Manager's eUpdate for 02/04/10

I am pleased to provide you with highlights of some of our recent activities that reflect the County Commission's strategic priorities for our region. As always, I welcome your comments either by email (ksimon@washoecounty.us) or phone (775-328-2000). If you do not wish to receive this update by email, please let Community Relations Director Kathy Carter know at kcarter@washoecounty.us. Thank you.

Katy Simon
Washoe County Manager

To date since our fiscal year started July 1, our Roads Department has spent $580,000 servicing county roads for snow and ice events. Our employees have logged over 10,000 hours in support of these weather events, and used 66% of our overtime/callback budget to fill in for the 17 fewer positions we have available this year due to budget constraints. Our crews did an excellent job planning ahead with the last series of storms, and they are prepared to respond to future events. To view the County`s snow and ice control plan and snow plow route maps for both the region and the unincorporated part of the county, visit our website at www.washoecounty.us/gis To report any road safety concerns, please call 328-2180.

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Washoe County employees donated more than $86,000 to help the local United Way of Sierra Nevada provide much needed services in our community at a time when it`s needed most. We are very proud of our employees` compassion and generosity even during a time when they have experienced wage decreases and hardships themselves.

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Almost 10,500 trees were recycled through this year`s Christmas Tree Recycling. The program is a great regional collaboration with Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, the county and the two cities. The trees were recycled into mulch which was given away free to residents during the month of January.

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As of December 31, 2009 the Department of Social Services finalized 158 adoptions for the calendar year providing permanent, loving families to abused or neglected children who were unable to be reunified with their biological parents. This is the highest number since the County took over adoptions from the State of Nevada in 2002. For more information about foster care and adoption opportunities, please visit our site at www.washoecounty.us/socsrv or call 337-4400.

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Employees from the cities of Reno and Sparks, as well as other public employers such as the RTC and School District, have been invited to attend Washoe County`s excellent in-house training programs. Recently, City of Reno staff attended our Human Resources` training program of 48 hours of classroom instruction and on-the-job assignments to enable them to design and deliver training within their own departments. Our HR staff has also been sharing with their city colleagues materials and training programs designed to assist employees who will experience layoffs due to budgetary issues.

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The Flood Project Coordinating Committee, Washoe County and the two cities have all approved a Joint Powers Authority agreement for the Truckee Meadows Flood Project. The key provisions of the document (available at www.truckeeflood.us) outlines the nuances associated with the JPA including transitioning from a 23-member board to a 6-member board with equal representation of the three jurisdictions and a change from unanimous voting to majority rules, with a few items requiring approval by 75% of the body.

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On January 26th, County Commissioners approved the Vya temporary work camp that will be used to mobilize workers to construct the Ruby natural gas pipeline through northern Washoe County. This construction project may employ upwards of 300 workers from the local labor pool (out of a total of up to 600) and the work camp will serve as their living facility for 8 to 12 months. The application for the pipeline will be processed next and is tentatively scheduled for hearing at the March 2nd meeting of the Washoe County Planning Commission.

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The County is pleased to have partnered with the Reno/Sparks Chamber of Commerce to present a new show, `Working Together For Economic Vitality` available for viewing on demand on our website and playing on TV-217. Please visit our website at www.washoecounty.us to see the latest 5 minute video highlighting the Chamber`s upcoming Directions 2010 event scheduled for February 10th. There are other short videos available about county programs and services that you may find beneficial; just click on `The Washoe Channel` logo on our website and go to `video on demand` to browse our selections.

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Washoe County is participating with the two cities in two programs funded by the federal government and administered by the Reno Housing Authority to purchase foreclosed properties which are then rehabilitated and re-sold or rented to middle and low-income families in our community. Between these two programs, the region has received approximately $25 million which the RHA is using to purchase these foreclosed homes in the Stead, Sun Valley, `old Sparks,` and the Oliver- Montello neighborhood in Reno. The programs are known as the Neighborhood Stabilization Programs 1 and 2. These programs are beneficial to the community in three ways. First, when the homes are re-habilitated using Energy Star appliances and other energy efficient materials. Second, by preventing foreclosed homes from falling into disrepair, other homes in the area do not suffer a negative impact on their value. And third, the programs provide quality housing to middle and low-income, eligible families in our community.

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At their January 26th meeting, the County Commission gave direction to staff to pursue a strategy to meet the $25 million deficit forecasted for next fiscal year. The Board also heard that without long-term, sustained budget reductions, the County will face a `structural deficit` for the next five years as projected expenses exceed revenues. The Board identified three goals to do this: maintain service levels, maximize employment and achieve sustainable labor costs. The County has reduced our spending by more than $100 million over the past four years, and our employees have foregone any cost of living raises for the past two years, and most employees also took further wage reductions last year. Funding has been cut for approximately 500 positions, and spending was cut by 11% in just one year. For more on our budget and to provide us your input, please go to www.washoecounty.us and click on the `County Budget` link.

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When the construction industry experienced substantial declines, our Building and Safety Department was significantly impacted since 100% of their budget is from user fees. In the past two years, the Department has reduced their staff from 32 to 13 and reduced their workweek to 32 hours, resulting in a 20% wage reduction for the remaining staff. This restructuring is working with anticipated savings of $180,000 and reduction in sick leave usage all with very little impact to the customer. As the building industry recovers, we`ll adjust if necessary to ensure customer demand is still meet but as efficiently as possible.

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The Clerk`s office has launched a new online searchable records system that allows citizens to search databases for marriage license applications, fictitious firm name filings, and ministers. Citizens may also pre-fill information for these two applications to reduce their time at the customer service counter. Please visit their site at www.washoecounty.us/clerks

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Improve Public Safety, Security and Health

Preserve and Enhance Our Quality of Life

Improve Regional Collaboration

Support a Healthy Economy

Improve Government Efficiency and Financial Stability

Provide Excellent Public Services