Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

You know, looking at this being a special meeting, and I am going to actually now, if I could, let's see. You know what? I'm going to do the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag All right, great. We're going to go ahead now and move to roll call, please. Chair Andrea.

Present vice chair Garcia here. Commissioner Hill here. Commissioner Clark is absent. Commissioner Herman is absent county manager. Kate Thomas. I'm here. Chief deputy district attorney, Mike large and I am Yvonne Strickland, deputy clerk, Madam chair. You have a corn. Thank you so much.

All right, we'll go ahead and close out item two and move to public comment.

Manager Thomas, please. Thank you, Madam Chair. This is item number three, public comment, and comment heard under this item will be limited to three minutes per person, and it may pertain to matters both on and off the commission agenda. Unused time may not be allocated to other speakers. The commission will also hear public comment during individual action items with comment limited to three minutes per person. Comments are to be made to the commission as a whole.

Monty Turner.

Good morning. How's everybody doing? Okay, I'm going to talk about the Washington county taxes and the misrepresentation. So I got taxation without representation. I have no fire department. I have no sheriff's department. I have no code enforcement. I have no wash county health. That guy called me with a joke. I have nothing. So, just for this year, fire cost me 161 88 and that's been going on for years. The school, which I have no kids, I don't even know why I'm paying. That's 166 1646 school debit is like, or that was school debit. The, uh, the regular schools 224 84 and the county taxes 406 dollars and 53 cents and I have no benefits from it. None whatsoever. We call the sheriff's department. They don't come. They did. We just got nothing. Health department called us yesterday twice. I was going to my home. I see the dust coming off the mountain going right over top of my house. My wife's real sick. She's got bad asthma, and I'm getting there again, so I'm going to have to go back on medication stuff. So I don't know what to say, but it is taxation without representation. To everybody on my street, all of us agree on that. Does that make sense? Have a good day. Thank you.

Thank you. Cindy Leslie.

Cindy Leslie, for the record. I am a resident of Sun Valley. Now, on my taxes, I pay Sun Valley GID a total of $39 a year. How many residents live in Sun Valley? The GID is not getting reimbursed this money. From what I understand, there was an agreement made that they're gonna get $150,000. Now, in addition to this tax I pay every year, every month on my water bill, I have to pay another $3. That's another $36 I'm paid at GID. Now, I could see if Washoe County was giving the money back to somewhere. I need to know where this money's going if it's not going back to the GID. There's no, every month at our CAB meetings, we hear about, oh, our, ditches aren't getting cleaned. Is this money going for that? And if so, why isn't Washoe County getting the ditches cleaned up for our Sun Valley residents? But I would like to know where this money's going because it's not going back to GID that I'm paying for every year. Thank you.

Thank you. That is everyone that signed in.

Is it possible that we could actually, Ms. Leslie, you can meet with staff and that information is 100% transparent and available to everyone. So if you can, some staff can meet with Ms. Leslie just to know where she can get that information and we can provide that information to her, that would be great. Thank you. All right, seeing there's no other public comment, we'll now move to item five, Manager Thomas. Can we go to item four, really? Oh, actually, we're going to move to item four. Thank you. You passed the test. I know.

We're going to go to item four. Thank you. Making sure I'm awake. Item number four is commissioners' and county managers' announcements, reports, and updates to include board and commission updates, requests for information, or topics for future agendas. Do you have anything? I do not, thank you. Vice Chair Garcia? Commissioner Hill? I don't have anything either. Thank you. We're now going to move to five. Thank you. Thank you so much. Now on to item number five. This is a recommendation to approve and execute the resolution R26-000033, levying tax rates certified by the Nevada Tax Commission, designating the number of cents of each $100 of property levied for all Washoe County entities for fiscal year 2026 and 2027, pursuant to state law. The combined overlapping tax rate is limited to $3.64 on each $100 of assessed valuation pursuant to state law. And Madam Chair, if I may, just for an overview, we don't have a presentation on this. We do have Ms. Cook here for questions, but I'll remind you and everyone that the Nevada Tax Commission, as they do annually, they certified the fiscal year 2026-27 tax rates yesterday, June 25th, and state law then requires that the Board of County Commissioners follow that action by leviting the tax rates designated here after they certify for Washoe County. So I just want to remind us why we're here. So with that, I'll turn it back over to you.

Thank you. And just for clarification, this is a statutory item that we're required as a commission to follow. But I do would like to ask a quick question in terms of any... Possible misinformation, the fact is is that the tax did not increase. I just want to get that on the record.

Yes, it did not change.

There is no change, and this is a perfunctory responsibility. That's right.

Ms. Cook would be running to the podium if I were incorrect.

Commissioner Hill, do you have any questions? Vice Chair, I do not. I'll call for public comment at this time, please. First up is Monty Turner.

I worked hard on this. Thank you. Okay. Imagine Monty Turner for the record. Imagine struggling Washington county family in their kitchen table. The refrigerator is nearly empty. The gas tanks are in fumes. Renters overdue prescriptions running low. Every dollar is a fight when you walks in and reaches in our pockets is just a little bit more. This is not a minor inconvenience is a daily kick in the teeth. And now you want more on fuel hybrids never ends. Washington already has the highest. Um, country highest in the country level fuel tax of the United States, or the county fuel tax in the United States. Thanks. The index tax federal. For 18.4 cents, whatever that stuff is right now, it is literally the highest it's over a dollar a gallon for our fuel taxes. It's just insane. Families are paying more for the pump and the rest of the state goes up for less government is supposed to serve for the people instead of families and squeezes higher taxes. While the commissioner served multiple boards and collective fluency paychecks from different agencies, the most egregious disrespect is a blatant conflict of interest to county commissioners and servants of voting member. A powerful bold words like RTC and others 1 elected office means 1 loyalty to the voters that put them in office, not to the web of agencies pulling extra influence of paychecks. This isn't services power consolidation. This government and its agencies are bankrupting citizens and ignoring their voices and ramming through unaccountable. Port projects that hand us a bill, this qualification, the same failed model drove millions of people businesses out of California. And why are we copying it here? Trust is like glass, but shatters quickly right now it's exploding under automatic tax hikes, overlapping roles, government acts that acts like its own people. Put in the November ballot. There should commissioners be prohibited from serving other government boards while in office. 1 job on duty to the people, right? Should the voters allow to repeal or modify our fuel tax indexing system, but pricing us out of our homes. Commissioners taxpayers are not the fuel for your machine. We exist. We you exist here to serve your taxpayers. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Troy Regas.

Hello, everyone on the dais. Nice to see you. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Troy Regas, candidate, Washoe County District 3. I'd like to talk about last week I missed the EB taxes on fuel. People are struggling. And we just keep raising taxes everywhere. Low income residents in Sun Valley have no grocery store. They already drive miles just to eat. Now you want to tax that trip even more. How's that fair? This is the next idea. Government runs upside grocery stores too often. The only voices you hear are the developers who fund your campaigns. Skyline plants is destroying longtime residents, privacy and district three. Uh, that's built on a hill and it looks down at a bunch of homes. People are moving. I don't know if you guys saw that, but they feel like they should have got a wall. Something should have been put up there for protective. You have dirt flying from the wind now, all kinds of stuff like that. Then you have Sarah reflections is being built on mercury contaminated land, a project that packed these chambers with outrage citizens twice. You ignored them. It's all about tax revenue and developers, profits, not the people that live here. This is taxation without representations. Families don't vote themselves raises when money is tight. They tighten their bills, they cut spending, and they work harder. It's time this government met the same standard. This California-style public-private revolving door of influence governance will result in more poverty, more dependence, and more misery because this board refuses to listen to the common sense of its constituents. Washoe County families are already stretched to the breaking point, paying more for groceries, housing, insurance, utilities, and gas. These constant tax hikes are the final straw on the camel's back. Leadership isn't measured by how fast you reach into your taxpayer pockets. It's measured by the courageous. to slash waste and conflicts of interest. Put residents first and practice real physical discipline. The people have already tightened their belts. Now it's government's turn. Thank you. I appreciate you.

Thank you. That's everybody that signed in. Thank you. Appreciate it. So I'm just going to ask for clarification on the legal requirement as well from DA large on why we're here today.

We're here on, uh, Michael large for the record from the district attorney's office and our s 361.460, which is a levy of a tax rate by the county commissioners, which provides immediately after the Nevada tax commission, um, shall certify the combined tax rate. The board of county commissioners shall by resolution proceed to levy the tax rate required for the fiscal period beginning the succeeding July 1st, designating the number of cents of each $100 of property levied for each fund. This is a property tax. Nevada Tax Commission acted yesterday.

Thank you. And Manager Thomas, just to repeat, I'm going to ask my question again. Is there any increase in the tax that was actually levied by the Tax Commission? The tax rate did not change. So the tax rate did not change. I just want to confirm that again. Is there any questions or clarification, Vice Chair, Commissioner Hill? All right. I'll go ahead and entertain a motion at this time.

Move to approve and execute the resolution R26-000033, levying tax rates, certifying the Nevada Tax Commission, designating the number of cents of each $100 of property levied for Washoe County entities for fiscal year 26-27, pursuant to NRS 361-460. Thank you.

Do we have a second? Second. So we have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously with no increase in tax and our fiduciary responsibility and legal responsibility has been fulfilled by statute. So, we'll move now to, uh, we'll close out item 5 and we'll move to item 6 manager Thomas.

Thank you. This is the discussion and possible action to ratify the June 19th, 2026 declaration of a state of emergency by the Washington county manager pursuant to Nevada rise statutes chapter 414 and Washington county code 65 dot 320. Me, the Washoe County manager, declared an emergency to exercise the powers prescribed by state law, by Washoe County ordinances and resolutions, and by the Washoe County emergency plans in response to the June 19, 2026 flash flood event, which was a natural event that threatened loss of life, injury to person or property, human suffering, or financial loss to the extent that extraordinary measures must be taken to protect public health, safety, and welfare. So this action is ratifying the declaration that I issued by the Board of County Commissioners.

sort of switches that over to the board's action.

Thank you. We have our emergency manager, Kelly Echevarria, here to give you a brief overview of what happened and why the emergency declaration is in place and what it does for us. Thank you. Thank you.

Welcome.

Thank you, Kelly Echevarria, for the record. As Manager Thomas mentioned, on June 19th, our region experienced a flash flood in Hidden Valley. that unfortunately brought down with it a significant amount of debris flow. We saw two inches of rain in an hour, which is a lot. And I hiked the debris flows yesterday, and it was a significant amount of earth that came down into the neighborhoods. There was one destroyed home. you major designations for damage and then most are minor to affected in designation. But It was a huge undertaking, um, to help the community by our community services division, uh, with help from city of Reno, um, city of sparks as well. And the initial response, um, and. In our conversations with manager Thomas and executive leadership, we felt it best to declare a disaster. And so we did though on Monday, um, we did that because it opens us up for support. in resources, first from the state, and then if the state meets their thresholds for impact, because we're not just talking about Washoe County Um, Lyon county was also impacted story county. Um, then they can turn to the governor and say, hey, we would like to declare a disaster for the state of Nevada. And then that declaration goes to the president, which would then open us up. For federal reimbursement, um, and engagement with FEMA at that time, I do believe we're going to hit our local threshold and that we will hit the state threshold. Um, but especially when combined with the impacts in other areas of the state. Um, if I can, I'd like to call up Eric Crump from CSC to talk about their phenomenal response to this.

Thank you for the record, uh, Eric current with Washington County's community services department. So, as, uh, Mitch, as your review at your review described on Friday, we had a significant, um. Flash flood and hidden value area. Um, I'm super proud of the Washington county team. They responded immediately. They have been all hands on deck since then. Um, some quick stats for you, uh, since since that time, uh, to date, we've had over 1900 labor hours of cruise alone, uh, responding. Uh, nearing, uh, North of 200,000 dollars, just in Washoe County crews responses, 5400 tons of mud and debris has been removed from roadways in the storm drains. Uh, 78 drainage inlets have been open and cleared. As you might imagine, our first response in our first priority was getting the roads clear. So we have safe ingress and egress for first responders for the community. So they can continue to do what they need to do. We transitioned. We're still doing some of that transition to clearing the storm drains because we just never know. When we're going to get another storm, and that storm drain was significantly impacted throughout the storm drain in that area in hidden valley is a mix of public and private storm drain infrastructure. And we will continue to do what we need to do to to protect the residents against certainly those normal storms. I do want to add this was a flash flood and our storm drain system is not designed to accommodate flash flood. And it's very unfortunate, but we are there and we will be there until we get it cleaned up and back to the way it was originally designed. So I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you. I do want to thank all of you for the immediate turnaround. No one waited at all. And I think whether it was Trekkie Meadows Fire, City of Reno... American Red Cross, the Team Rubicon, the actual mobilization of everyone. And I think that's a testament to all of the work that you do all year round to prepare in the event that you all have to work on something. In this case, it's this flash flood in Hidden Valley. So I think we'd be remiss to not – we may be missing every single – Party that was a part of this, but it wasn't just Washoe County. It was everyone all hands on deck. And I would just ask if you wouldn't mind reminding everyone where they can go to actually go online and look and always look at perimeter dot com as a resource. throughout our community. But if you wouldn't mind citing the website specifically for updates for Hidden Valley.

Yes, perimetermap.com. But if you can't remember that, you can always go to emergencywasho.com. Our public information team regionally does a great job of keeping that updated and having the right information on there so that our community can make decisions about their own safety.

Thank you. Yeah. I'll go ahead and open it up to any further questions. Public comment. Oh, I'm sorry. Vice chair Garcia. I'm sorry.

No, it's no problem. Madam chair. Um, you know, we talk about essential workers a lot and your brain kind of goes to certain careers, but I think the folks in public works, community services development, I mean, they are the ones that respond so quickly. They get people. out of their homes safely and into their jobs safely. Whether it's a really bad snowstorm or an event like this, a natural disaster, they put in the work. My little brother is a heavy equipment operator for CSD and has been for many years. I see the photos. I know the hard work that goes in. They're pulled away from their families during a Father's Day weekend. They sacrifice a lot when they do get the call. And so when we think about those essential workers, we've always got to remember that our public works teams at all of the jurisdictions really do call or they respond to that call. So thank you.

Commissioner Hill, do you have anything?

I just appreciate the team and I appreciate the residents for their understanding of the fact that it takes time to recover from a disaster. And we're going to try to learn from this in the past. I can't believe we just had a flash flood in Hidden Valley. So but we just have a committed team who's there to help. That's what the county is there for. So thank you for your work. And thanks to the patients of the residents as we continue. recover from this and see how we can continue to support them. So thanks.

Thank you. I'll go ahead and call for public comment at this time. Thank you.

Uh, first step is Claudia Townsend followed by Eric Disbra. Ms. Townsend has documents to be distributed to the board.

I'll just make sure I have that.

Good afternoon, commissioners. My name is Claudia Townsend, and I've been a resident here in Nevada, northern Nevada, for 36 years. Been in real estate for 40. Started in commercial real estate lending in 1980. Seen quite a bit in my time, but this Hidden Valley flood is definitely a first. It is significant, and it appears as if it's not the single only flood that's happened there. This is the third flood. So I'm not asking for sympathy. I'm asking for leadership today. After three major flooding events, it has become clear that this is no longer an isolated emergency. It's a reoccurring threat and disaster that continues to affect hardworking families who have spent years trying to rebuild facing multiple floods now. Much of the discussion surrounding disaster recovery Understandably focuses on repairing the roads culverts drainage systems and other public infrastructure those investments are important but infrastructure infrastructure alone does not restore a family it does not replace a lifetime of savings lost in the floodwaters. It does not repair a damaged home, restore a backyard buried in mud, or relieve the financial burden carried by the homeowners that are affected. There are federal and state programs designed to help communities recover, not just governments but residents, such as FEMA Individual Assistance, HUD Community Development Block Grant, Disaster Recovery Funding, Hazard mitigation grant programs funding and other state and local recovery initiatives, which can provide assistance for homeowners as well as infrastructure. Even when federal declarations are not available, local governments can pursue recovery strategies, partnerships and grant opportunities that prioritize residents alongside those public projects. Grant funds can and often have been distributed to the affected families. The graph that you have, or the table rather, shows those even with smaller flood disasters throughout the United States. As future grant applications are developed, please include direct assistance for residents whenever programs allow. Advocate for programs that families rebuild not just public facilities, but work with our state and federal partners to identify every available funding source. There is a lot out there that we may not even be aware of. Affected families represent years of hard work, sacrifice, and investment in this county. These residents pay property taxes, contribute to local economy, volunteer in our communities, and place their trust in our elected leaders. Today, I ask you to stand with those residents and stand with us.

They're here today.

Please pursue every available grant opportunity, not only to repair the infrastructure, but to help homeowners recover. Roads can be rebuilt with concrete.

Eric dispro followed by Deborah Wilson.

You need a copy. Or is this just what you're reading yeah okay we'll take them for the record.

Good afternoon my name is Eric and I'm speaking regarding the recent flooding and mudslide in the valley. 1st of all, I want to thank the county staff, emergency responders and public works crews for their efforts to protect residents and cleared debris after this event, which was quite extensive. We personally had minor damage to our property. However, many of our neighbors were not so fortunate. and had extensive damage to their homes, cars, trailers, air conditioners, and landscaping. Last year's mudslide, however, cost us $20,000 to dig a new ditch to build a retaining wall and clean up our property. However, while recovery is important, I urge the county to focus on long-term flood mitigation and drainage infrastructure improvements. The recent mudslide exposed vulnerabilities that many residents have been concerned about for years. Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe, and our infrastructure needs to be designed with that in mind. I respectfully ask the county to conduct a comprehensive review of drainage systems, detention basins, culverts, channels, and stormwater conveyance facilities serving the Hidden Valley area. The public should be informed of any deficiencies that are identified and provided with a clear timeline for corrective action. I also encourage the county to pursue a state and federal funding opportunities for flood control projects, erosion control measures, and watershed management improvements. Investing in prevention is often far less costly than repeated emergency response and property damage. In addition, I ask that residents be included in the planning process through public meetings and regular updates so the community can better understand both the risks and the proposed solutions. The goal should not be simply to recover from this event, but to reduce the likelihood and severity of future flooding and mudslides. I hope the county will treat this as an opportunity to strengthen infrastructure, improve public safety, increase resilience for the residents of Hidden Valley. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you. Deborah Wilson.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen. This is my first time doing this, so I had no idea to sign up. Eric said everything I wanted to say. I, too, have lived in Reno, my whole life. Sorry, 62 years. I've lived in Hidden Valley for 22 of those. I had no idea something like this could happen in my world. I, too, was not really affected by the flood. Little bit of moving rocks in the front of my yard. What I've seen from my neighbors and the help that we're providing them. and mounds of money that it's going to cost them to rebuild and replace what they have spent their entire lives trying to build. Hidden Valley is a premier place to live. I've wanted to live there my whole life. So the cost of rebuilding, I'm an insurance agent. Mudslide and mudflow is not covered under flood insurance. There is no coverage we can purchase that would have provided any sort of relief to our neighbors. It's not out there, and I am sure damned about ready to find out if there is something. We won't be able to afford it, so it's not going to matter. I agree, communication, having us involved. These people went through this. I witnessed, I happened to be working from home that day. I never worked from home. I saw the flood coming down my street. I saw the mud flow in the backyards of our neighbors. I've witnessed what some of these people have lost in their homes. They can't even live there anymore. I can go back. I got some rocks moved. It's not a big deal for me. But to communicate and help these people rebuild for something they could have never insured for, it's not covered anywhere. The county responses, who's the county guy? Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Even to this day, they were still out there moving the flood They tell us, just make sure you get the mud and the gunk and the stuff. Waste management is there. We can put all of our trash in there. They're still, they were cleaning out the drains again this morning. They are picking up the mud that we put in the middle of the street. They are going hand by hand, not just with the trucks, out cleaning everything. What the county, the fire department, Truckee Meadows, Sparks, Reno, they went door to door to make sure that our neighbors were safe. And okay. And do we have any pets there? Is there something we need to, those guys should be amended. Unbelievable. I don't know what I pay for taxes, but it was worth every single dime. So whatever you guys can do to help our neighbors rebuild and make sure that this doesn't happen again, I'm sure that people would want to help and assist with that rather than just say, Hey, not our fault. So thank you.

Thank you. Nobody else signed in. Great. Thank you.

Um, I don't know what to say other than it's more than heartbreaking. It is. So I was a part of all of that with y'all when this first happened, and I know Ms. Wilson's shaking her head because I was there. And I can tell you that when I immediately heard, which all commissioners are informed when there is some type of a situation, no matter what district it's in, but this is my district. And so I'm just letting you know that you're... Your voice is being heard. It was heard when this happened the first time. I am going to ask Mr. Crump to come up and I have a couple questions I think would be helpful. But I do want to make a couple points. One, this declaration is going to help open up those opportunities. I will tell you that FEMA has restrictions. I'm not making excuses, I'm just giving a fact. FEMA has restrictions on what the threshold is and the criteria that they have in place at a federal level for disasters. I'm not saying this qualifies or doesn't qualify. I don't know that. But I will tell you that the county is committed to actually looking at what we can do. And to Ms. Wilson's point, who is an insurance agent and who knows exactly what she's talking about, if not the other folks who shared their concerns, even the ones that weren't affected, but speaking for the neighborhood as a whole. Understand that there has been, even since the first situation, Has been a commitment, and that's what I'm going to ask Mr. Crump to explain has been a commitment for Washoe County. I've walked actually many of the areas of Hidden Valley with the engineers about what they're looking at proactively, not reactively, but proactively. And so I just want you to know we hear you. I believe the recommendation to have feedback and to have better communication is being heard. I think there's a commitment to ensure that not only the immediate response that you've heard, I have heard from residents and am in constant contact with various residents who have done the same thing that was shared a moment ago about commending the staff because it really was... literally within almost a minute of a drop, right, in terms of their response. However, there is a commitment, and I'll let Mr. Crump speak to that, not waiting, but what we can do proactively. So the declaration that is on this agenda item is a beginning first step of a declaration, and whether there are grants, whether there are opportunities through emergency management, The director of emergency management, Kelly, who spoke, is well aware of how to navigate that. And let me be really clear. If there is, we're going to pursue it. We're going to pursue it. But it does take time. It's not a light switch, and I'm not making an excuse, and I'm not minimizing the emotional impact I even felt. I mean, imagine having this. I was like, what in the world? happen again. So we can't control weather patterns. We can't control it with Story County, Lyon County. It wasn't just Washoe County. But today, what we're doing is at least a beginning step. And so, Mr. Crump, would you be so kind to share What the process was even after the last major flood in terms of the proactive approach that CSD and Washoe County staff has in place to look at what we can do to be prepared to help residents in the event this occurs again. Thank you.

Thank you again for the record. Ira Crump with Washoe County's Community Services Department. So, you know, first and foremost, post storm, the very first thing we do is go in and reestablish the existing drainage infrastructure. I think it's important to back up and understand how drainage infrastructure is typically constructed in the environment we live in. So it's usually not usually it is associated with development and it's associated with the development code at the time. And so our development code changes over time based on things we learn. So, you know, you look at you look at a development that was put in in the sixties is going to look far different in terms of the types of public infrastructure it has and what we require versus something that is that is built now. So we continue to to to experience these types of things, learn from them and change our development code to make our, our, our infrastructure and our community more resilient. In this particular area, obviously, development is pretty much done in the infrastructures there. So in those areas, we really rely on what we call FEMA flood mapping. And we've requested federal appropriations for FEMA flood mapping. FEMA flood mapping both in the Hidden Valley area as well as a few other areas. And what this does, it allows us to better understand what those risks are and start working towards additional infrastructure. It's pretty rare that we do that. There's a there's actually one a place that I'm aware of up in Lemon Valley that we've built infrastructure after a development has gone in, but we continue to learn from these things. Like you said, it takes time and a lot of money and a lot of partners and a lot of resources, but we are committed to that.

Thank you. I'm going to open it up to questions as well, but Ms. Estacharia, I have to call her Kelly because I have a hard time pronouncing her last name. Would you mind coming up? In terms of the FEMA declaration, and obviously what we're here today is a bit of a first step, but is there opportunities to look at exploring what might be available in the event, not only for Hidden Valley residents, but a few other situations, but we're going to talk about Hidden Valley. Okay. so that we can provide a real clear communication with the residents in the event that they have opportunities as well. There's some things that they can do as residents themselves, and then there's other things that we might be able to explore. And I wonder if you could speak to that.

Sure.

Thank you.

Um, we're always very tried to be as clear as possible on what residents can do to be prepared, recover or respond unfortunately to situations that arise. Um, we will continue to do that. Uh, we'll work through our regional public information officers to make sure that our, our residents are receiving all the information they need, uh, to, to recover. prepare again, and then be ready to respond to anything else that might come their way. That being said, it's kind of cyclical, as I just kind of described. But with FEMA, when it comes to you have a response, you have a recovery, you look at mitigation efforts, you implement those mitigation efforts, and you're kind of preparing the whole time. And so we just finished our mitigation plan, we have a number of activities that we're focused on, but every time funding becomes available across any one of our 13 hazards, we immediately connect that funding with the opportunities pre-identified by our subject matter experts related to that funding, and then we pursue that as applicable. If something arises where we can implement a project that would minimize or eliminate the impact of a disaster, we're going to go after it. And we're going to do that to the fullest extent of our abilities. I am a... Very big believer in mitigation if we can reduce that threat and eliminate that impact ahead of time and that's something that we want to do, because we never want to be here today, having this conversation. So sometimes that opportunity comes on the back end after a disaster has occurred. where we see gaps in infrastructure, or we need to harden things, or we need to build back to what it was before. I'm not saying that that's the situation here, but whatever that may be, and then we pursue the resources to be able to do that.

And in terms of relief to actual homeowners themselves who aren't covered by insurance for these types of things, is there any relief that you're aware of from the capacity to which you know how to navigate when there is an emergency, especially when it's declared? Sure.

So as we heard someone was speaking about individual assistance, public assistance, those things both become available when we hit those thresholds. And so that's why we're being so diligent in tracking our costs and our expected costs and combining those with what's happened throughout the region and the state. to make sure that we're accounting for every penny to get us towards that threshold so that we can help take care of our community members. In the meantime, we're reliant on our volunteer organizations active in disaster. So we've mentioned the Red Cross. We're working with Team Rubicon to see if they can help. But those are the big ones for us.

And I'll just end, and then I promise I'm going to open it up to questions. But I do, or comments by other, my fellow colleagues, but I do think that much what we did, where we stood up a page, and we did that, essentially, not only PerimeterMap.com, but Washoe County's Hidden Valley page, so that there was constant updates. Is there opportunities to update that? And I guess I'll look at the county manager in terms of looking at updating updates so that we are really clear in communicating. Every month I write an article, and certainly I'm going to have quite a lengthy article, about the resources and what we can do to help or point homeowners in the right direction. And I think that's really important because we've already seen what happened before. We know where we're at now, and we... I think, have a responsibility to ensure that the residents are communicated with effectively, efficiently, and that they know wherever they can go and how to navigate that, especially as we continue to meet these thresholds with the resolution that's before us today and what that means. And so I don't want to take up any more time. I've certainly exceeded my time. But I just wanted to make sure that the residents are hearing that this is a first step and there are other opportunities. And I think to one of the public commenters, Mr. Disbro, who spoke about having community feedback and impact. We did that the last time this happened, and I think there's an opportunity to maybe look at when we gather more information and having a community meeting, and I will host that meeting. So that's my commitment to you all. That's my commitment. We are going to communicate the best we can. You need to know that we are here for you, and we're going to do everything we can within our power to help. That's our commitment. That was our commitment the first time. It'll be our commitment this time. But I wanted you to hear that it isn't reactive. It's proactive. And we are looking at what those mitigation efforts are and what we can do, given the fact that Hidden Valley is a very mature place. It's not a newly built location. And so with that comes the engineers looking at what needs to be done so that we can work with experts with emergency management, work with FEMA, work with the state, and any other resource that we need to work with. So thank you for helping to help everyone understand information. Does anyone have any comments or questions? Yes. I have a question.

Um, you know, the, the footage has been absolutely heart wrenching to see the actual destruction that has taken place in these homes. And I just can't imagine the amount of stress and trauma that. These families are experiencing right now as they're displaced and there's so much up in the air. I was on the, I mean, emergency washer dot com is a great place for resources and the update is always refreshed. But. I'm not finding a place where people can easily go to, you know, is the place to go for flood insurance. Is that the Nevada division of insurance at the state level? Is that an appropriate referral that you would recommend Kelly or. Should we just direct people to 311 if they have insurance-related questions? That's kind of this area. I think we've dipped our toes into it in regard to fire, but it always seems to be a moving target. So what's the best place for people to do the research, ask what options they have? Sure.

Yeah, I think the Insurance Commission is a great place to go. We were just having this conversation because our good friend Jim Rich pointed out that he had looked into flood insurance and it was an extra $3,000 a year because he is not in a FEMA flood zone. FEMA flood zones are typically low-lying neighborhoods, which the northern end of Hidden Valley is. But the southern end is not. But it is at the base of an alluvial fan, which makes them susceptible to flash floods. And so we've been working with Nevada Silver Jackets and with Nevada flood teams to change that messaging. But if the insurance is unattainable because it's too expensive, because they're not in a FEMA flood zone, so they're not receiving a discounted rate, then that change needs to happen higher up at FEMA.

And is that something that our residents can contact their congressional delegates and start the work there? Is that a good avenue?

Yes. The more voices, the faster change will come.

Okay, and then for the residents who are in the room, I know we can't take questions right now, but happy to talk after. Please keep us apprised of any other GoFundMes that you have that are specific to specific neighbors that have experienced that hardship and have a request in funds. We're happy to help circulate that and donate ourselves, but keep us in the loop on how we can help, okay? Thank you. Commissioner Hill.

So as Vice Chair said, I know that someone's raising your hand and I'm not ignoring you. I'm happy to speak with you after this meeting. You can contact me directly as well. I'll stay and talk to all of you however long you need me to talk to you. So I just don't want you to think we're ignoring you. We do have to follow protocol and there are things we have to follow, but I'll be here. All right. Given that we have at least provided additional information, I think we're clear on what this resolution is important, and I will entertain a motion at this time.

Move to adopt the resolution, Madam Chair.

Thank you. Do we have a second? Second. Okay, we have a motion by Commissioner Hill, a second by Vice Chair Garcia. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries unanimously. Thank you so much. We are now going to close out Item 6 and move to Item 7, which is public comment. Do we have any public comment? We do not. Thank you. We're going to now move to Item 8, Commissioner's County Manager Announcements. Manager Thomas.

Thank you these are excuse me announcements reports and updates to include boards and commission updates requests for information or topics for future agendas. All if I may Madam chair would add to the discussion today was a sincere. Thank you to the communications division department who showed up. within a matter of hours that day to gather transparent and comprehensive footage to make sure that we were posting to Emergency Washoe to make sure that you were all aware, that residents were aware, that we were taking input, 311 available, and then just thank you to the residents. We get, as public servants, a lot of times blamed for things, but your comments and insights and suggestions have been well taken by staff, and so thank you to the amazing community of End Valley.

Any other comments?

Mr Hill, just to dovetail off of vice chair Garcia's comments on insurance. I'm wondering if we could have cadence just look if there's anything we're missing on the state level and we should be advocating this upcoming session on because it's tough to tell folks like, go to your senator and it's like, is Congress going to do anything about this? I mean, it would be great if they did. Um, so if we could help on the state level, maybe we look into that too.

Well, I know this is an agenda item, so I know that I'm not going to want to comment that I was immediately thinking this is a great NACO item, but I didn't. I'm going to stop before DA Large says this isn't an agenda item to talk about. I'm going to stay within the rules of that, but I'm just going to share I thought about this was a great NACO. This is just a general comment. I currently serve as the vice president of NACO, the Nevada Association of Counties, which represents all 17 counties. And it's been quite a bit of time, but at the time the Division of Insurance director came and did a presentation, there were other things that were pertinent at that time. This was discussed a bit. Hidden Valley had recently happened when he was there. He left. in terms of just, I'm not sure where he went. So we had a gap in the State of Nevada Division of Insurance Director that's now been occupied. It's been filled, that position's been filled. So there may be an opportunity for us to look at opening up that discussion. I'll also do a shout out that there may be an opportunity that those insurance folks who have expertise in this area might also want to meet because there are insurance companies that have other associations and various facts that could actually meet. I'd encourage maybe that to be something to think about. Maybe meeting with the insurance director of the state of Nevada might be really, really powerful. All right, I don't have anything else. And anybody else? All right, this meeting is adjourned at 1.54. Thank you so much.