization for replacement decorative street lights downtown, a resolution closing out a special-assessment bond district, ordinance introductions and a council request to initiate changes to the police facility impact fee. The council also heard a lengthy briefing on the city's sewer utility (separate article).

Votes at a glance

- Sternberg decorative lighting (Consent item B-8): Council authorized the director of maintenance and operations to purchase replacement Sternberg-style decorative lighting fixtures in an amount not to exceed $135,000. Councilmembers asked staff to study longer-term options for downtown streetscape lighting and to return with cost and life-cycle analyses. Outcome: motion carried (voice vote). Note: staff said the $135,000 was planned from room tax and street funds; council asked staff to explore RDA/room tax alternatives and to report back.

- Special Assessment District (SAD) close-out (Item B-12): Council adopted a resolution to close out a matured SAD in North Valleys, return surplus funds to property owners who request refunds, place $50,000 into the city's debt surplus fund and transfer the remaining balance to the general fund after administrative costs. Staff said 42 parcels were included and that property owners must confirm refunds; parcels not claimed remain with the city. Outcome: resolution adopted unanimously.

- Ordinance introduction, Bethel AME Church historic designation (Bill 7307): Council voted to uphold the Historical Resource Commission recommendation and referred the ordinance for second reading and adoption to designate the Bethel AME Church (220 Bell Street) as an historic resource. Outcome: motion carried.

- Police facility impact fee (Item C-2 initiation): Staff requested direction to start a text amendment to Title 18 to extend the termination date for collection of the police facility impact fee and to review fee amounts. The fee funds a portion of the new police station bond; staff reported roughly $2 million collected so far and said the fee was originally expected to be paid off in 10 years but current activity trends are lower than anticipated. Council voted to initiate the text amendment and to pursue outreach with the development community. Outcome: motion carried.

- Truck regulations ordinance introduction (Bill 7308): Council agreed to introduce and refer for subsequent action an ordinance updating truck regulation enforcement; staff said the change will allow city police to conduct enforcement operations for commercial vehicles, including actions at way stations and road closures. Outcome: ordinance introduced.

- Redevelopment Agency procurement (RDA B-1): The Redevelopment Agency board authorized purchase of mobile vehicle barrier trailer kits and additional barriers to support safe, standards-compliant street closures for special events (procurement from Meridian Rapid Defense Group). Staff said each trailer kit deploys multiple certified vehicle barriers and will speed setup for downtown events (timeline: ~60 days to delivery and branding). Outcome: RDA action approved.

Public-comment highlights

Several members of the public used the meeting's public-comment period to raise local issues that the council did not act on during the meeting but asked staff to track:
- Amber Terry urged a review of code enforcement response after raw sewage contamination in a rental unit made her and her pets ill; she asked for stricter enforcement and follow-up. (Public comment)
- David Shikhar and Steven White — local artists — urged changes to how special-event free-speech areas are located and better outreach so artists can legally display work at events; Shikhar said some designated free-speech locations were unreasonably isolated at recent festivals. (Public comment)
- Ben Beckham, representing the McQueen Knight Riders mountain bike club, thanked the council for prior support for Sierra Vista Bike Park and described training, loaner-bikes and scholarship plans for youth programs. (Public comment)
- Bob Lisner of Lifestyle Homes asked the council and staff to revisit policies about reclaimed water and effluent disposal in the North Valleys so planned neighborhoods can include shade, grass and parks without prohibitive irrigation costs. (Public comment)

What this means

Several approvals were procedural or procurement-oriented, but two items may lead to additional council work: staff's review of downtown decorative lighting alternatives and the initiated text amendment process for the police facility impact fee. The police-fee review will include outreach to developers and could change timelines or fee levels if building activity remains below expectations.

Ending

Staff will report back on the lighting study, provide more detail on the police-fee text amendment options and return ordinances for formal readings and votes. No additional votes on public-comment items were taken at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Reno City Council Meeting - 7/30/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Reno City Council met July 30 and approved a set of procurement, land-use and administrative actions, and instructed staff to study alternatives on downtown lighting and to begin a text amendment on the police facility impact fee.","taxTitle","City Council Meetings , Reno, Washoe County, Nevada","taxId",69270,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6486953,"Reno officials outline sewer system upgrades, capacity limits and advanced purified water plan",3540,6300000,9840000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5509340-b36b3687afe232a3c24906975115e681&start=6300&end=9840","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5509340-b36b3687afe232a3c24906975115e681/thumbnail_6300000.jpg","/articles/6486953/Nevada/Reno-officials-outline-sewer-system-upgrades-capacity-limits-and-advanced-purified-water-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6486953-d29748bfcba588caf7c0bdf45207c78f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770569910&Signature=RSbdzc4NtYtAkwUJ5Pe4YE~6H40R2H~D5ow3jBos279TQYazkzhm4j2D5XWZSeIDixfyoY3QplfzHo3~Sls~UFCbWsQEdjx4Xn41dfpPc76yxqglm21nlIUPSi5DdwUgeOzfOVZoyLy6iMmmjY5lJxsiyXjdLWEtbeRRuWkV2FWBABa4y6ddkk0Qv5YL-cvMNbiumV-DNUZdVNnHoceDgylDzjN2SBDc4LzvROXBBVRcrZ0zqdVbVvAhEgsRvEG79-AHXA3vyVpc8TO0POG82j378QdLbflC3nlRjVyrjCTnbJpwgkzdyN1wbFTvEzbTEKOSRWehUckOAha6PPD5qg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Reno City Council heard a technical briefing July 30 on the city's sewer utility that outlined recent infrastructure investments, current treatment capacity and limits on future growth tied to wastewater treatment and effluent disposal. John Flansberg, regional infrastructure administrator for the city, said the system's core public-health purpose remains the top priority.

\"The number one reason we have a sewer utility is for public health,\" Flansberg said during the presentation to the council. He described the utility's scale: about 863 miles of sewer pipe in the city, 23,345 manholes and daily treated flows the size of roughly 5.8 football fields.

The presentation explained how collection lines, lift stations and two main treatment complexes work together. Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility (the region's primary plant) currently treats roughly 30 million gallons per day (MGD) and is permitted at a higher level; Reno's Reno-Stead Water Reclamation Facility recently increased capacity in its treatment equipment from 2 MGD to 4 MGD to allow further processing and planned upgrades. Flansberg also summarized past capital work: roughly $129 million spent on the collection system and about $45 million on lift stations in the last decade, and $334 million in total sewer-related capital investment over the last 10 years, split between capacity and replacement work.

Why it matters: the council was told that treatment capacity and the rules for where treated effluent can go are the limiting factors for where and how the region can grow. Flansberg said differences in local treatment and disposal options explain why some parts of the valley already use abundant reclaimed water for parks and landscaping while other areas do not. For example, Washoe County's South Truckee Meadows plant uses a reservoir (Huffaker Reservoir) and delivers reclaimed water widely for irrigation, and county policy there currently makes reclaimed water effectively available without a direct per-unit charge. Reno-Stead operates in a closed basin and relies on a local purple-pipe system to serve nearby parks, golf courses and the sports complex; those purple-pipe customers pay a charge to recover infrastructure and replacement costs.

Advanced purified water and water-out options: to address effluent disposal and provide durable water supplies, staff reviewed the city's American Flat advanced purified water project (APWF) proposal. The APWF would treat excess effluent to very high standards so it can be reused as a potable water source or otherwise reliably used instead of being returned to the Truckee River. Council members and staff emphasized the cost and complexity: constructing new treatment and winter storage is expensive and requires careful sequencing so biological treatment trains are not cycled down in summer and restarted in winter, which could impair performance. Councilmember Kevin Reese, who said he has spent time learning the system, called the topic \"perhaps the most complicated thing in the city of Reno for me to understand as a council member,\" and urged continued public explanation as the council considers funding and schedule options.

Regional context and next steps: speakers highlighted several regional constraints. Washoe County has indicated interest in decommissioning or consolidating some smaller plants and moving flows to larger facilities; Sparks and other jurisdictions are approaching capacity limits at Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility, which creates uncertainty for developers in unincorporated areas. Staff said the Western Regional Water Commission has initiated work to study regionalization options for sewer and that consultants are preparing a scope to evaluate whether a more regional governance or shared-capacity approach is appropriate.

Outreach and finances: Flansberg and city staff said they will continue public outreach on a pending sewer rate proposal and related capital plans. Staff reported 276 responses to a public survey conducted earlier in the outreach period and said council will receive more detailed public-feedback summaries when rate actions come back. Councilmembers stressed the need to explain how past spending (replacement versus capacity) changed the system's condition and the trade-offs between development-linked connection fees and the ongoing user charges that pay for replacement and operations.

Public comments at the meeting included North Valleys developers and residents asking that the city examine whether some treated effluent can be reserved for reclaimed-water uses in the North Valleys, and a developer, Bob Lisner, said higher costs for irrigation water in the North Valleys are constraining planned neighborhoods and parks. Lisner urged city and utility staff to examine ways to make reclaimed or effluent-provided irrigation feasible for new subdivisions.

What's next: staff said no formal council action was taken on the sewer topic at this meeting; instead council received the briefing and asked staff to continue technical work and increased outreach. Staff identified upcoming items to return to the council, including a sewer rate discussion, a potential advanced purified water project path and a septic-to-sewer conversion item for a neighborhood with aging septic systems.

Ending: council members praised the multi-million-dollar replacement work the utility has completed and stressed that future choices on effluent, storage and capacity will shape the valley's growth patterns for years. Staff said they will return with policy options, refined cost estimates and outreach materials.","City staff presented a detailed overview of Reno's sewer system, saying recent investments cut the city's backlog of aging pipes but that regional treatment capacity and effluent disposal remain constraints. Staff urged public outreach on proposed rates and next steps for an advanced purified water facility.","actionData","errors"]

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Reno City Council adopts several measures; staff to study lighting, police-fee amendment initiated

Reno officials outline sewer system upgrades, capacity limits and advanced purified water plan