No Honeymoon For New Council Members

New Fernley City Council members Kelly Malloy, Ward 1, and Don Parsons, Ward 2, will be sworn in shortly after 4 p.m. at the top of Wednesday's council agenda this week. The event marks what many in this high desert community believe will the dawn of a more progressive era for the city's government that has been wracked by a variety of obstacles for at least the past two years.
There won't be any honeymoon period for the political neophytes who won the council seats in the city election last November. Malloy, Parsons, and the rest of the council will face an agenda filled with hot button issues that could serve up the first controversies of 2009.
Tucked away on the council's consent agenda is item 4.I., the first change order for Water Conveyance Project 1A-Mesa Drive. The $90,416 cost increase for the project is broken down into eight separate requests that cover a variety of things that range from the type of backfill used to the addition of added drainage features, according to a 30-page agenda report prepared for the council.
The session will also unveil a hardship assistance program developed by city staff to address concerns of residents who may have difficulty paying for mandatory trash service recently passed into law by the council. Staff is recommending the council back away from granting any exemptions to the compulsory trash service, opting instead to recommend development of an assistance program that would be administered through Lyon County Human Services.
The proposed hardship assistance plan would cover 50 percent of the billings from Trashpros for those who qualify under eligibility guidelines currently in place for utility payment assistance, also administered by Lyon County. The qualifying income window is set at 150 percent of the poverty level depending on the number of people in a family. For example, the maximum monthly income for a one-person household would be $1,276. A family of four making $1,767 or less would be eligible for the assistance program.
Funding for the assistance arrangement will be contributed equally by the City of Fernley and Trashpros, each kicking in $5,000 annually to create the pool of funds. Residents qualifying for the program initially will be asked to re-qualify each year for the financial hardship assistance.
Additionally, senior citizens who can receive a 25 percent discount from Trashpros, could also qualify for the hardship program based on monthly income. Thus, a senior citizen could receive 50 percent payment of their already discounted monthly bill from Trashpros under the proposed program.
Council to mull Interim City Manager pick
Ushering in two new city council members was the main impetus behind the recent resignation of long-time City Manager Gary Bacock. Community Development Director Fred Turnier was named Acting City Manager at the December 17 council meeting, and the council must now agree upon an Interim City Manager who will function in that post until a new City Manager can be hired.
The City Council has a number of options, the least expensive of which would be to continue with Turnier as Interim City Manager, according to an agenda report prepared by Finance Director Bonnie Duke. Another option would be to appoint one of two unsolicited candidates who submitted resumes and action plans to the city.
The applicants include Greg Evangelatos, a consultant and planner who has worked with a number of developers and builders in Fernley, and former Community Development Director Robert "Terry" Gilbert who left the city last year in a controversial termination orchestrated by Bacock.
In his application package submitted to the city, Evangelatos outlines a 12-point plan to address what he sees as the biggest issues facing the community in the near future. Likewise, Gilbert submitted a two-phase, eight point plan with his resume and other paperwork. In his letter of interest, Gilbert indicates that he also wants to be considered as a permanent replacement for Bacock.
Additionally, the council will be determining a direction for the city manager recruitment process, which could take several months depending on the scope of the search process.
Alternative Water Master Plan could prove costly
The City Council will also consider adopting an Alternative Water Master Plan developed by TRC Engineers in an effort to find ways of providing water that could be used for irrigation, car washing, manufacturing and construction processes that would not put a drain on the city's supply of potable water.
"Water use patterns in Fernley indicate that non-potable usage represents approximately 77% of the maximum day demand during peak demand season," according to an Executive Summary prepared as part of a hefty agenda report on the subject. "Irrigation usage by residential development makes up the largest portion of summer peak demands."
One potential sticking point in the plan involves the incorporation of land use projections developed by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, which indicate that the city could have 2,300 new residential connections by the end of 2013. The firm's land use projections have been called into question recently by the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee, who view the data as being flawed since the projections were based on growth rates in 2004 and 2005 when the area was experiencing record growth. According to the latest reports from the State Demographer, Fernley grew at a rate of about one percent in 2008--a far cry from the blazing 18 percent just a few years ago.
Flawed estimates or not, TRC is projecting the city will need 56 million more gallons of water per month to meet the demand during peak season. Based on that speculative figure, TRC is recommending that the city move forward with development of its "purple pipe" system for delivery of non-potable water to households and commercial users throughout the city.
Phase One of the aggressive plan advocates the city undertake eight Alternative Water Capital Improvement Projects with a projected price tag of $5,785,000. That cost projection does not include property acquisitions, easements, and rights-of-way.
The full council agenda can be viewed here: http://www.cityoffernley.org/documents/Agendas%20&%20Minutes/City%20Council/2009/09-01-07%20FCC%20Agenda.PDF

Commentary: Staying Informed is Every Citizen's Right and Responsibility

Last night's Fernley City Council special session was an exhibition of the woefully uninformed. As the council met for final approval of the new ordinance regulating residential and commercial trash services, the public hearing turned in to a parade of the inattentive who took the opportunity to berate the council for not informing them of the impending move to mandatory trash service.
The 20 or so residents who spoke their minds to the council all had a similar gripe: why hadn't the council and city done a better job of informing the public about this move to compulsory trash service? That, despite the fact that the discussion and debate about a new waste franchise agreement has been on numerous council agendas and the subject of various newspaper articles since last June or July.
It would appear that these somnambulating citizens also took a siesta in civics class as well. Their input and subsequent dressing-down of the City Council was well-intentioned and within their rights, albeit three to four months too late.
In this day and age of information overload, it's very tempting to tune out, turn off and otherwise bury your head in the sand. But citizens have an obligation and responsibility to stay informed.
The City Council, in this particular case, made every reasonable effort to make the public aware of changes coming up in the waste franchise agreements. Why these folks didn't get the word until TrashPros delivered a trash container to their curb remains the big question that can only be answered by these individuals.
Comments at last night's meeting likened the City of Fernley to dictatorial regimes like Cuba and North Korea. Some even went so far as to threaten to leave the city and move away over the issue. These people were clearly livid because they didn't get the word about changes coming in the city's trash service.
Unfortunately, their ire was misdirected. Instead of wagging their fingers at the City Council for not informing them, these residents need only look in the mirror to find the guilty party. Being an informed citizen does take some modicum of effort.
Council agendas are routinely posted online and at city hall in advance of meetings. Local newspapers, although paring staffs and cutting distribution in this economic tumult, make an effort to cover stories that impact the public.
With information so readily available from a variety of sources, the idea that the City Council should spoon feed the populace is not only naive, but dangerous. When addressing the added burden of the fees for trash service, one resident posed the question, "What's next?"
What's next, indeed. Every citizen must exercise their right to stay informed and keep an eye on elected officials at all levels of government. If we, the people, fail to do so then we can't complain when we get blind-sided by what's coming next.

Trash Service Dominates Agenda For Fernley City Council Special Session

In spite of the fact that the city's waste franchise agreement has been the topic of discussion and public input at numerous Fernley City Council meetings since last summer, the recent delivery of TrashPros waste containers to residences throughout Fernley has triggered a rash of citizen inquiries and phone calls to members of the council and the Mayor.
The city council will meet in special session Monday, December 22 at 6 p.m. to conduct a final public hearing on the adoption of an ordinance regulating the residential and commercial franchise, as well as wrap up other business prior to year end.
While the move to an "open" franchise agreement for commercial waste removal has met with a positive response from business owners, the transition to mandatory residential trash service has met with a mixed bag of response from residents. The compulsory trash removal requirement applies to any residence on less than two acres.
The city has been operating under an opt-in voluntary trash service agreement with Waste Management for the past 10 years. However, as the waste franchise agreement came up for renewal, the city council opted to put mandatory service in the various scenarios for the bidding process. As the bids came back in from various companies, it became evident that the mandatory residential service would yield the lowest monthly rate for residential customers.
"The decision for the council was how we could get the best deal for our community," said Ward 5 Councilman Cal Eilrich. "Mandatory pick up made a big difference in cost to residential customers--it was the best way we could go for our community as a whole."
The lower residential rates for mandatory service--less than $22 per month--are based on sheer numbers. Under the current voluntary scenario, approximately 4,300 households utilize trash service from Waste Management. Based on estimates from the new contractor, Trashpros, about 6,500 households will receive trash service.
TrashPros submitted the lowest bid for residential service, plus the company offered a deeper discount for seniors--25 percent versus 20 percent offered by Waste Management. Seniors who wish to take advantage of the discount need to sign up by contacting TrashPros at 575-0707.
Another concern expressed by a number of residents involves the rapidly rising unemployment rate and the fact that many are now struggling to make ends meet. Mayor Todd Cutler and members of the city council have indicated they are working with TrashPros to hammer out some form of assistance for those in need.
"I'm obviously concerned with so many people losing their jobs," Cutler said. "I will make a recommendation to the council to assist those who are truly struggling to pay their bills."
Also on the agenda for Monday evening's special session, the council will be considering requests from a half dozen residents who are seeking an exemption from the new mandatory pick up requirement.
The full agenda can be accessed here: http://www.cityoffernley.org/documents/Agendas%20&%20Minutes/City%20Council/2008/08-12-22%20%20FCC%20Agenda%20-%20Special%20Meeting.PDF