Sparks City Council Highlights

The following are highlights from the January 24, Sparks City Council Meeting.

Announcements/Presentations

• Mayor Ed Lawson proclaimed January 2022, as National Human Trafficking Awareness Month to help educate the public about violence, exploitation and violation of human rights that can occur when a person is trafficked. He also encouraged the public to identify and report suspected incidents.
• City Manager Neil Krutz announced a vacancy on the Truckee River Fund Advisory Committee. The representative must be a resident of Sparks and will serve at the pleasure of the Sparks City Council. Applications for this position will be accepted until Friday, February 11, 2022, at 5 p.m. To apply go to: cityofsparks.us/getinvolved.
• Council acknowledged 2021 Hometowne Christmas Parade winners and Grand Marshals.
  Best community group: Singers of the Sage
  Best business: D&S Tow
  Best animal group: Parading Arabians
  Best costumed group: Jonathan Montelongo
  Best vehicle: Alan John Olsen/UTV
  Best overall: Washoe County Library System Grand Marshals: Ms. Noelle Rader, Orchestra Teacher, Mendive Middle School; and Victoria Wellman-Hornback, Visual Arts Instructor, Sparks Middle School.

General Business

• Sparks City Council heard a first reading of an ordinance providing for the conducting and holding elections in the City of Sparks including a primary election on June 14, 2022, and a general election on November 8, 2022; identifying municipal offices seeking candidates; authorizing Washoe County to conduct the election; and setting the filing fees for declarations of candidacy. A second reading and public meeting will be held Monday, February 14, 2022.
• Council directed the City Manager to apply for the FEMA Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant to hire six firefighters for three years. The SAFER grant is a three-year grant that fully funds the regular salary and benefits of each employee. Sparks Fire Department will be required to purchase the necessary firefighting equipment for these employees and guarantee employment for those three years. If awarded, two firefighters would be added to the complement of each battalion. It is expected that FEMA will notify grant applicants of the approval or denial of the application in late summer to early fall.
• Council approved a $79,200.00 increase to an existing $150,000.00 contract with Premier Inspection Services to allow the Building & Safety Division to add a building inspector to work full-time from for the remainder of fiscal year 2022.
• The Council approved a resolution finding a petition by 5 Ridges Development Company, Inc, to form a Special Improvement District (SID) and issue approximately $13,247,000 of special assessment bonds to finance infrastructure improvements at the 5 Ridges Development located at 555 Highland Ranch Parkway in Sparks was in the public interest. Council directed staff to prioritize improvements to Highland Ranch Parkway and Pyramid Highway when taking the next steps to establish the SID.