Reno council approves RCVA amendment with USBC, removes liquidated‑damages clause and ties GSA funds to city

The Reno City Council unanimously approved a five‑year amendment to the Regional Convention & Visitors Authority’s (RCVA) contract with the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), authorizing additional championships and related concessions in exchange for expanded event scheduling and revenue changes.

RCVA President Mike Larregueta told council the amendment would add two open championships and one women’s championship in 2035–38, additional off‑year tournaments and a national convention in the 2028–2038 window. He said the RCVA forecasts roughly 55,000 bowlers in 2026 and an overall economic impact in the tens of millions for the open championship, with multi‑year projections approaching $202 million for the extended events cycle.

Larregueta said the RCVA will start increasing the site fee from $30 to $36 beginning in 2029 and will implement a 15% commission on food‑and‑beverage sales at the National Bowling Stadium during the large championships. “We are anticipating over 55,000 bowlers north of 140,000 room nights,” Larregueta said in his presentation.

Council members pressed staff on the legal and fiscal tradeoffs of eliminating the contract’s liquidated‑damages clause, which had previously provided an automatic payment to the city if USBC vacated a contracted tournament. RCVA and city staff explained removing the liquidated‑damages language would make automatic recovery harder but would not eliminate the city’s ability to pursue damages through standard legal channels. City Manager Jackie Bryant clarified that the change removes an automatic liquidated‑damages payment, not all legal damages.

Mayor Hillary Schieve moved to approve the amendment with an explicit caveat: return the General Services Agreement (GSA) payment to the city general fund “in perpetuity.” The GSA currently provides roughly $350,000 annually to the RCVA; the mayor said she would seek board approval to stop that payment so the city retains the funds. Council voted to approve the RCVA/USBC amendment and the mayor’s GSA condition unanimously.

Council framed the vote as a financial tradeoff: give the RCVA concessions that increase the net yield from expanded bowling events in exchange for guaranteeing the city receives ongoing GSA funds and for the economic benefits of downtown compression, hotel room nights and restaurant and retail spending. Several councilmembers said the extended tournaments are a cornerstone of downtown revitalization and a critical component of maintaining air service into the region.

What’s next: the amendment still requires approvals by the RCVA board and other contracting entities before it takes effect; several councilmembers also asked RCVA leadership to return with final numeric details and to pursue changes at the RCVA board level so the city begins receiving the GSA funds back to the general fund.