Short-Term Rentals, Overtime Pay, Boards & Commissions, Digital Signs & more
The packed June 4th Reno City Council agenda also includes Rancharrah, StoneGate, Park Districts, and two appointments to the Reno Planning Commission.
A whole slew of consequential items are packed into the agenda of the June 4th Reno City Council meeting—perhaps because they will only have one meeting after this (June 11) before they take their annual summer break until July 23.
Topics to be discussed and/or decided this week include possible direction to initiate an ordinance governing Short-Term Rentals (STRs) and possible adoption of ordinances involving Rancharrah, StoneGate, Digital (and other) Signs, and Building & Construction codes. There’s also the first annual evaluation of City Manager Jackie Bryant, a presentation about Fire & Police Department use of overtime, the possible creation of “Park Districts,” and the appointment or reappointment of two Reno Planning Commissioners.
With most citizen Boards and Commissions still on “hiatus” (also to be discussed in this week’s Council meeting, Item G.1), it’s just City Council and the Planning Commission this week, plus another Councilmember “Community Forum.”
For links to all of the week’s upcoming public meetings, click here. For the full City of Reno calendar (where Community Forums and other events are listed), click here.
Mon., June 2 at 5:30pm: Community Forum with Ward 6 Councilmember Brandi Anderson
Ward 6 Councilmember Brandi Anderson is holding one of the Community Forums that are sort of (but not really) taking the place of Neighborhood Advisory Board meetings right now on Monday, June 2 from 5:30-7:30pm at the small conference room at Sierra Medical Center at 6500 Longley Lane. This meeting is in-person only.
As the meeting announcement states:
“Join Councilmember Anderson at a Community Forum to chat about traffic safety, RTC projects, fire season preparation, upcoming summer events, and more happenings in Ward 6! This event is in-person at Sierra Medical Center’s small conference room. Enter through the main hospital entrance and veer left towards administration. The Small Conference room is the second door on the left!”
Wed., June 4 at 10am: Reno City Council
You can access the full June 4 City Council agenda and all supporting materials here and register to view/participate online here.
Items with ties to land development, land use, and planning include the following (but of course, be sure to skim through the agenda for other items of interest to you).
Item C.1 - Annual City Manager’s performance evaluation
Jackie Bryant was hired by the Reno City Council as Reno’s City Manager effective December 11, 2024. This places her annual review on the standard schedule of the last quarter of the fiscal year, and it also includes setting goals and performance objectives for the next fiscal year. Bryant has requested that no change be made to her salary for FY26. Attachments include self and outside evaluations. View the Staff Report here.
RELATED: ‘Employees are our biggest expense’: A look at local government pay (part 1 of 6) (This is Reno)
Item C.2 - Reno Fire Department and Reno Police Department overtime utilization, staffing practices, and operational impacts (Discussion Only)
From the Staff Report: “This item provides an overview of overtime use in the Reno Fire and Police Departments and how it supports essential public safety services. Both departments continue to experience high overtime utilization driven by staffing shortages, increased emergency call volumes, mandatory training, grant funded opportunities, special events, and mutual aid/regional operation commitments.”
RELATED: The region’s highest paid government employees (part 2 of 6) (This is Reno)
Item C.3 - Short-Term Rental (STR) regulation - presentation/discussion with potential direction to staff
From the Staff Report: “On April 23, 2025, Council expressed the desire to discuss the possible regulation of short-term rentals (“STRs”) in the City. This report provides information on the local STR market, regulatory structures of other jurisdictions, and the impacts of creating and enforcing an STR ordinance.” Information is provided on the STR regulations in Washoe County, Henderson, Las Vegas, Boise, and Denver.
Staff has determined that more than 1,100 STRs are operating in the City of Reno.
Council is being asked to provide direction that may include gathering community feedback and drafting an STR ordinance. But they may also decide to take no action and direct staff to monitor local activity and provide updates “as needed.” The Staff Report cautions that implementing this process will require adding 2-3 staff members.
RELATED:
Are short-term rentals harming housing in the basin? (Tahoe Daily Tribune)
At Lombardo’s request, Hansen ‘reluctantly’ blocks bill to rein in runaway corporate home ownership (Nevada Current)
Item C.4 - Park Districts - presentation, education, and potential approval of a professional services agreement for the development of a Service Plan to explore future district formation
Here, City Council could approve hiring a consultant to create a Service Plan to investigate creating a “park and recreation special district.” Park Districts are “an alternative funding source that can be used to acquire, build, and maintain parks, pools, and recreation centers” and are described further in the Staff Report.
Item C.5 - Sponsorship of an amendment to the 2024 Truckee Meadows Regional Plan to add a new Regional Utility Site and Corridor
The sponsorship is associated with conditional use permit case LDC25-00047 (Silver Lake to Moya Gas Capacity Project), which was previously approved by the Planning Commission. The amendment would allow for the construction of an underground natural gas line (with greater than 100 psi of pressure) and associated gas regulator station. The project is located in an existing utility corridor located ±375 feet west of the intersection of Silver Lake Road and Peppermint Drive, extending ±9,000 feet north. View the Staff Report here. Additional attachments include site maps and materials from the Planning Commission decision.
There are five ordinance adoptions on the agenda. All of these have already been approved at an initial reading, so they only require this second approval for adoption.
Item F.1 - Rancharrah Planned Unit Development Master Plan Amendment & Handbook Amendment (Ordinance Adoption)
At the first reading of this ordinance on May 7, the City Council upheld the recommendation of the Planning Commission with modifications shown in Exhibit A. Voting in favor were Councilmembers Anderson, Ebert, Martinez, Reese, and Taylor, with Mayor Schieve and Councilmember Duerr opposed. Staff Report here.
Item F.2 - StoneGate Heinz Ranch MPA and ZMA (Ordinance Adoption)
City Council approved the first reading of this ordinance on May 21. Voting for the change were Councilmembers Anderson, Martinez, Reese, and Taylor. Voting against were Mayor Schieve and Councilmembers Duerr and Ebert. Staff Report here.
RELATED:
More warehouses coming to the North Valleys after new Stonegate development approval (This is Reno)
StoneGate zoning change approved with expanded industrial space, less housing (RGJ, 5/22/25)
Item F.3 - Title 18 – Sign Code Regulations (Ordinance Adoption)
This is a text amendment to Reno Municipal Code (RMC) Title 18 for sign code regulations. On May 21, Council approved the first reading, with Councilmembers Anderson, Martinez, Reese, and Taylor voting in favor and Councilmembers Duerr and Ebert voting against. Mayor Schieve was absent. View the Staff Report here.
As This is Reno reported (full article below):
“…the main discussion was whether to allow schools to place digital signs on their properties within residential neighborhoods….Concerns from the public included the size, brightness and number of signs allowed on one property, as well as the fact that signs can be lit until 10 p.m. even when school is not in session. Other concerns included regulating sign proximity to crosswalks to reduce the risk of distracted driving near students and regulating how often sign displays change — from every eight seconds to every 15 minutes.”
As Scenic Nevada reports in their alert (below): “Both Council Members Duerr and Ebert objected to the regulations and asked for changes to accommodate neighborhood residents and Scenic Nevada’s concerns. They agreed with our suggestions to limit the hours of operation, to increase the flip time to 15 minutes, to limit the number of signs to one per school site, and to limit the sign height to six feet.” However, the Council majority refused to budge and passed the first reading 4-2.
RELATED:
More digital signs expected in Reno after council’s approval of new ordinance (This is Reno)
Take Action: Tell the Reno City Council to Say "NO" to Digital Neighborhood Signs (Scenic Nevada)
Item F.4 - Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation (Limited Tax) Sewer Bonds (Ordinance Adoption)
City Council approved the first reading of this bond ordinance on May 21. For more information, view the Staff Report here.
Item F.5 - Amending Reno Municipal Code Title 14 “Building and Construction” (Ordinance Adoption)
City Council approved the first reading of this ordinance on May 21. For more information, view the Staff Report here.
Item G.1 - Review of the guiding principles and engagement strategies associated with the City of Reno's Boards & Commissions
This is the long-awaited discussion of why the City Manager decided to place most citizen Board and Commissions on hiatus, and what next steps are planned. As the Staff Report indicates, staff considers this review to be “a timely opportunity to modernize the City’s approach to boards and commissions in ways that reflect changing community dynamics, evolving public expectations, and advancements in technology,” and are conducting this review in tandem with the development of a new public engagement framework.
This is an action item where staff is requesting that Council adopt a resolution “temporarily suspending regular meetings of certain discretionary boards and commissions” with some exceptions, and allowing for special meetings to be convened as needed. Now, keep in mind that this “temporary pause” or “90-day hiatus” has already been in effect for a month without any Council direction.
The stated intent of the pause is “to reduce administrative burden, maintain flexibility for urgent matters, and support a more thorough evaluation of board structures, policies and practices.” During this break, the report states that “Staff will engage stakeholders, including board members, applicants, and the broader public, throughout the process and will return to Council with additional recommendations and updates as the work progresses.”
The Staff Report outlines “five guiding objectives to shape the review of boards and commissions” (each of these is further elaborated in the report):
Enhance Governance (a comprehensive evaluation of bylaws, ordinances, and resolutions governing 37 boards and commissions)
Promote Inclusivity (ensuring all segments of the community are represented)
Improve Engagement (exploring new tools and outreach strategies)
Foster Collaboration and Training (enhancing training and cross-collaboration)
Support Continuous Improvement (building in regular assessments)
In addition to passing a resolution to pause regular meetings, staff is asking Council to “provide direction on the scope and priorities of the evaluation process.”
I highly encourage you to read through this Staff Report, especially if you currently serve on or regularly attend one or more Boards or Commissions, and let City Council know what you think about the “scope and priorities” as outlined here, and any concerns you have about this continued pause. There’s no indication here of how long it is envisioned to be, at this point. 90 more days? Sixty? Have City staff members already been using their extra time to compile information and begin these evaluations?
I think all of this sounds timely and important, but I remain highly concerned about pausing these meetings while the review is underway. As you can see from this week’s packed City Council and Planning Commission agendas, City business continues at a rapid pace, and these forums are critical to ensure that the community is well-informed and can continue to move important initiatives and discussions forward. I hope there’s a robust discussion about all of this, with some concrete answers.
RELATED:
ALERT! More than a dozen City of Reno citizen boards and commissions put on immediate 90-day "hiatus" (The Barber Brief)
What does "Community Engagement" mean to you? (The Barber Brief)
Item G.3 - Planning Commission Appointments/Reappointments
This item concerns the appointment or reappointment of up to two individuals to the Reno City Planning Commission.
There are currently two vacancies on the Planning Commission, as you can read in the Staff Report here. As you can see from the roster, the terms of two commissioners are expiring on June 30—namely, the Ward 1 appointee, Silvia Villanueva; and the Ward 5 appointee, Jacobs Williams. Neither has termed out, so both could technically be reappointed for another four-year term, but that’s up to Ward 1 Councilmember Kathleen Taylor and Ward 5 Councilmember Devon Reese, respectively.
The applicants include Yeliz Berg, John Brownell, Kathleen Eagan, Michael Fuess, Tina Gonfiantini, Sophie Jantz, Wesley Pittman, Sydney Poulton, Jennifer Tegnerud, Christopher Waddle, and Jacob Williams. All applications are linked from the agenda.
RELATED:
Amendment to allow at-will firing of Reno planning commissioners stripped from bill (RGJ)
Spotlight: The Reno Planning Commission (The Barber Brief, from August 2023)
TO COMMENT on any Reno City Council item for June 4: You can speak in person; submit an online form at Reno.Gov/PublicComment; email comments to Publiccomment@reno.gov; or comment live via Zoom by registering at this link.
Thurs., June 5 at 6pm: Reno Planning Commission
You can access the June 5th Reno Planning Commission agenda and all supporting materials here. To view/participate online, register here. Action items include these:
5.1 - Dave & Buster's CUP (LDC25-00054) - Staff Report
5.2 - Swartz Major Deviation (LDC25-00053) - Staff Report
5.3 - Mt Rose Street Junction MPA and SPD (LDC25-00018) - Staff Report
5.4 - Talus Valley Village 22 (LDC25-00049) - Staff Report
5.5 - High Desert Paving Storage Yard (LDC25-00055) - Staff Report
TO COMMENT on any Planning Commission item for June 5, you can speak in person; submit an online public comment form at www.reno.gov/PCPublicComment; (2) send an email to RenoPlanningCommission@reno.gov; or comment live via Zoom by registering here.
COMMUNITY ACTION: The Save Lakeridge initiative
I may have given my last Brief the title “Will land use development be the central issue of the 2026 City of Reno elections?” but that doesn’t mean you need to wait until next year to make your collective voices heard! For example, I was so impressed this past week by the organization of the Lakeridge community, which held a massive meeting at Bartley Ranch. They now have a website with info on their issues of concern, updates, how to get involved, FAQ, and an email signup. So check that out, not only if you’re interested in Lakeridge, but as a possible model for other community action.
NEWS DIGEST: The latest in local urban development
City revokes Two One Nine nightclub license after violations (This is Reno)
East 4th Street, Lear Theater again make list of endangered historic places (This is Reno)
Air quality advisory issued due to elevated ozone levels (This is Reno)
A moment of silence for property tax reform (and other bills killed by the Nevada Legislature) (Nevada Current)
That’s it for this week. Happy June, stay cool and hydrated, and please look out for one another!
Be sure to check out my Citizen Guide for helpful resources and links to help anyone become more informed and engaged in issues related to urban development (& more) in Reno.
You can view this and prior newsletters on my Substack site, subscribe to receive each new edition in your email inbox, and follow the Brief (and contribute to the ongoing conversation) on X, Facebook & Instagram. If you feel inspired to contribute, you may purchase a paid subscription through Substack or contribute via Venmo at @Dr-Alicia-Barber or via check to Alicia Barber at P.O. Box 11955, Reno, NV 89510.