The North Lyon County Fire Protection District Board of Directors voted Aug. 27 to approve a new 18-month contract for Fire Chief Brian Bunn that includes a $50,000 salary increase.
The decision finalized several months of contract discussions that were delayed by unexpected increases in workers’ compensation costs.
Director Paul Murphy said he and Director Christine Sullivan met with Bunn earlier this year to renegotiate the contract, but talks were put on hold in late March after the closure of an insurance carrier threatened to increase the district’s workers’ compensation costs by as much as $175,000. On March 30, the board voted to extend Bunn’s existing contract for 90 days.
“Chief Bunn decided to delay the contract and extend it and come back to it when we know what finances look like,” Murphy said.
The new agreement includes a retroactive salary increase to $200,000 effective April 15, 2026, which drew questions from Director Debbie Skinner.
Skinner said the board had kept the contract unchanged while waiting for greater financial clarity and asked why the increase would be applied retroactively. She also raised concerns about language added to the compensation-study section and said future salary comparisons should be limited to districts similar in size and region.
Skinner also questioned changes to provisions governing remote work and holiday pay, saying the revised paragraph “is expanded but is missing quite a few words from the original contract.”
Murphy said the intent was to clarify that Bunn would not lose pay if he had to work remotely because of hazardous conditions or travel issues.
Murphy said the proposed salary brings Bunn closer to regional parity. Bunn currently earns $150,000, while parity in Northern Nevada, excluding Smith Valley and Mason Valley because they are volunteer departments, was calculated at $238,000.
“We have gone under what parity looks like and the intent is to explore what parity looks like come next year,” Murphy said.
The board also discussed insurance coverage. Skinner noted the contract includes 80 percent dependent coverage for the chief, while employees receive 100 percent coverage. Bunn said he has no dependents and uses his wife’s insurance to save the district money.
Skinner initially opposed the 18-month term, saying the district has historically used one-year contracts and that a longer term could complicate succession planning. She said she was concerned the district could be left without a chief if Bunn chose to leave at the end of the contract without additional notice.
Bunn said the timing aligns better with budgeting and labor negotiations. When asked whether he planned to stay past October 2027, Bunn said he was “50/50.”
Murphy said the board should plan for that date as Bunn’s potential departure.
When Bunn was hired as interim chief in April 2024, he told the district he intended to stay until his wife retires.
Skinner moved to approve the contract from April 15, 2026, through Oct. 31, 2027. The motion passed 4-0, with Sullivan absent.
Murphy thanked Bunn “for putting in the time and deferring for as long as he has,” and Bunn noted that two employees still need raises once their compensation study is completed.
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