Sparks City Council Highlights November 12, 2024

Contact:
Julie Duewel
Communications Manager
[email protected]
(775) 353-7894

Sparks, NV - The following are highlights from the November 12, 2024, Sparks City Council Meeting.

Announcements, Presentations, Recognition Items, and Items of Special Interest:

• City Manager Dion Louthan announced the following boards and commissions vacancies:
  • One vacancy for the Ward 4 appointee on the Sparks Equity and Inclusion Advisory Board for a partial term ending June 30, 2025. Applicants must reside in the City of Sparks, preferably in the Ward of the appointing official. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on November 15, 2024.
  • One vacancy on the Sparks Civil Service Commission, for a partial term ending June 30, 2026. Commissioners must be Sparks residents and cannot be city employees or related to one within the third degree of consanguinity. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on November 15, 2024.
  • Two vacancies on the Sparks Planning Commission, each for a 4-year term ending December 31, 2028. Applicants must be Sparks residents and registered to vote. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on November 22, 2024.
  • One Performing Arts representative vacancy for the Sparks Arts and Culture Advisory Committee for a term ending November 1, 2026. Applicants must be a Washoe County resident, have a full understanding of being an arts advocate, have five years or more experience as an arts advocate, be forward-thinking in programming of the arts, and have prior experience on a non-profit or government board. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on November 22, 2024.
• Communications Coordinator Withanee Milligan gave a presentation about the summer photo contest and introduced the five community winners.
• Mayor Ed Lawson proclaimed November 17-23, 2024, as Apprenticeship Week to celebrate the value of hands-on training and education that strengthens our workforce and supports the growth of local industries in the City of Sparks.
• Mayor Ed Lawson proclaimed November 12, 2024, as Judge James Spoo Day to honor the years of dedicated service and lasting contributions Judge Spoo made to the City of Sparks.
• Mayor Ed Lawson proclaimed the month of November as Homeless Youth Awareness Month to raise awareness of the challenges faced by vulnerable youth and promote support for their path to stability and hope.

General Business

Council approved:

• The Community Services Director's recommendation to appoint Robert Sandoval as the construction representative on the Sparks Enterprise Fund Advisory Committee for a 4-year term ending December 31, 2028.
• The agreement with the City of Reno and the Tahoe-Reno Industrial General Improvement District (TRI-GID) to establish the rate to provide treated effluent from the Truckee Meadows Water Reclamation Facility to the TRI-GID.

Public Hearing and Action Items Unrelated to Planning and Zoning

Council held a public hearing and approved the agreement with the Association of Sparks Fire Department Classified Chief Officers for the period July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2027, with an estimated cost increase to the City of $321,452 in FY25, $149,693 in FY26, and $148,200 in FY27.