Top headlines from the Board of County Commissioners meeting

The following are highlights from today’s Washoe County Board of County Commissioners meeting:   

1. Washoe County Leadership Academy Wildfire Preparedness Pilot Project: The Board of County Commissioners received a presentation from the 2026 Washoe County Leadership Academy (WCLA) cohort on its annual class project, a pilot initiative focused on wildfire preparedness, home hardening, and community education in Sun Valley.

Now in its fourth year, the Washoe County Leadership Academy brings together community members from across the county to learn about local government, engage with county departments, and develop a class project that addresses a community need. Each cohort researches an issue, collaborates with community partners, and presents recommendations and outcomes to the Board of County Commissioners. 

This year’s project focused on increasing awareness of wildfire risk and providing residents with practical steps they can take to protect their homes and neighborhoods. After researching wildfire vulnerability throughout Washoe County, the cohort selected Sun Valley as a pilot community due to its proximity to wildlands, limited evacuation routes, language barriers, and need for additional wildfire preparedness resources. 

Working alongside community partners, WCLA members are helping advance a pilot wildfire preparedness initiative that includes planned home assessments with wildfire mitigation experts and the development of an educational video highlighting practical home hardening and mitigation strategies. The cohort has also distributed wildfire preparedness materials to elementary school students and families through local schools and community events. The project included recommendations to expand home hardening and wildfire adaptation efforts countywide through partnerships, education, and future community-based projects.

“If I could just bottle up all of the intelligence, the hard work, the amazing, motivated people who are sitting right here, it’s incredible,†Commissioner Mariluz Garcia said. “You’re running nonprofits, you’re helping with the tribal communities, you’re involved in the community in education and so many walks of life, it really is inspiriting to see you all come in and commit to the WCLA because you have to provide for your families and pay rent, so the sacrifice that it took to successfully complete the program and deliver such a quality product… I can’t thank you enough.â€Â 

The cohort’s presentation highlighted both the immediate impact of the project and opportunities to build on the pilot model to strengthen wildfire preparedness in communities throughout Washoe County.

2. Sun Valley blighted properties: In May, the Board of County Commissioners formally acknowledged Code Enforcement complaints against numerous properties in Sun Valley and set a public hearing for June 16, 2026, to determine whether a public nuisance exists. These parcels include both privately owned roadway parcels and individual parcels where the owners are either deceased or unreachable and the parcels have fallen into blight.  

Washoe County launched a process to declare the parcels a public nuisance, and today’s hearings addressed five of these parcels. Code Enforcement has documented conditions on these parcels including, but not limited to, the accumulation of debris, rubbish, refuse, abandoned or junk vehicles, and property maintained in a state of disrepair or deterioration that could cause harm to persons or damage to property.  

“Back in October, I counted 11 trailers, 20 people and four dogs (on this property), and it’s more now. It looks like a complete war zone,†Commissioner Mariluz Garcia said. “The neighbors surrounding this parcel, their neighborhood has been hijacked from them. They’re scared. They’re fearful of retaliation, and that’s why my blood boils.â€Â 

The Board voted to declare each of these parcels a public nuisance, which allows the County to pursue administrative enforcement to include abatement, direct the commencement of a civil action for abatement in the courts, or order a non-judicial abatement of a nuisance. 

Moving forward, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael Large stated that: “I do think that there needs to be meetings with interested parties in terms of dealing with this long-term because I feel like we’re doing whack-a-mole. You clean one up and another one explodes. We need a comprehensive solution.â€Â 

3. Housing density incentives: The Board adopted two amendments to the Washoe County Development code to incentivize small units and affordable housing. Throughout 2024 and 2025, the Community Services Department Planning Program brought forth multiple development code amendments in support of the county commission’s housing-related priorities. Planning staff held numerous public meetings and workshops to develop these “housing packages,†which were designed to support multi-family housing, small dwelling units, and accessory dwelling units; expand opportunities for “missing middle†housing; support senior housing development; create infill development opportunities; allow multi-family development in commercial areas; and create an expedited process for attainable housing projects. 

The two adopted amendments include a 25 percent density increase for dwelling units with a maximum size of 1,200 square feet in the suburban, urban, and commercial regulatory zones, and various density increases for income-restricted affordable housing. 

“These housing items are the culmination of over 2 ½ years of effort focused on housing and affordable housing in unincorporated Washoe County,†Building and Planning Manager Kelly Mullin said during a public comment period. “This work includes making it easier, cheaper, and faster to establish accessory dwellings, reducing minimum sizes for manufactured housing, modernizing standards for multifamily housing, reducing barriers for middle housing, and making it easier to establish a broader range of housing types in the county. And finally, creating density bonuses for senior housing, smaller units, and affordable housing. That is a lot, and it’s important work.â€Â 

4. Expansion of Swan Lake Nature Study Area: Swan Lake is a nationally recognized birdwatching area and designated as an Important Bird Area with over 150 bird species recorded. The Board voted to purchase a 13.25-acre parcel on Lear Boulevard in Lemmon Valley from Lennar Reno, LLC, to expand the Swan Lake Nature Study Area. Washoe County received a $1.1 million grant in September 2025 from the State of Nevada’s Land and Water Conservation Fund for this purchase. The appraised value of the parcel is approximately $3.8 million, and Lennar sold it to Washoe County for $500,000, effectively donating $3.3 million in land value to the County. The Nevada Land Trust negotiated the sale.  

Through creative problem-solving and persistence, County staff were able to apply this donation as grant match, saving taxpayer funds and delivering this amenity for only $6,000. The remaining grant funding will be used for several key improvements at Swan Lake, including building a new raised boardwalk, replacing interpretive signs, and designing plans to restore Horse Creek, which has caused repeated flooding in the area.   

This parcel is the primary access to the park, and these upgrades will expand public access, improve safety, protect wildlife habitat, and reduce long-term maintenance costs. Once complete, the improvements will ensure that Swan Lake remains a safe, accessible, and ecologically healthy space for birdwatching, recreation, education, and community enjoyment for years to come. 

5. Human Services Agency Director: The Board of County Commissioners unanimously appointed Pamela Mann from among 36 applicants to serve as the director of the Human Services Department (HSA). The position was vacated when the former director, Ryan Gustafson, was appointed assistant county manager.  

Mann holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Management from the University of Phoenix and a Master’s Degree in Business Management from the University of Texas. She was the director of Contract Administration for Operations for the Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin, Texas. She currently serves as the director of finance and administration for the Washoe County Human Services Agency. HSA comprises Children’s Services, Adult Services, Senior Services, and Housing and Homeless Services. 

6. Library Board of Trustees appointments: The Board appointed two members out of a pool of 25 applicants for the Library Board of Trustees. The terms for current trustees Ann Silver and Lea Moser expire June 30. The Library Board appoints the Library Director and evaluates his or her performance, helps set library goals and objectives, approves policies, monitors the Library’s finances, evaluates the Library’s overall effectiveness, and advocates for the Library in the community.  

The Board appointed Andrea Tavener and Marcus Nesbitt to serve four-year terms, effective July 1. The Board also selected Commissioner Alexis Hill to serve as a liaison to the Library Board of Trustees. County Commissioners sit on other volunteer boards, but they have not had a dedicated liaison to the Library Board of Trustees since 2015.   

7. Regional Housing Authority: In 2025, the Nevada State Legislature passed AB 103, which created a regional housing authority to be named the Truckee Meadows Housing Authority (TMHA). This new entity does not dissolve the current Reno Housing Authority (RHA), but rather expands it to include Washoe County, City of Sparks, and City of Reno, and the existing RHA Board of Commissioners, each of which intends to participate in the regionalized governance of TMHA. 

The resolution approved by the Board of County Commissioners allows Washoe County to appoint two members to TMHA’s newly constituted seven-member Board. They voted to appoint Commissioner Mariluz Garcia and Commissioner Alexis Hill to the newly formed TMHA Board. Garcia will serve a three-year term, and Hill will serve a two-year term.  

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