Highlights from the Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting

Commissioners approve funds for County parks, senior services and veterans.

Reno, Nevada. May 24, 2016. The following report highlights several important agenda items from the Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, May 24, 2016. Videos of County Commission meetings are replayed regularly on WCTV (Charter Ch. 193). You may also watch videos on-demand online.

1. Large donations made to Washoe County parks. Washoe County Commissioners accepted more than $77,000 in cash donations from various businesses, organizations and individuals for the Regional Parks and Open Space programs and facilities. These donations allow Washoe County to continue to offer great programming at County parks as well as repair, replace and maintain facilities and items that are not supported by budget funds.

The donations will be used for the Lazy 5 Regional Park 2016 Summer Music Series, Bartley Ranch Regional Park improvements, Come In From the Cold Programs and the Wilbur D. May Museum. The money will also be used to install safety handrails, new theater drapes and a lighting console at the Robert Z. Hawkins Amphitheater in Bartley Ranch Regional Park.

See a complete list of donations and how they will be used.

“Washoe County Regional Parks and Open Space wants to thank the citizens of Washoe County for continuing to support our local parks,” said Washoe County Community Services Director Dave Solaro. “We encourage everyone to get out this summer and enjoy all the great activities our incredible parks offer.”

2. Commissioner Lucey dedicates Commission District 2 Special Funds grants for parks, seniors and children. County Commissioners approved $18,000 in Special Fund grants for Commissioner Bob Lucey’s Commission District 2. Commissioner Lucey recommended the money go to the following:

• $3,000 grant to Northern Nevada Dental Health Programs to support Adopt A Vet
• $5,000 grant to Galena High School to support students representing Washoe County at the 75^th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor Parade. See their website to donate to the trip.
• $2,500 grant to support Washoe County Regional Parks in District 2
• $2,500 grant to Washoe County Senior Services in support of transportation programs
• $2,500 grant to Renown Health Foundation, Truckee Meadows Health Communities Initiative (89502)
• $2,000 grant to support Social Services and provide access for children to the Discovery Museum
• $500 grant to the Truckee Meadows Firefighter Association (Local 3895) to sponsor a child to attend the fire academy.

“Thank you, Commissioner Lucey, for using your district funds to provide dental care for our veterans. These donations will go toward helping veterans who can’t afford to pay for their own dental bills,” Adopt A Vet Dental Program Founder Linda Haigh said. “Your support is so important to our program. You are a solution to a growing need when it comes to caring for our veterans.”

3. Commissioner Herman dedicates Commission District 5 Special Funds to programs at Washoe County Senior Centers and the Nevada Lands Council. County Commissioners also approved $15,000 in Commission District Special Fund grants for Commissioner Jeanne Herman’s Commission District 5.  

Commissioner Herman is dedicating $5,000 of that fund to Nevada Lands Council for an annual Government membership fee and to help provide additional resources. She also dedicated $10,000 of the grant to support programs and enhance technology at the Washoe County Senior Centers in District 5.

At the Feb. 10, 2015, Board of County Commissioners meeting, County Commissioners adopted a resolution creating County Commission District Special Funds. Commission District Special Funds are separate from the budget, but available to each Commissioner to use in a way that benefits the residents of Washoe County.

4. Assistant County Manager Joey Orduna Hastings will become the CEO of National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Assistant Washoe County Manager Joey Orduna Hastings will be leaving her position in June to become the CEO of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ).

After a national recruitment, Hastings was unanimously selected by the NCJFCJ Board of Directors to lead the organization. NCJFCJ is a long-standing, national, judicial, membership organization that focuses on child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, family law, juvenile justice, and evidence-based best practices.

“Joey has been a tremendous member of our team, both here at the Office of the County Manager, and at the Second Judicial District Court,” Washoe County Manager John Slaughter said. “I am confident that she will remain an active participant in our Washoe County community at the local, state, and federal level.”

Hastings’ last day with Washoe County will be Friday, June 10, 2016. 

“I have been honored to serve in the Manager’s Office and look forward to what the future holds,” Hastings said.

5. Washoe County Medical Examiner and Coroner’s Office department presentation. Washoe County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Ellen Clark from the Washoe County Medical Examiner and Coroner’s Office presented an overview to the Board of County Commissioners.  Dr. Clark said the mission of the office is to investigate unexpected and unexplained deaths in order to identify and report on the cause and manner of death.

The Washoe County Examiner’s Office provides services for 14 counties in Nevada and five additional counties in neighboring California, and performs more than 600 autopsies a year. In addition to autopsies, the office conducts external examinations of bodies and medical consultations.

Dr. Clark said the Medical Examiner’s staff works with families to provide closure and helps them get the answers they need.  Additionally, staff helps families with the grieving process by delivering memory boxes to anyone suffering from the loss of a child.  

“Providing scientifically sound and compassionate death investigations is a community standard, and I think we have made significant progress in the past nine years in achieving that goal,” Dr. Clark said.

The Medical Examiner’s Office will receive a more modern and larger facility to handle the increasing demand Washoe County is seeing with the growing population. Last December Washoe County marked the beginning of an eleven-month construction project to build a new $10.77 million state-of-the-art facility, which will open in December 2016. Read the press release here.

“Thank you, Dr. Clark, to you and your staff for all that you do in helping people deal with the reality of death,” Commission Chair Kitty Jung (Dist. 3) said. “You and your staff are such a calming, respectful influence in our community. Thank you very much for being such a compassionate group of people.”

Get more information about the new ME’s Office.

Additional facts to know about the ME’s Office:

• Conducted more than 980 autopsies and medical examinations in 2015
• Handles more than 400 cases from outside Washoe County each year
• Since 2007, caseload has increased 122 percent
• Anticipates nearly 4,100 cases in 2016

Watch a video for more info about the ME’s Office.

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