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Carson City ratifies USFS wildfire defense grant application for Prison Hill area; mayor authorized to accept if awarded and match waived
Summary
The board ratified submission of a U.S. Forest Service FY25 Wildfire Defense grant application seeking about $3.97 million for fuels reduction in the Southeast quadrant and Prison Hill; the city asked that the mayor be authorized to accept the award if the 25% local match is waived.
Carson City’s Board of Supervisors unanimously ratified a previously submitted application for a U.S. Forest Service fiscal year 2025 wildfire defense grant seeking $3,967,780 to fund fuels-reduction and wildfire-prevention work in the city’s Southeast quadrant, including the Prison Hill Recreation Area.
Kevin Nyberg, who briefed the board, said the application was re-submitted after the Forest Service encouraged the city to reapply; the city had been close to receiving the award previously. The grant would support defensible-space inspections, community wildfire defense workshops, fuels reduction using existing crews, and — if awarded — a program coordinator position paid fully by grant funds. “This one does include a program coordinator…completely funded by this grant,” Nyberg said.
The application includes a 25% local-match requirement that the city asked the Forest Service to waive. Nyberg told the board that, if the match waiver is not granted, the city would rescind its application because it currently does not have a secure funding source for the match. The stated match percentage equals roughly $991,945 (25% of $3,967,780).
Board members discussed the risks and mechanics of the match. City staff said portions of match can be in-kind (for example, equipment billing or documented volunteer time), but staff has not identified a reliable source to meet the 25% if the waiver is denied. Supervisor Joe Giomi suggested creative uses of in-kind documentation in the past and encouraged staff to pursue that if the waiver looked unlikely.
Public comment urged careful environmental and habitat consideration for the Prison Hill area. One commenter asked that fuel-reduction work balance wildfire risk reduction with conservation of native sage habitat.
Supervisor Gioami moved to ratify the grant submission and authorize the mayor to accept the grant if the local-match requirement is waived; the motion passed unanimously.
Ending: The city will proceed only if the Forest Service grants the 25% match waiver or if the city identifies a viable match; staff will continue negotiating with the agency, plan fuels-reduction work around the city’s existing crews, and prepare the program coordinator position as grant-funded if the award is accepted.
