Board of supervisors to explore separation program

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will decide Thursday whether to approve a voluntary separation program for all eligible Carson City employees and to authorize the city manager to approve individual agreements.

With Carson City facing a severe budget shortfall as a result of declining sales tax revenues, the program is designed to encourage employees to voluntarily choose to leave city employment at the earliest date. This would allow the city to review and consider what functions are essential to operations and what positions might be eliminated or what resources might be realigned when vacancies are created.

Other items on the Thursday agenda include:

• Taking action on whether to lower the property tax rate from the $3.1299 per hundred dollars of assessed value to $3.0899 for use in preparing the fiscal year 2010-11 budget.

On March 24, the Department of Taxation notified the city that the Carson City School District was planning to lower its debt rate from 47 cents to 43 cents. In response to the school district's decision, the city is proposing that the city not increase their operating rate by 4 cents to keep the rate the same, rather that the board lower the overall rate.

• A formal public hearing on the city's intent to issue general obligation water bonds in the amount of $32 million and sewer bonds in the amount of $4 million.

• Possible action to approve the use of sound recording equipment in the First Judicial District Court effective July 1.

• Introduction of an ordinance amending city code to allow manufactured homes or mobile homes that are more than 15 years old to be placed within mobile home parks under certain circumstances.

• Presentation from the Carson City Little League regarding the construction of a 6,000-square-foot indoor batting cage facility to be located in the northeast section of Governor's Field.

• Action to approve the collective bargaining agreement between Carson City and the International Association of Fire Fighters for the period of July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2014.