Three of six seats will be contested for positions on the Sparks City Council, and at least two of those spots will be guaranteed to go to newcomers to the board. Add in a spot on the State Assembly for District 13 and a new justice of the peace position and it should make for quite a lively election season. The spots open on the city council are for Wards 1, 3 and 5. The … [Read more...]
Council passes on changing Sparks’ ‘hybrid’ election system despite court ruling
The Sparks City Council has decided not to take action on changing the city’s “hybrid” system of electing council members, which has been declared unconstitutional by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case involving Tucson, Arizona. The city’s election process is characterized as a hybrid system because the primary election for City Council seats is conducted by … [Read more...]
In Sparks, politics isn’t personal, just business
The Dec. 14 Sparks City Council action to wipe out licensing standards for plumbers and electricians must be agendized for reconsideration. Councilmember Ed Lawson failed to disclose a glaring conflict of interest and voted with the 4-0 majority to allow just about anybody with a pulse to plumb and wire buildings. Councilmember Charlene Bybee did the right thing by … [Read more...]
Sparks city council endorses changes to trash collection
Sparks residents will no longer be able to put extra bundles of trash next to their garbage can each week, will not have to sort recycling items into separate crates and will pay 98 cents more per month for getting rid of their trash. Those are some of the significant changes in residential garbage service that the Sparks City Council authorized Monday. The council … [Read more...]
THUMBS UP THUMBS DOWN
THUMBS UP to the Sparks City Council for supporting chickens. At a meeting earlier this month, the council approved an urban agriculture ordinance that allows residents in neighborhoods outside planned developments to have chickens and bee hives in their backyards as long as they follow certain conditions. The ordinance also provides for larger community-scale gardens, again … [Read more...]
Sparks Council approves urban agriculture
An urban agriculture ordinance that allows residents to raise backyard chickens and bees and grow community-size gardens in some neighborhoods of the city was approved unanimously Monday by the Sparks City Council. Under the ordinance, urban agricultural activities, with restrictions, are permitted in all of the city’s residential areas except in planned developments, which … [Read more...]
Traffic congestion significant problem, Sparks survey reveals
Traffic congestion has overtaken graffiti as a primary problem in Sparks, a city survey of residents shows. Results of the 2015 Citizen Survey, presented to the Sparks City Council on Monday, also reveal that education is another top problem or concern among those surveyed. Residents, however, realize that the city has no control over the public school system but wished the … [Read more...]
Sparks City Council approves contracts for construction
The Sparks City Council on Monday approved a $469,000 contract with Reyman Brothers Construction to build a masonry restroom facility at Rock Park, which includes the city’s whitewater attraction on the Truckee River. Two restrooms, a storage area within the building and three drinking fountains will be built, along with the installation of connections to sewer and water … [Read more...]