Commission approves agreement with Churchill County for juvenile detention services

Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

At its meeting on Nov. 21, the Lyon County Commission approved an interlocal agreement between Churchill County and Lyon County for Churchill County to provide Lyon County with temporary juvenile detention services.

Under the agreement, Churchill County will provide Lyon County with temporary detention services for juveniles who are determined to be a danger to themselves or to the community and who meet the detention criteria established under NRS.

Churchill County will guarantee detention beds for six juveniles at a time at a cost of $593,108.20 to Lyon County. The agreement is effective retroactively to July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. The agreement also includes a provision for Churchill County to provide additional detention beds as needed at the rate of $300 per day.

The agreement states that Churchill County shall invoice Lyon County annually and Lyon County will make quarterly payments. At the end of the fiscal year, there will be an accounting of the actual cost of services under the agreement, and the difference will be either billed or refunded to Lyon County based on the total payments received and the total allowed cost of running Churchill County’s juvenile detention facility.

Other board actions include:

Presentation on FISH Services: Jim Peckham, Executive Director of Friends in Service Helping (FISH) provided a presentation on the history of the organization and services provided to Douglas, Carson, Lyon and Storey Counties. The full presentation is available to view in the Agenda backup materials.

Business License Revocations: Commissioners revoked business licenses that are delinquent and/or non-compliant with County Code and allowed the Business License Department to close delinquent accounts.

Advisory Board Appointments: The Board approved the following appointments to Lyon County Advisory Boards:

Walker River Weed Control Board – Scott Huntley with a term expiring December 31, 2026.

Advisory Board to Manage Wildlife – Darrel Skubinna with a term expiring December 31, 2025. Michael Osterman, Joseph Crawford, and Gavin Henderson with terms expiring December 31, 2027.

Animal Control Advisory Board – Ashley Toney and Amber Nelson with terms expiring December 31, 2025 and Vanessa Stuart with a term expiring December 31, 2026.

Mound House Advisory Board – Heidi Marty with a term expiring December 31, 2026.

Silver City Advisory Board – Erich Obermayr with a term expiring December 31, 2026.

Smith Valley Advisory Board – Jonathan Turner with a term expiring December 31, 2026.

Smith Valley Park and Recreation Advisory Board – Brandt Hiles, Mark Phillips, and Debbie Hockaday with terms expiring December 31, 2026.

Stagecoach Advisory Board – Timothy Lee Frank and Amanda Brinnand with terms expiring December 31, 2026.

Emergency Management: Approved a Fiscal Year 2024 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) award from the Nevada Office of the Military, Division of Emergency Management in the amount of $60,000 to retrofit an existing mobile command vehicle with emergency communication equipment and supplies.

Walker River Water Right Claims: Directed staff to respond to an application from the State of Nevada #93877T filed on September 17, 2024, for a proposal to temporarily change the place and manner for a portion water right claims of the Walker River adjudicated in the in the Walker River Decree. The response will include that Lyon County has no opposition to the application at this time.

NDOT Rural Engagement Plan: Approved a response letter to the Nevada Department of Transportation regarding the Rural Engagement Plan.

The complete agenda and back up materials are posted online at www.lyon-county.org/Agendacenter. Recordings of Board of County Commission meetings are available on the Lyon County YouTube Channel.