Longtime Fallon resident files for commission

Fallon native Todd Moretto has seen many changes in Churchill County, and as the area grows, he would like to be part of the future growth.

Moretto, who grew in in Fallon and attended local schools, has filed for the Churchill County Commission District 3.

Moretto has kept an eye on the county’s growth and how the local government works. His mother, the late Trena Moretto, was Churchill County recorder from 1998 to 2006.

“Since I can remember, I’ve been around officials, and I’ve seen how the town has grown,” Moretto said. “I’ve seen what makes this community special.”

Moretto said the area must preserve its agriculture base with the many farms and ranches dotting the Lahontan Valley. On the other hand, Moretto said he’s looking at growth as a necessity and the housing market keeping up with new residents.

Moretto, a maintenance planner for Kennametal and owner of Auditory Sensations, said he’s attended many functions and has heard the concerns expressed by the area’s elected and nonelected officials. That, he said, has formulated his ideas to move forward as a candidate for the Churchill County Commission.

“I don’t want us to be a bedroom community,” Moretto said, adding about 35-40% of the area’s workers travel outside the county according to Nevada labor reports. He said would like to see the growth of more local businesses.

Moretto said he’s also concerned about the housing market in Churchill County with the average price of a home at $362,000, according to Realtor.com’s February report.

“We don’t need a bunch of the $300,000 homes,” Moretto pointed out, saying many of the low to middle-income families can’t afford ownership.

Additionally, Moretto said buyers are purchasing houses and then turning around to rent them, which takes a single-family home off the market.

Consequently, Moretto said there’s no need for multi-family homes to flood the area and points to the Birch Lane area southwest of Fallon. Commissioners approved in January 2023 a development for 619 single-family homes and multi-family residences on 107.2 acres north and south of Birch Lane.

Likewise, Moretto laments the future development of pasture land on Coleman Road between the Onda Verde subdivision and Venturacci Lane.

“That’s all fantastic farmland,” he added.

Moretto said he supports the military and its mission including the implementation of conservation easements. The program began 16 years ago when the county approached ranchers asking them if they would be interested in working with the Navy by selling their development rights while maintaining land ownership.

Moretto said this provides a buffer between the military installation and any civilian development, but he wants to ensure the sellers are getting a fair deal.

As with every candidate filing for commission, they point to the diversity of attracting visitors to Churchill County, which has become a priority. With the completion of the Rafter 3C Complex in June 2022, he said the county has been able to attract different events every weekend and on many of the week days.

“We have a brand new facility which is unique in its own right,” Moretto said.

What makes the arena unique, said Moretto, is a facility that’s enclosed and has its own climate control. As vice chairman for the Fallon Cantaloupe Festival, Moretto said the area needs more motel and hotel rooms. He said the festival is having difficulty finding rooms for the people who either work at the festival or attend as tourists.

“We have nothing on the weekend,” he said of the late August festival. “If there are rooms, prices go through the roof.”

In the future, Moretto said he would like to see more family friendly restaurants come into the area. He said the area already has more than enough fast food establishments.