[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6561939,"mediaKeyId","3285370-9d6d65799dbd00fca071ab6c60c84db8","parentId",3285370,"title","Reno council directs staff to advance FY2026 tentative budget, raises appeal fee to $200 with waiver process","audioSeconds",11462,"startMs",374000,"endMs",11836000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3285370-9d6d65799dbd00fca071ab6c60c84db8&start=374&end=11836","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3285370-9d6d65799dbd00fca071ab6c60c84db8/thumbnail_374000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6561939/Nevada/Reno-council-directs-staff-to-advance-FY2026-tentative-budget-raises-appeal-fee-to-200-with-waiver-process","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561939-0632fe6cb0a62215c0377222049d94aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1770739481&Signature=OKBhP9ArSLSMIUm7OWRLIRP7ciiSI1YOJrsnUOYt5qjA0wT0vOoBBie8OLBroebtpvF4vKKF-H-9lZvJGYVM-Ud9QC4BrZW2g6dJicdgw~GcM1zyFlqr5g8dUZX3m9FFqYMr3S39hfUvd~50yCXVPFCjP1EAMT6ApQFXgKC0ldfCMMJepHZjpOqG-hmV9ZvwvRwpLiM43AjO4jYcB-qTRf1YayfnK8x3~oRVZtoslLk5ARR4d4jFZJunQEeKCVp0UIQ7UiywWFz62GEZnHnfyO59Nl-1DENafENJDrf-pU755JvZLi-~fHGIJChkslkJ3gG7eYan0lBuApzlDHmkrA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Reno, NV","date","2025-05-06T20:13:29.983Z","article","On Monday, May 5, the Reno City Council directed staff to advance a tentative $321 million fiscal year 2026 budget and accompanying fee schedule, approving a staff- recommended package and an adjustment to the appeal filing fee by unanimous vote.

The budget, presented by Vicki Van Buren, the city’s director of finance, uses about $9.5 million in one-time funding and carries roughly $16 million in program and service reductions to balance proposed appropriations. Council also approved raising the fee for filing a development appeal to $200 and asked staff to implement a waiver process for applicants who demonstrate financial hardship.

The vote followed a three-hour workshop in which staff outlined revenue constraints and proposed reductions. Van Buren said the tentative budget assumes slower revenue growth in sales and property taxes and relies on one-time monies to close a near-term gap: \"We have $321,000,000 proposed for fiscal year 26. We have $9,500,000 in one-time funds proposed to balance it,\" she said.

City manager Jackie Bryant and department directors told council the package aims to preserve mission-critical services while limiting new hires. City staff proposed a targeted strategy of frozen or unfunded positions rather than blanket cuts; the list attached to the tentative budget identified about 19.75 positions to be held vacant (described in council materials as roughly 20 positions). Van Buren said the city is not recommending any new citywide positions in the general fund for FY26, while two positions were proposed specifically for the redevelopment agency.

Council members and staff repeatedly flagged the mismatch between continued inflation-driven cost increases and flattening revenue. Van Buren called attention to rising construction costs — \"anywhere from 40 to 60%\" — and said contingency and annual capital funding were eliminated from the tentative budget to reach balance. The budget relies on a mix of fund transfers, sale proceeds and use of fund balance; Van Buren said the city’s general fund balance percentage would fall from the previously adopted 15% to about 12.5% if the plan is adopted.

The meeting also included discussion of several program-level changes and fee updates: Lindsay Hatfield, the budget manager, reviewed fee schedule changes such as the building valuation table update from the International Code Council; new administrative fees for enforcement processing; a modest CPI-based utility increase; and an amended special-events fire-permit fee. Staff announced that parking enforcement will move administratively to the Police Department in the adopted structure.

A central debate at the workshop focused on raising the fee to file an administrative land-use appeal. Chris Pingree, director of development services, told council the city’s current appeal fee recoveres only a fraction of staff costs, and that the department’s review estimated the average appeal consumes about $7,500 in staff time: \"An average appeal is probably $7,500 in staff time alone,\" Pingree said. Several council members pushed for an incremental increase rather than a large initial jump; others said the fee needed to reflect the real administrative cost and reduce frivolous filings.

After extended discussion, council accepted a compromise motion to raise the appeal filing fee to $200 (instead of the $500 figure proposed earlier by staff) and to implement a fee-waiver process for applicants who can show financial hardship. Councilmember comments reflected the split: Councilmember Ebert urged preserving access for lower-income residents, saying, \"This increase will absolutely make it so the people in my ward cannot afford to file an appeal.\" Supporters of a higher fee emphasized staff time and subsidy concerns.

Council members also discussed non-fee topics tied to the budget: a 90-day pause and review of boards and commissions to assess staffing and public-engagement practices; reductions to discretionary council member allocations; and the ongoing focus on public-safety and infrastructure spending, which accounts for the largest share of general-fund expenditures. Parks, facility maintenance and deferred capital projects were noted repeatedly as service areas that will face delivery delays under the proposed reductions.

Public commenter Bill Shrimp urged council to treat the budget as a statement of priorities, criticizing some prior spending decisions and urging support for boards and commissions as avenues for public engagement. \"A budget is about priorities,\" Shrimp said during public comment.

Outcome and next steps: Council voted unanimously to direct staff to proceed with the FY2026 budget and fee schedule package with the $200 appeal fee and a waiver mechanism. Staff will return to council for final budget adoption at the public hearing scheduled for May 21 and must file the adopted budget with the Nevada Department of Taxation by June 1. Van Buren said staff would incorporate feedback from the May 5 workshop into the final documents.

Votes at a glance: The motion to advance the FY2026 tentative budget and fee schedule (including the $200 appeal fee with waiver) passed by unanimous vote.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Reno City Council & Redevelopment Agency Board Budget Workshop | Captions Available | May 5, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","On Monday, May 5, the Reno City Council directed staff to advance a tentative $321 million fiscal year 2026 budget and accompanying fee schedule, approving a staff-recommended package and an adjustment to the appeal filing fee by unanimous vote.","taxTitle","City Council Meetings , Reno, Washoe County, Nevada","taxId",69270,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6561934,"Reno Redevelopment Agency approves FY2026 operating plan, sets aside funds for downtown improvements and Fourth Street plan",2159,13454000,15613000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3285370-9d6d65799dbd00fca071ab6c60c84db8&start=13454&end=15613","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3285370-9d6d65799dbd00fca071ab6c60c84db8/thumbnail_13454000.jpg","/articles/6561934/Nevada/Reno-Redevelopment-Agency-approves-FY2026-operating-plan-sets-aside-funds-for-downtown-improvements-and-Fourth-Street-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561934-1b5118f2d996276844aa1fa7471f72e4/orig.mp4?Expires=1770739481&Signature=KGLbl9r59CbCnz~V22OOF9JGuhwd4JBnuYhx-eivelf6-AEJQgZwofBFggvh0uhloBG9eLLPyA-X-oMaP3jiuTY8k5qRcmb42mO-0cKFWO7qhKNlJbyBXIkr6Hp5yPLq5lEn0S97TG2wjfScesxk9JXNTV6WhDujobTxrHJHuxmAw8b0ExxgNjVW5SguGTWsTsRzgPNCmaHwXCa6IAIMZxoHRKqXmGSJQY5nTbFCDQ8Q-OVtZ-PpO1NefgN2UodSHDbvND7DjWwFA-wePGhGQ5RjK5r0pAbZVzphy5ThYPee4HCdVYsj3Z~JNsI0ZBPJEmhbMXXteD1FocBn2jdTvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","On Monday, May 5, the Reno Redevelopment Agency voted unanimously to advance an FY2026 operating plan and capital program that targets tactical downtown improvements and planning for redevelopment corridors.

Brian McCarter, the city’s revitalization manager, told the RDA board that the agency now has capacity to fund projects after years of debt service and that this fiscal year presents the first material increment in RDA1 (downtown) available for reinvestment. McCarter said RDA1 will have modest, carry-forward funds available and that RDA2 continues to generate larger annual increment driven by new development outside downtown.

The operating plan approved by the board allocates funds across programs including a renewed downtown ‘‘restore’’ grant program (proposed split between RDA1 and RDA2), a small tactical vandalism repair grant to expedite storefront repairs, a placemaking pilot fund and public-art murals. The plan also includes up to $350,000 for initial improvements at the historic rail depot on Commercial Row to separate and clarify Amtrak operations and to ready the building for future reuse, and $4.5 million to acquire specific City-owned properties along the retrack corridor that staff previously identified in a city property plan.

McCarter said the RDA proposes to add two management analyst positions to the agency staff to support a heavier pipeline of tax-increment finance (TIF) applications and program delivery. The FY26 operating plan listed $7.6 million in capital projects across both districts, $3 million in bond service and anticipated professional services for planning and legal support. The plan also earmarked funds for a citywide parks and river service plan, a project McCarter said would help coordinate long-term riverfront maintenance and programming.

Board members discussed timing and limitations tied to tax-increment financing. McCarter reminded the board that the legislative set-aside for the Washoe County School District requires an 18% allocation of any RDA1 surplus above debt obligations, a requirement embedded when the original RDA1 legislation passed. He also noted that RDA1’s remaining long-term bonds mature in 2027; paying down those obligations will free more local increment for capital use.

The board authorized staff to proceed with the FY2026 plan; McCarter said staff will return with implementation details and a proposed five-year capital plan to sequence projects. Outcome: RDA board voted unanimously to move forward with the staff-recommended FY2026 operating plan and capital program.

","The Reno Redevelopment Agency (RDA) advisory board and the RDA board approved a FY2026 operating plan that funds small tactical programs in both RDA1 (downtown) and RDA2 (noncontiguous commercial corridors), proposes acquisition of city parcels, and budgets support for a Fourth Street revitalization plan and the historic rail depot.","actionData","errors"]

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Reno council directs staff to advance FY2026 tentative budget, raises appeal fee to $200 with waiver process

Reno Redevelopment Agency approves FY2026 operating plan, sets aside funds for downtown improvements and Fourth Street plan