The City of Fernley has expanded its workforce by more than 50 percent since Mayor Neal McIntyre took office, adding engineering, planning, public works and communications positions as city officials work to keep pace with continued development.
McIntyre told members of the Fernley Builders Association earlier this month that the city had 68 employees, including elected officials, when he became mayor. Today, he said, Fernley employs approximately 105 people.
“We’re able to sustain every one of those positions,” McIntyre said, crediting the city’s finance department for managing the growth.
The mayor said the additional staffing is intended in part to reduce delays for builders, businesses and residents navigating city processes.
Among the positions recently added or filled are engineering staff, a project manager, public information officer and public works director.
The city has also reorganized several leadership positions as it builds a more specialized administrative structure.
At the Sept. 16 City Council meeting, Chief Development Officer Michelle Rambo announced that Tristan Rodriguez had been promoted to planning director. Chief Operating Officer Barry Williams told council additional personnel changes and promotions were still being finalized and would be announced at a future meeting.
Williams also announced that Fernley’s new public works director is scheduled to begin Sept. 28.
The new position is intended to allow Williams, who has been overseeing multiple operational responsibilities, to return more fully to his duties as chief operating officer, McIntyre told the Builders Association.
The city has also hired a new public information officer, Francesca Pereira, who is taking over management of the city’s social media, website, news releases and newsletter.
City staff described the addition as a way to shift communications duties away from development staff as workloads have increased.
McIntyre said the broader staffing expansion has helped shorten development review times.
“When I was first mayor, it was taking like nine months to get approval and plans and stuff,” McIntyre told builders. “I think we’ve got that down to like three months or less depending on the size of the project.”
The additional employees come as Fernley manages an increasing number of infrastructure, development and planning projects.
During the Sept. 16 council meeting, city staff provided updates on the Mesa Drive water main project, wastewater pond relining and the surface-water treatment plant project, which recently held its initial kickoff meeting.
The city is also overseeing plans for Out of Town Park improvements, roundabout landscaping, Safe Routes to School projects, development-code revisions and a series of long-range planning efforts tied to Fernley’s expected population growth.
At the Builders Association meeting, city officials reported 59 building-permit applications during August, including 10 applications for new single-family homes. The city collected more than $66,000 in permit fees tied to projects valued at nearly $7 million.
Fernley’s growth has also increased the complexity of development review.
The city is simultaneously planning new transportation infrastructure, utility capacity, residential development and industrial expansion while coordinating with outside agencies including the Nevada Department of Transportation, Bureau of Land Management, Lyon County and regional service providers.
McIntyre characterized the additional staffing as an investment in the city’s ability to respond to that growth.
The increase from 68 to 105 employees represents roughly a 54 percent increase in the city workforce during his tenure.
The mayor said the goal is not simply to add employees, but to place staff in specialized roles that allow projects and development applications to move through the city more efficiently.
“We’ve got a lot of things happening,” McIntyre said.
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