Supervisors to consider $228,000 annually for new city manager

At their meeting Thursday, the Carson City Board of Supervisors will review a proposed two-year agreement with incoming City Manager Glen Martel for annual base pay of $228,948.95 for his first year and a 5 percent increase on July 1, 2026, according to the agenda.

The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the board room of the community center, 851 E. William St.

Martel will replace Nancy Paulson, who has been with the city for 26 years and is retiring June 30.

“The board may, but is not required to, conduct a public meeting at such times the board deems appropriate or necessary to review and evaluate the performance of Mr. Martel as the city manager,” reads a staff report on the agreement. “Irrespective of any decision by the board to conduct or not conduct a public meeting to evaluate the performance of Mr. Martel, he will meet individually with each member of the board on or before June 30 of each year of the agreement (in the event the agreement continues on a month-to-month basis after expiration of the initial term) to receive input concerning his performance.”

Martel will be an at-will employee, with no notice required in termination for cause.

“90 calendar days’ notice required for termination without cause, except that the board may, at its sole discretion, elect to provide a lump sum severance payment equivalent to 90 days’ base pay plus regular PERS contributions in lieu of the 90 calendar days’ notice,” says the staff report. “If Mr. Martel chooses to resign before the expiration of the agreement, he must provide 30 calendar days’ notice.”

Concerning benefits, the city will pay Martel, as part of his salary, “what the city would normally have paid as the employer’s portion of his insurance premium and that of any dependents, for the period of time he has not reached eligibility for coverage under the city’s group policy (eligibility anticipated to be Sept. 1).”

“There is no provision in the agreement that would give any specific post-employment insurance benefits to Mr. Martel or any dependents,” the report says.

In other action:

• Supervisors will convene as the redevelopment authority to consider using $1.7 million from the fiscal year 2025 redevelopment revolving fund for design work of the Carson City Courthouse remodel.

The total project cost has been projected to be $15.3 million, though that was a preliminary estimate. In the final budget process for fiscal year 2026, the Redevelopment Authority allocated $5.675 million in redevelopment funds for the project.

The courthouse is in redevelopment area 1.

“It was anticipated that this work would occur in fiscal year 2026,” reads a staff report on the design item. “However, it is possible to have the design work commence in fiscal year 2025 with a targeted completion date of Nov. 1.”

As part of the consent agenda, supervisors will also consider a $1.5 million contract with TSK Architects to provide design and construction support services for the courthouse project.

• As part of the consent agenda, supervisors will consider a proposed a settlement of all claims made by Rose Whitson against Carson City for an amount not to exceed $150,000.

“On or about Oct. 19, 2021, Whitson fell in the Carson City Jail and alleges that she injured her knee. Whitson sued Carson City for damages related to her knee injury. At the time of Whitson’s injury, the statutory cap for Carson City’s damages was $150,000,” according to a staff report. “Carson City staff and Carson City’s outside attorneys recommend a settlement of Whitson's claims against Carson City for the full amount of the statutory cap.

“Responsibility for the settlement would be split between Carson City and its insurers. Carson City has paid approximately $8,500 in attorney fees in this matter, and would pay approximately $91,500 toward the settlement, with Carson City’s insurer covering the remaining portion of the settlement.”

• As part of the consent agenda, supervisors will consider a request from the Carson City Treasurer to waive $113,405 in parking ticket fines and late fees from fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2024.

“After researching this matter, the treasurer has identified the only workable solution for debt collection to be the DMV Parking Violation Program; however, the current annual cost of $24,964 to purchase the necessary AIMS parking software program to interface with DMV far exceeds the revenue which Carson City generates from parking citations,” according to a staff report.

• Carson City Fire Chief Sean Slamon will present a letter of commendation to Iris Ibarra Montes for “her life-saving assistance during a medical emergency involving her father,” according to a staff report.

“After recognizing a cardiac event, Iris Ibarra Montes performed CPR on her father for over 10 minutes before help arrived on scene,” reads the report.

• For discussion only, supervisors will hear presentations from Nevadaworks that assists job seekers and employers in Northern Nevada, from Public Guardian Sandra Doughty on caseload, case demographics, available services and challenges, and from Government Affairs Liaison Cameron Gresh on a legislative update.

• Supervisors will consider moving administration and maintenance of the Downtown Neighborhood Improvement District to the city.

Supervisors established the DNID in 2016 “to assess property owners to help pay for the ongoing maintenance of the Downtown Streetscape Enhancement Project improvements,” according to a staff report.

The same year, the city entered an agreement with the Carson City Downtown Neighborhood Improvement District, a nonprofit corporation, for the latter to manage the DNID.

“On April 30, the president of the association’s board submitted a letter stating that the association did not intend to renew the agreement and requested to transfer the maintenance responsibilities for the DNID to the city,” according to a staff report. “The city staff is not aware of another nonprofit association that might be interested in and capable of administering the DNID. Therefore, as it is currently done with the South Carson Street Neighborhood Improvement District, the staff recommends that Carson City administer the DNID.”

Garrett Lepire, president of the association’s board, said in an April 30 letter the decision not to renew reflects the board’s belief “that the current structure no longer supports the district’s ability to effectively carry out its mission, particularly given ongoing budgetary disagreements and the unanticipated cost burdens imposed by the inclusion of the Curry Street project.”

Supervisors will review the first reading of an ordinance designating the city as the new administrator of the DNID.

• Supervisors will consider the first reading of an ordinance that would establish a planned unit development for 240 townhomes on a 22-acre site north and west of Morgan Mill Road, a project in east Carson known as the Plateau Townhomes.

The ordinance would change the site’s zoning from multifamily apartment and public regional to multifamily-PUD and would establish a tentative subdivision map for the homes. The project would include roughly eight acres of common area.

On April 30, the Carson City Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the PUD. Conditions of approval included the requirement of a vegetation management plan. A section of proposed open space on the north side of the site would remain natural vegetation, and commissioners worried about wildfire danger.

The natural area is also over an old landfill site. According to Stacie Huggins with Wood Rodgers, representing the applicant, the landfill area is capped and safe but can’t be disturbed. Condition of approval No. 22 states the project must follow requests from the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection.

• Supervisors will consider local health priorities over the next two fiscal years for $257,453.08 from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health.

The funding stems from the 2023 legislative session.

“City staff have used two recent studies to set the proposed priorities,” reads a staff report. “The 2022 Quad-County Regional Community Health Needs Assessment establishes four priorities, which are: (1) access to basic needs; (2) access to healthcare for specific populations; (3) mental and emotional health; and (4) substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery.”

“Additionally, the Nevada Association of Counties and Nevada Economic Assessment Project coauthored a 2024 report on foundational public health services in suburban, rural, and frontier Nevada (FPHS Report), which identifies the following areas for capacity improvement for Carson City: (1) communicable disease control, (2) access and linkage with clinical care, (3) assessment and surveillance, and (4) communications.”

Staff is recommending all four priorities from the CHNA and the “assessment and surveillance” priority from the second report.

Related, Carson City Health and Human Servies Director Jeanne Freeman, who succeeded Nicki Aaker following the latter’s retirement, will be presenting when supervisors convene as the Board of Health.

Freeman will present a report on the first quarter of the year, which can be found at legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/3372090/Directors_Report_V4-_Final.pdf

“Thus far, the 2024-2025 influenza season is the first to be classified as high severity since the 2017-18 season,” reads the report.

It says 2,612 residents in Carson, Lyon and Douglas counties tested positive for influenza from Oct. 13, 2024, to March 31.

“Of those… 219 were hospitalized,” the report continues. “This is already a 161% increase in hospitalizations compared to the previous year’s entire respiratory illness season. Additionally, eight out of 10 individuals hospitalized so far this season are unvaccinated.”

For information, go to gethealthycarsoncity.org/services/disease-health-topics/influenza