Council debates public safety needs during budget talks

A one-time $110,000 donation to the North Lyon County Fire Protection District, included in Fernley’s proposed tentative budget, opened the door to a far broader and more urgent discussion during a City Council budget meeting on April 2, as council members and staff debated how the city can legally support public-safety services and what long-term solutions may be needed as Fernley continues to grow.

Although the donation, intended to fund protective gear and hazmat equipment, was only a single line in the budget, it quickly became the catalyst for a sweeping conversation about state accounting rules, the city’s own revenues, the fire district’s staffing challenges, and whether the city should pursue a comprehensive study to evaluate future public-safety needs.

During public comment before the council discussion, North Lyon Fire Battalion Chief Bill Snyder said the district responded to 331 calls in the past 30 days, including four working structure fires. He warned that Fernley’s rapid growth, including thousands of potential new jobs in the Victory Logistics District, is outpacing the district’s ability to respond.

“We really need you to have the conversations with us about public safety,” Snyder said.

After Councilwoman Felicity Zoberski said she would like the city to include a line item or a separate fund for public safety in its budget, Finance Director Robert Carson said that because Fernley does not operate police or fire services, state law does not allow the city to classify any spending as a public-safety function. He said any contribution to the fire district must be treated as a donation or community support, not an operational line item.

Carson also said that in meetings with Fire Chief Brian Bunn, city officials have stated that they don’t have the capacity to fund fire district positions.

“Anything we provide to them is considered a donation, because we’re supporting an outside agency that provides a service we don’t,” he said.

Zoberski said she isn’t concerned about what a line item in the budget to fund public safety might be called, as long as the city has one.

“Public safety is not optional,” she said. “We’re outgrowing our fire department, and they’re struggling.”

During a report to the fire district’s Board of Directors on March 19, North Lyon Fire Battalion Chief Joe Mendoza, who is also the president of North Lyon Firefighters Local 4547 and a City Councilman, made an impassioned plea to the board as he described the strain on the firefighters and the consequences of the district’s chronic understaffing. He grew emotional as he recounted a recent fatal fire where the district’s initial response consisted of a single firefighter because no one else was available, with mutual-aid units arriving several minutes later to assist.

“We can’t just let this be the status quo,” he told the Fire Board. “I need somebody to get angry about it like I am.”

Councilman Ryan Hanan said he supports one-time assistance but said the city needs a comprehensive study before funding another entity’s general fund. He pointed to Washoe County’s recent EMS study, which identified ways to expand service without raising taxes. He also said constituents have told him they believe the fire department, swimming pool and police services should “all be under one roof.”

“I’m more interested in long-term solutions than Band-Aid fixes,” Hanan said. “We have to understand, are they going to be able to survive on their own two feet in 10 or 20 years or is that a function if they’re asking for the city’s help, the city needs to take over that entire responsibility.”

Councilman Albert Torres noted the discussions in Washoe County to consolidate its fire departments into a regional fire district because costs are so high for the cities of Reno and Sparks.

“We do not have the availability for current funds to pave our own streets, fix our own parks and to spend the money to even start our own fire department,” he said. “Why would we start going down the road to have our own entities when it’s been shown to not work, time and time again? We have to find a way that we can help each other and build a team between the city, the fire district, and the sheriff's office.”

Carson said the city is exploring tools such as impact fees, special assessment districts and interlocal agreements, but said the city may be able to have a deeper conversation after it catches up with projects that had been put on hold for years.

“I just think we're getting ourselves to a good point, and trying to help out another agency when you're not in a good position, and not able to provide the services that you're required to do is somewhat irresponsible,” Carson said. “So as we get to that point, and we're caught up, and we're in a good place, those are conversations that are absolutely acceptable to have, and I think we'll have better, better available resources to do so.”

No decisions were made during the tentative budget hearing, but the council will take up the issues raised again before it adopts its final budget in May.