Charlie Arciniega accepts $3,000 in funding on behalf of Fallon Animal Welfare Group. From left: Commissioner Eric Blakey, Arciniega and Commissioners Myles Getto and Matt Hyde.
Churchill County commissioners recognized Matt Johnson for his volunteer work in the community and approved support funding for the Fallon Animal Welfare Group during their April 3 regular meeting.
Jesse Segura, the county’s fairgrounds operations deputy, originally brought Johnson’s name forward for the award.
“He’s taken the initiative to go and do the backstops on his own time and spending his own money to help the softball program,” Segura said. “He’s one of the people that make me proud to be in this community.”
Johnson said he started the efforts because his daughters, Brooklyn and Ashlyn, were involved in the T-ball and softball programs. He also remembers when others did the same for the team ballfields in his childhood hometown.
“In this small, local community, no matter what it is, your neighbors are going help you out,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of rewarding for me, that things are improving and it looks nice. After all these years I’ve had more people jump on the train asking where they can help.”
As a coach and a father, Johnson said he feels there are a lot of things that can be learned from sports that are useful in daily life outside of the game. The night before the recent opening day Johnson said he was proud to see his daughters drive up to help hang the banners and get the fields ready.
“I came because he’s my dad,” Brooklyn Johnson said. “He has so much he does for us. And I figured putting time into helping with the softball fields that I played at for so many years just makes people feel appreciated.”
“All the kids who play want the fields to be nice,” Ashlyn Johnson agreed. “I don’t mind helping out.”
Commissioners also approved $3,000 to support FAWG in its ongoing efforts to control the stray cat population with spaying and neutering, vaccinations, housing for adoption and medical treatment.
“We are an all-volunteer cat rescue and adoption facility,” FAWG representative Charlie Arciniega said. “We operate strictly by funds donated throughout the community and we fundraise through yard sales and bingo nights, anything we can do.”
Arciniega said the no-kill shelter currently has cats and kittens ready for adoption in the facility at 4629 Reno Highway.
The commissioners received an update on the status of all bills in the 2025 Nevada Legislature with a possible impact on Churchill County.
Commissioners approved to show county support for Senate Bill 423 which would provide funding for mental health to health districts and SB 108 which would give local entities the authority to clean their own rivers, after Sanford’s review.
Any bills supported by the Nevada Association of Counties that benefit Churchill County were also given commissioners’ support.
Commissioners opposed Assembly Bill 33, which creates the Nevada Office of the Inspector General; AB128 which creates the Office of Public Records Ombudsman in the Executive Department of State Government; and SB100, which revises provisions relating to elections.
Commissioners also:
• Set a hearing date of April 16 at 3 p.m. for all appeals filed for the planning commission’s approval of the outside lithium battery storage and battery testing facility to be located on Bango Road. The hearing will follow the regularly scheduled commissioners’ meeting on that same day.
• Adopted a joint proclamation with the city of Fallon declaring April 2025 as “Child Abuse Prevention Month.”
• Approved the appointment of Brad Dolan as incoming fire marshal following the retirement of Mitch Young. Deputy Clerk Crystal Muschetto also administered Dolan’s oath of office.
• Accepted the resignation of County Manager Jim Barbee, effective July 7, 2025 and approved the next steps for appointing a new county manager.
• Ratified an agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services, Aging and Disability Services Division, and Churchill County Social Services to provide transportation program development services. This is the next step in the plan for the county to absorb operations of Churchill Rapid Area Transit as of Oct. 1, which was approved by the commissioners and the CART board last month.
• Approved an amount to be determined for the purchase of Verdaka security equipment and also approved $38,435.49 for PAC States to complete the wiring and installation of that equipment to increase security at the William N. Pennington Life Center.
• Approved a zoning map amendment for Thomas Inglis on 2150 Mount View Drive to change the zoning from E-1 to C-1.
• Approved to provide $25,000 to the property homeowner at 1335 Moody Lane and the release of all claims related to the property.
• Ratified and approved a letter of support for the Rural Residency Program at Banner Churchill Community Hospital to be used for the Health Resources and Services Administration grant application.
• Appointed Tina Grainer to the Parks and Recreation Commission for a term ending June 2026.
Churchill County’s public meetings are available to livestream or replay on YouTube at the “ChurchillCounty” channel.