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Monday, September 21, 2026 at 11:35 PM

City’s fuel tax loses in final tally

City’s fuel tax loses in final tally

Lacy beats Whalen, Hunewill unseats McNeil


Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

After all but the ballots from two early voting machines were counted late Tuesday night, those in favor of the City of Fernley’s advisory question to request a 5-cent diesel fuel tax were ahead by 20 votes.

But the late tally of the early votes flipped the script.

Lyon County election officials were unable to count ballots from two early voting machines, one from Yerington and one from Fernley, Tuesday night. At that point, there had been 3,206 yes votes, in favor of the ballot question, to 3,186 no votes.

But when those ballots were tallied Wednesday morning, it was enough to overturn the outcome. There were 138 no votes on the Fernley machine, to just 95 yes votes, for a final tally of 3,324 no, 3,301 yes.

In the race for the Fernley City Council Ward 1 seat, Ray Lacy held onto the lead he had built at the end of Tuesday’s accounting to unseat incumbent councilwoman Shari Whalen. Lacy wound up with a final tally of 660 votes, to 539 for Whalen.

“I’m really pleased and honored that the citizens of Ward 1 have gone ahead and voted me in,” Lacy said. “I may make decisions that don’t please everybody, but they will be decisions about what’s best for the city.”

Ray Lacy


Lacy pledged to bring new ideas to the city council.

“It’s very important we work together to try to dissolved the issues and hand right now, including water and code enforcement,” Lacy said. “I also appreciate the way the campaign was done, with no mudslinging. The voters voted for who they thought could do the best job and get the job done.”

Frank Hunewill


Frank Hunewill who had already clinched the win over Al McNeil for Lyon County sheriff, won by a final count of 10,119 to 9,263.

Matt Johnson and Terrin Hicks grabbed the two available seats on the North Lyon County Fire Protection District. Johnson was the leading vote-getter with 3,114 votes, while Hicks came in second with 2,533. Chris Murphy was third with 2,044 and Sue Seidl was fourth with 1,966.

In other county races, Margie Kassebaum easily defeated Brenda Cullen for the position of Lyon County Recorder, with 14,833 votes for Kassebaum to 4,835 for Cullen.

In the race for the Lyon County School District Board of Trustees District 4 seat, Barbara Jones beat Cassandra Aveiro, with 9,726 votes to 7,576.

Meanwhile, voters overwhelmingly rejected Lyon County question 1, to ban brothels in the county, with 16,643 opposed and only 4,031 in favor.

Final Lyon County Election results

[pdf-embedder url="https://static2.fernleyreporter.com/data/wysiwig/uploads/2018/11/2018-election-results.pdf"]

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Comment author: PFB Comment text: Why can't you guys find competent contractors.. For a large municipal facility like the indoor-outdoor Fernley Swimming Pool located at 300 Cottonwood Lane, a complete ground-up commercial build or major structural renovation typically spans 6 to 12 months or longer when factoring in large-scale engineering, public municipal permitting, specialized commercial HVAC/roofing, and health department inspections. The current renovation has been- The Fernley Swimming Pool has been closed for approximately six to seven months since late February 2026 for a major roof replacement and facility renovation. Now you sat October. Soooo 8 months for a new roof. The picture shows no other renovations. Comment publication date: 9/17/26, 7:14 PM Comment source: Electrical problem delays Fernley pool opening Comment author: P Comment text: Relative of the Mayor is to over see this site. Anyone who knows Fernley KNOWS this is more of the who you are related to and know business in this town. VOTE THEM ALL OUT AND THE CALIFORNIA TRANSPLANTS. Comment publication date: 9/16/26, 10:31 PM Comment source: Lift Station Failure Released Untreated Sewage Comment author: Christopher Walsh Comment text: Could you look into the strong recurring smell around Fernley? It smells like sewage and it can be bad enough that people don’t want to be outside or open their windows. It would be helpful to get an investigative journalist help the Fernley residents get a clear answer from the City, NDEP, and any involved facilities. I was really disappointed that the smell was not disclosed by my realtor when I moved here. I enjoy Fernley and am seeing the improvements that are being made. With Appreciation Comment publication date: 9/12/26, 2:49 PM Comment source: Sewage spill near City of Fernley Municipal Well 9 Comment author: Alicia Euresti Comment text: We are all so blessed to have Pastor Matt and Mrs. Regina in this town. They have become a major part of pur family and our children adore them. Thank you both for all you do for qll of us. We love you!!!! Comment publication date: 9/6/26, 9:24 PM Comment source: Fascinating Fernley: Meet Your Neighbors at Living Faith Food Pantry Comment author: R Conley Comment text: Is the deputy receiving any additional training or reinforcing prior training? Comment publication date: 9/5/26, 10:08 AM Comment source: Inmate escapes from Fernley substation Comment author: Kayla Allen Comment text: Suzie was a wonderful woman. I was pleased to call her my "godmother" as she helped me to become a better version of myself. I think about her a lot. Comment publication date: 7/10/26, 8:31 PM Comment source: Susanne Lynn Foster