It was a packed house the morning of January 22 at the Sparks Legislative Building on 4th Street as people gathered for Mayor Ed Lawson’s annual State of the City Address. In the hour-long special meeting attended by the city council, Sparks municipal judges, the city attorney, county/state officials, Lawson’s family, Washoe County School District trustees, and others, the mayor shared the City’s major accomplishments over the last year and what it is focusing on for this year.
The video that soon followed began with a homage to beloved former mayor Geno Martini and how he helped develop, grow and support the City of Sparks.
Financial Outlook for 2024
Employing more than 500 full-time city employees, Lawson is proud of the accomplishments and services its staff provides. However, they “are feeling the effects of higher inflation”. The city does have a budget deficit for FY2023/24 to maintain city departments such as fire, police, and parks. Projections show a 4 percent revenue increase and 7 percent deficit increase, meaning that they are expected to have less money coming in than they have going out. They are already seeing increased costs of fuel, electricity, materials, and equipment to keep the city’s services.
However, Mayor Lawson says that the city has implemented necessary actions to preserve the city’s financial stability. They reduced their services and supplies budget to generate roughly $5 million a year but warn that residents may feel the effects of those reductions. “Our Public Works crews are spread particularly thin,” he says, “but please know that we will always do our very best to serve you. Our priority is to use your tax dollars wisely.”
Big New Purchases and New Hires
Despite these challenges, the city says that it has taken crucial steps to improve the safety of Sparks residents and visitors. They hired new paramedics, firefighters, and police officers, and are planning to build a new Fire Station 6 in the northern part of Sparks.
The City closes escrow on the land this October and has $15 million in bonds to build and staff it. After it breaks ground, Fire Station 6 will take approximately 18 months to build.
The City also hired a new full time emergency manager and swore in Sparks Fire Chief Walt White. White is the first fire chief that the city has ever hired outside of the department.
Fire and Police Upgrades
Council member Donald Abbott mentioned that the council approved a new fire engine and ambulance to help improve the city’s response time and care in emergencies. The City also bought three new Type I “pumper” trucks for its fire department as well as a $1.2 million purchase of a Rosenbauer aerial flatbed fire truck, which was delayed for two years due to the pandemic.
The city obtained a $35,000 grant to buy thermal imaging cameras from the Firehouse Subs Foundation and a $4300 FM Global Fire Prevention grant to buy iPads to use out in the field. Grants and taxpayer money also helped obtain training, supplies, and create a fire ventilation system to give firefighters better access into burning buildings.
The City of Sparks got impressive innovative technology for the police department to help ease gun violence (by identifying, locating, and tracking active gunfire), and bought drones to enhance officer safety; perform search and rescue operations; track traffic accidents, and more.
A $6.9 million grant was used to outfit every police car with an AED (heart defibrillator) and a $40 million grant was used for police training, supplies, and operating expenses. Mayor Lawson spoke highly of the H.O.P.E. Team (Homeless Outreach Proactive Engagement), and City Councilmember Paul Anderson talked about the inception of the NPU (Neighborhood Police Unit) helping to keep Sparks’ streets safe and improve quality of life by creating a relationship between law enforcement and residents.
The City also invested in a 911 Hexagon dispatch system that will help streamline emergency calls and coordinate efforts between agencies, to launch next year.
Parks and Recreation Updates
Councilmember Charlene Bybee mentioned the $16,550 grant it received to support its Leisure Without Limits program, and the Mark Wellman Adventure Day at the Sparks Marina. The City also opened an all-abilities playground at the marina in September 2022.
Sparks also accepted a $18,750 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to commission and install a piece of art on Victorian Avenue. The city sent out a survey asking the community what they’d like to see and received 77 responses along with 142 applications from artists.
“It’s Happening Here” in Victorian Square
The city is continuing to invest in safety/security systems for downtown Sparks to mitigate threats during special events, describing the $91,000 mobile barriers they installed in Victorian Square that are crash-rated to stop a 15,000-lb. vehicle traveling at up to speeds of 30mph.
They also supported the Nugget Event Center Forecourt Project, installed rollup doors to the Tony Armstrong Amphitheater, refurbished concrete pavers, installed landscaping, and put benches in throughout the Square.
The City Gives As It Receives, Too
City Councilmember Kristopher Dahir says that some CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds received by the city are also used to help support nonprofits along with fair housing opportunities. Last year, they awarded $72,000 to the Eddy House; $25,000 to Silver State Fair Housing; and $231,000 to the Northern Nevada Food Bank.
Knowing that there is a housing crisis, the City developed two programs called the Eviction Prevention Assistance Program and the Senior Short Term Rental Assistance Program. In total, they helped 76 households, providing around $150,000 in financial housing assistance.
Sparks Recaps Popular Events, Economic Impact From Visitors
Sparks had a successful event year following the pandemic with concerts, Hot August Nights, Dragon Boat Races, Water Lantern Festival, and the renowned Rib Cook-Off festival; and as we got into the holidays people came out for the Turkey Trot, 39 North Pole Village, Fall Into the Holidays craft fair, and the Hometowne Christmas Parade.
Golden Eagle Regional Park receives a $30 million economic impact to the region every year thanks to the 1400 teams visiting from outside the area and generating 50,000 room night revenue generated by traveling tournaments. Every year there are about one million visits to the park and the city is continuously replacing turf thanks to funds coming from cannabis dispensary business license fees.
Positive Impacts and Citizen Engagement
“We’re excited to make a positive impact in Sparks, one project at a time,” Mayor Lawson says.
In three days last winter between Dec. 31-Jan. 2, crews spent 502 hours and drove more than 4,000 miles to clear snow and remove downed tree branches.
Along with improving the safety for employees, too, City Attorney Wes Duncan discussed fighting domestic violence and a new child abuse ordinance that went into place. He also talked about improvements in cracking down on street racing and sideshows as well as launching a senior scam prevention program.
They’ve also improved their citizen engagement by launching an easy-to-use app to make service requests, “Monday Minutes” that share a one-minute city update to their social media channels, and the still-active IgniteSparks podcast.
“I’m proud of all of our accomplishments and I’m damn proud to be your mayor,” Lawson said in the conclusion of the video. “Now let’s eat some cake,” he told the packed house.
To view the 2024 Sparks State of the City Address, which includes road improvements, parks renovations, and much more, visit the City of Sparks YouTube channel or website, www.cityofsparks.us.
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