Washoe County manager lays out homelessness, behavioral-health and budget priorities; residents press for transparency

County Manager Eric Brown on Feb. 25 delivered the annual review of Washoe County accomplishments and priorities, outlining projects and funding tied to homelessness, behavioral health, emergency dispatch modernization and an effort to shore up the county’s five‑year financial forecast.

Brown told the South Valleys Citizens Advisory Board that the county has secured $20 million in state ARPA funding to build 50 units of permanent supportive housing on the CARES campus, and that the project is scheduled to be completed in April. He also said the county distributed about $4.5 million in opioid-abatement funds last year and received $14.5 million from the state interim finance committee to renovate the former West Hills behavioral-health hospital for youth and subacute adult care.

Why it matters: Brown framed the work as multi‑year and tied to the commission’s strategic priorities—seniors, mental health and infrastructure—while warning of revenue pressure in years three to five of the county’s five‑year forecast driven by a flattening of consolidated (C) taxes. The presentation included staff direction to complete a regional computer-aided dispatch (CAD) platform and to update CAB ordinances and maps.

Brown described the West Hills conversion as part of a “sequential intercept” strategy to reduce cycling through emergency rooms, shelters and the jail. “We are allocating space within the old West Hills facility so that these folks can be treated and hopefully brought closer to a situation where they can be stabilized,” Brown said. He noted the county has hired a behavioral-health administrator, Julia Ratti, and that short-term state grants fund the initial program that county leaders hope to sustain with longer-term funding if results continue to be positive.

Public commenters challenged several assertions and sought more transparency. Penny Brock said she had asked whether South Valleys Park work will proceed if ARPA funds are reclaimed by the state; she also asked whether a Pennington Foundation donation to build a girls’ softball facility at the park raises equity concerns. “We don’t know,” Brock said of the ARPA funding status.

Residents pressed Brown on homelessness. Paul White and other speakers alleged problems at the CARES campus, questioned the county’s homeless counts and said the county had undercounted people to produce a reported decline. Brown said the county cooperates with the continuum of care and is shifting toward data tracked in the HUD Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) rather than sole reliance on point-in-time counts. “If you check into any of our shelters…you go into the HMIS system,” Brown said, calling it “a much more accurate way of defining who’s homeless.”

Election administration also drew public comment. Drew Rebar, a primary candidate, said his name had been left off sample ballots and urged improved election safeguards. Brown acknowledged an error with a sample ballot, said the registrar’s office leadership is being replaced and that the county has moved to the statewide “top-down” voter-management system used by all 17 counties. “We’re replacing the leadership of the registrar voters,” Brown said, and added that the county is fully staffing the office.

On budget questions, Brown said Washoe County currently has a structurally balanced budget and improved bond ratings, but warned of long-term “financial headwinds” and said the county will focus on completing existing priorities rather than adding staff during the current budget season. He said the county is not engaged in an effort to raise C tax rates or the property-tax cap, though he acknowledged those issues are being discussed regionally and at NACo and the legislature.

Brown also said staff is proceeding with CAD implementation and that attorneys are updating CAB ordinances and boundary maps; he said the frequency of CAB meetings will be determined locally by commissioners and CAB chairs. He said a public financial transparency tool, modeled on the state’s Open Checkbook, will launch in April.

Ending: Brown invited questions and said the county will continue public reporting on ARPA outcomes and opioid-abatement spending. Residents asked for more tours of shelters and clearer public contacts for county offices; Brown said tours are available and encouraged people with access problems to contact his office.