Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Reno public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
Regional Stormwater Permit Compliance and Invoices
NDEP has issued the draft Truckee Meadows MS4 Permit #NVS000001, which sets stormwater discharge requirements for Reno, Sparks and Washoe County. Comments are open through November 30, 2026, so this is the window to influence regional runoff rules.
FY27 stormwater program budget increase
The committee is poised to approve about $45,500 in invoices for stormwater monitoring and watershed assessments in FY2027, mostly reimbursed through the Water Management Fund and NDOT. This funding keeps tabs on water quality in local creeks and the Truckee River.
Valley Wood Drainage Restoration Project
Reno's drainage restoration project in the Valley Wood area is moving forward — a project aimed at improving stormwater drainage for that neighborhood.
Gorelick Density Increase at Taylor and Arlington
The Gorelick application asks to more than double allowed density — from 14 to 30 units per acre — on four parcels at the northeast corner of West Taylor Street and South Arlington Street. Neighbors will want to weigh in before the Planning Commission hears it December 3.
Park District Framework
The department is laying out a framework for park districts and what comes next. This could shape how Reno parks are organized and funded in the future.
Pembroke Final Design
The board gets a look at the final design for the Pembroke park project. Design decisions made now will define what the finished park offers neighbors.
New Community Services Coordinator classification
The city is creating a new job class that supervises staff and coordinates constituent services and community engagement programs. Approving its minimum qualifications is a step toward filling the role and shaping how residents access city services.
Plumb Farmhouse historic designation
A 0.39-acre single-family property at 1895 West Plumb Lane would get a Historic Landmark overlay on top of its existing SF-3 zoning, recognizing and protecting its historic character. The City Council is expected to take it up December 9.
Parks and Recreation Department FY26 Financial Performance
The board reviews how many people used Reno parks and rec programs last fiscal year, plus how the department's budget is tracking in the first quarter of FY27. The numbers show which facilities and programs residents rely on most.
Public art purchase for the Metro Collection
The board will consider recommending the city spend up to $3,000 on artwork by 2026 Reno City Artist Joanna Drakos for the permanent public art collection. It's a small dollar figure, but it shapes what art residents see in public spaces.
2027 Arts & Culture Event and Project Grants
Up to $180,000 in city grant funding will be recommended for community arts and culture events across 2027 — everything from a quilt show and barbershop music to Dia de Muertos celebrations and ballet performances. The board will rank applicants and pass recommendations on to City Council.
Dorothy McAlinden Park Public Art Selection
The city is commissioning artwork for Dorothy McAlinden Park with a budget of up to $81,000, and three finalists — Eileen Gay, Jennifer Tran, and Brian Wignall — are pitching their concepts. The task force's pick will shape what residents see in the park for years.
Lear Theater Stabilization and Historic Preservation
The board allocated $2 million toward interior stabilization, exterior blight remediation, and feasibility studies for the historic Lear Theater.
Primary Election Certification
The council must legally certify the November 3 election results by canvassing the returns — the step that makes the winners official and lets new council members be sworn in.
Community painting day for the Virginia Street median
A proposed community art event would let residents paint the Midtown Virginia Street median between Liberty and Vassar. Before any paint hits, staff has to clear federal traffic-control rules and RTC grant conditions tied to the median's construction.
Opioid settlement funds for MOST team and addiction treatment
Reno is sitting on opioid settlement money and council wants to know if $780,000 of it can fund the MOST crisis-response team — clinicians who ride with police on behavioral health calls — and $50,000 for treatment at The Empowerment Center. The catch: settlement dollars have strict rules on what they can pay for, so staff will first check what's eligible.
FY 2027 Interim Financial Report and Budget Augmentations
Reno's Financial Advisory Board will review how the city's FY2027 budget is tracking so far, including any spending augmentations and revisions. It's a mid-course check on whether the city can fund services residents count on.
Telephone Franchise Fee Audit Results
The board hears the results of an audit of telephone franchise fees — money telecom companies pay the city for use of public rights-of-way — plus updates on audits in progress.
Section 106 Federal Preservation Regulations Update
An update on proposed changes to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the federal review process that protects historic properties when federally funded or permitted projects affect them.
City Debt Position and Obligations
An update on how much debt the city is carrying. Debt levels shape what Reno can afford to borrow for roads, facilities, and other capital projects.
OPEB Trust Fund Financial Health and Liabilities
The trust that helps cover retiree health benefits stands at about $39 million, with investment earnings — not city contributions — doing most of the growth. The board is weighing how much the city should contribute going forward as market conditions shift.
Property Tax Structure and Distribution Overview
A presentation on how property taxes work, how they're structured, and how the money gets distributed. Informational only — no action, but useful context for residents watching where their tax dollars go.
Quilici Ranch mass grading and hillside development
A nearly 20-acre multi-family site would see mass grading with cuts deeper than 20 feet and fills over 10 feet, including within designated open space land. Neighbors may care about hillside impacts, drainage, and loss of open space.
Residential deviation requests in Ward 5
Two homeowner deviation requests — a large garage addition and a six-foot front fence — will be previewed. They're small in scale but set precedents for what neighbors can build in single-family zones.
Proposed RPD / Washoe County Sheriff merger
A board member argues Reno and Washoe County should explore merging police agencies into one metro department under NRS Chapter 280, pointing to dozens of RPD vacancies and rising calls for service. It's a discussion-level idea for now, not a formal proposal.
ASL Master Plan & Zoning Map Amendment (Twin Lakes Drive)
A 25-year-old landscaping business sits on a patchwork of mismatched zoning, and the owner wants a Specific Plan District to make the whole site legal and bring it into conformance. Neighbors nearby are worried about truck traffic, kids playing in the street, parking, and code violations on the parcels.
Hillside Foursquare Church Master Plan and Zoning Amendment
Someone is asking the city to rezone about 3.57 acres along Twin Lakes Drive near West Fourth Street to a Specific Plan District, plus a master plan change on part of the site. What gets built there — and how intensely — depends on how these requests fare. The advisory board will hear it November 9, and the Planning Commission could decide December 3.
Board member term expirations and reappointments
Several Ward 1 board members' terms expire at the end of December; interested members must submit a new application to be considered for reappointment by Councilmember Taylor.
West 4th Street Roundabout Public Art Project
The City is commissioning public art for the West 4th Street roundabout, and three finalists — Barry Crawford, Gordon Huether, and Sean Orlando — are pitching their designs. The Task Force's artist recommendation is a key step in deciding what drivers and neighbors will see at this gateway intersection for years to come.
Planning Commission Bylaws and Consent Agenda Rules
New rules will create a consent agenda for routine items, require commissioners to attend 75% of meetings, and limit virtual attendance to six meetings a year with cameras on during discussion. Removal triggers now hinge on attendance, not minor camera slips.
Seneca Drive Warehouse Opposition (written comment)
Horizon Hills residents submitted written comments opposing warehouses, including a data center, planned near Peavine Mountain, citing impacts on quiet, air quality, wildlife, and frog ponds that feed Swan Lake.
Corner Lot Fence Height Deviations and Neighborhood Visibility
A homeowner at 931 Gordon Avenue wants a six-foot fence in a front yard where only four feet is allowed. Small on its face, but major deviations like this set the tone for neighborhood character.
Keystone Canyon PUD Amendment & Density Increase
The developer of Keystone Canyon wants to add up to 105 more homes in northwest Reno and put housing where shops were planned. It's one of the bigger housing decisions coming before the city, and it will eventually go to the City Council.
Surplus City Property Disposition
Reno is about to shop around some city-owned land. The council approved a plan to flag properties that could be sold or leased, which could bring in cash but also change what public space is available and how the city grows. The details—which parcels and what they’re used for—will determine who wins and loses.
Talus Valley Special Assessment District No. 1
South Reno's Talus Valley development would get new sewer, storm and water infrastructure through a special assessment district, with property owners there footing the $9.5 million bill via assessments and bonds. No cost to the general fund, but it sets the financing framework for a large development.
Farewell to Mayor Hillary Schieve
Longtime public participant Eddie Lorton and resident Greg Nuttall thanked Mayor Schieve for twelve years of service at what appears to be her final council meeting, and a tribute video celebrated her work on mental health, addiction, arts, and small business. It was a rare moment of warmth between a frequent council critic and the mayor.
Vice Mayor election
The council's annual pick of who serves as Vice Mayor for the coming year — the person who steps in when the Mayor is absent.
Pennington Foundation Fire Apparatus Grant
Reno Police would receive a $1.2 million federal technology grant, ammunition funding, and DNA services; Reno Fire would get helmets via a state grant.
Redevelopment Agency consultant spending
The Agency plans to spend up to $1.8 million over three years on four consulting firms for analysis, underwriting, advisory, and financial work tied to redevelopment projects. This shapes which downtown projects get vetted and how redevelopment dollars are spent.
Martinez Landscaping Patent Easement Abandonment
A public hearing on abandoning about 14,500 square feet of roadway and utility easement at the north end of Koenig Road in Ward 4.
Pawsitive Improvements Program
A pet relief area improvement program would be formally found compliant with NRS 279 and consistent with the Redevelopment Plan, with the Executive Director authorized to administer it.
FY 2026/27 Redevelopment Agency Budget and Capital Improvement Plan
The board approved the annual budget and capital improvement projects for Redevelopment Areas 1 and 2, directing funds toward street improvements, neighborhood stabilization, and public programs.
Sutro Street rezone for Hillside Foursquare Church site
About 6.8 acres off Sutro Street currently zoned for single-family homes could be rezoned to mixed-use suburban, opening the door to denser development near US 395.
Virginia Street Placemaking Study
The 2023 Placemaking Study found 70% of Virginia Street frontage is blank walls, garages, and empty lots, and half of people don't feel safe walking there. Proposed fixes include seating, shade, alley art, filling empty storefronts, and safer crossings — with funding decisions coming in the FY 28 budget cycle.
Legislative Extension of Redevelopment Area 2
A board member flagged the city's effort to extend Redevelopment Area 2 from 2035 to 2050 so downtown projects keep penciling out, and argued the board should push to condition TIF incentives on street-friendly features like shade trees and lighting.
West 4 Street Small Walls Mural Project
The updated Public Art Master Plan is one year into implementation, with the Small Walls mural program pairing local artists with private downtown property owners. Future ideas include art along the Truckee River and possibly reviving fire station murals.
Public Art Master Plan Progress
Board members will discuss the ongoing implementation and overview of the Public Art Master Plan to integrate more artistic elements into Reno's public spaces.
TMWRF Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Progress
The plant has 18 capital projects underway, and the committee shifted money within the FY27 capital budget to keep the dewatering building and TWAS pump upgrades moving — key investments in keeping the regional wastewater plant reliable.
Regional Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) System Contract Adjustment
The executive board is reviewing a major contract change order with vendor Octave (formerly Intergraph Corporation) that reduces milestone payments by $600,000, extends on-site support, and resets the project schedule. This multi-agency project involves Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, and REMSA to modernize emergency dispatch operations.
Voting Machine Integrity
Reno's voting machines are officially in top shape, with local officials confirming everything is calibrated and printing properly. You can head to the polls knowing your vote will count without any technical headaches.