Carson City supervisors to determine how next Ward 3 supervisor is chosen

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday will determine how the next Ward 3 supervisor is chosen.

Supervisor Lori Bagwell, the current Ward 3 supervisor, ran for Carson City mayor with two years left on her term as supervisor. She won the mayor’s race in the primary when she garnered more than 50 percent of the vote and is resigning her supervisor seat on Jan. 3, 2021, the day before she becomes mayor on the first Monday of the new year.

By law, the upcoming Ward 3 supervisor vacancy can be filled either by holding a special election or by the board appointing a person to the seat, and is the method is determined by the board.

And if the board decides to appoint a new supervisor, it can either be done in advance by the current board or by the next board, as long as the new board meets certain requirements and the seat is filled by Jan. 21, 2021.

The supervisors also will vote to amend the municipal code to remove the requirement that a supervisor own property. The qualification was removed from the city charter and the change was never reflected in city code.

The board will hear an update on the upcoming general election. Assembly Bill 4 passed during the recent special session of the Nevada Legislature requires counties mail ballots to every registered voter and provide in-person voting. Carson City will be holding early and election day voting in the Community Center gymnasium. There will also be a ballot drop box at the Fuji Park east parking lot, staffed by two election workers during polling hours, and voters will still be able to deliver their voted mail ballots to the Clerk-Recorder's office during normal business hours, according to the staff report.

The board will consider eliminating the exemption from room tax for extended-stay motels. The 11 percent transient lodging tax applies to room stays under 28 days and is not collected on longer stays.

Staff estimates that about a third of the city’s inventory of motel/hotel rooms are used for extended stays while the Culture and Tourism Authority estimates extended-stay nights represent about 20 percent of the city’s room nights. That adds up to about $570,000 in lost revenue.

The board has discussed removing the exemption as part of a bigger effort to rehabilitate the city’s rundown motel properties used primarily as residences. The city created a task force of various enforcement officers who have been inspecting some of the motels and requiring significant renovations.

The board will also vote to enter into a memorandum of understanding with Storey County and Truckee Meadows Water Authority as a first step in negotiating an agreement on water from the Marlette Lake Water System. Storey County uses water from the system and Carson City had a long-term agreement with the state, which operates the system, that expired. Meanwhile, TMWA is interested in acquiring some of underutilized water. The MOU says the parties should be able to come to an agreement within two years.

The board meets at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 3 in the Sierra Room, Community Center, but the meetings are currently closed to the public due to the public health crisis.

To watch the meeting remotely, go to www.carson.org/granicus and click on “In progress” next to the meeting date or tune in to cable channel 191.

Public comment can be made by emailing the comment to publiccomment@carson.org by 3 p.m. Sept. 2 or during the meeting by calling (408) 418-9388 and using meeting number 146 101 1449. Use the phone number only to make comment.

The agenda is available online at https://www.carson.org/government/meeting-information/agendas/board-of-supervisors-agendas-with-supporting-materials/2020-agendas-with-supporting-materials/09-03-20-agenda-with-supporting-materials