UPDATE REGARDING LAST WEEK’S JUNE 3 CITY COUNCIL MEETING
Hello Fernley, this is your Mayor Roy Edgington with an update regarding the June 3rd City Council Meeting.
The Sheriff’s Office was present to provide statistics and gave a brief update on the happenings in Fernley. He stated there were shots fired at the Comfort Suites. The suspect is in custody, and they do not believe he had any ties to rioters; however, there were drugs and alcohol involved. There were no other reports of protesting or rioting in Fernley. Five vehicles were stolen from the Dodge dealership, but most of the vehicles have been recovered.
There were two public hearings: Council adopted a Resolution for temporary inter-fund loans from the General Fund to the Grants Fund. This is an item that needs to be completed each year. When the City has grants, they are reimbursable and need to be paid up front from the General Fund. Once a request for reimbursement is made, there is a transfer from the Grants Fund.
Council also adopted a Resolution to update the Development Fee Schedule. There were no increases in fees, but there needed to be adjustments to reflect the changes that were made in the Development Code that was recently adopted.
Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Fernley and Mark IV Capital. This agreement is to allow an application for Federal Grants for the construction of the Nevada Pacific Parkway extension. The developer will provide the necessary funds to have the grant written. If the grant is successful and further agreement between the City and the Developer will need to be completed for the project. The City wants to ensure that this does not cost the City any money and it doesn’t take away from other projects that are set to be completed.
An update was provided on the COVID-19 response. There was discussion about City Hall reopening, and kudos to staff – especially facilities – for the installation of all the necessary equipment and materials. There was also discussion regarding utility shut-offs and when the City might move forward with doing this. The City has not been shutting off utilities and has been working with residents for payment plans. At this time there are several accounts that are 1, 2, 3, and 4 months past due.
The Council directed staff to work with the customers that are 3 or more months behind to get a payment plan established and to move forward with shut-offs as of August 1. We are making sure that this is in compliance with the Governor’s Directives.
The Council adopted a Resolution for the updated Personnel Policy, which includes some formatting changes as well as the emergency sick leave and emergency Family Leave that came forward as a result of COVID-19.
The Council adopted a Resolution allowing the FCTA to establish guidelines, a timeline, an determine the amount of money they can use to grant funds to local businesses impacted by COVID-19. The FCTA has a meeting scheduled on June 11 to discuss this further. As those guidelines are established, more information will be provided.
In order to comply with the Governor’s Phase 2 guidelines of limiting gatherings to 50 people or less, City Council meetings will continue to be closed to the public. However, the meetings are live-streamed on the City’s webpage and the public can continue to participate in public comment by emailing cityclerk@cityoffernley.org. The next Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17th at 5pm.
In addition, please note NDOT is in the beginning phase of improvements along Highway 95A from the high school, north to the In-Town Park. These improvements will include a pedestrian path to improve safety and connectivity for high school students walking from the high school. Also note, there will be changes to parking along In-Town Park.
Thank you for your time, stay safe and healthy.