The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The Agenda Action Summary is a document prepared by the City Clerk's office listing the results of items discussed during the meeting and does not contain discussion on any item. Comprehensive minutes will be available within 30 days of the meeting See the Summary

The public is invited to attend the Flag Retirement Ceremony scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The event marks the inauguration of a new annual event at the cemetery in Fernley, which will be conducted by American Legion Post #37 with participation from its Boys Scout troop #737 and Cub Scout pack 316

Several long-term goals have been fulfilled at the cemetery this year. According to Cemetery Advisory Board member, Jerry Finley of Fernley, “Flag lighting", thanks to generous contributions from local industries and individuals, was dedicated on Memorial Day. Now, the temporary ceremonial site for flag retirement ceremonies has been put into place,” points out Finley, with the final design and construction still to transpire. Post #37 is accepting donations for this project at this time and can be sent to American Legion Post 37, P.O. Box 1689 Fernley, NV. 89408.

Organizations, businesses and individuals with unserviceable flags, such as those torn and shredded by the wind, are encouraged to contact American Legion Post representative Larry Christiansen at 575-0977. Larry will arrange for national, state or military service flags to be picked up. Those with flags are also encouraged to bring them to the ceremony on Sunday.

Flag Day, June 14, commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag. The Flag retirement ceremony will be conducted just north of the new administration building and south west of the columbarium wall.

The Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery is located at 14 Veterans Way. There are two routes to the cemetery: 1) Follow Main Street ((Highway 40) past Newlands Drive and go under Highway 80, past the Truck Inn property north to Veterans Way where there is a directional sign. 2) Take Main Street (Highway 40) to and turn left at Fremont Street (the access road to Scolari's Shopping complex). Follow Fremont Street to Vine and turn right. Go under Highway 80 and follow the roadway to the cemeteries, which include the Veterans and County properties. Turn left on Veterans Way. There is parking outside of the gates and limited handicap spots within.

Fernley, NV – June 3, 2009 – Five students from Fernley are being honored by Mayor Todd Cutler at tonight’s City Council meeting for their outstanding academic and positive image. As part of the Mayor’s “Citizen Engagement” priority, Mayor Cutler and the City of Fernley will present several Fernley students with Positive Image Awards. The awards recognize young people who are making a positive difference in our community. Teachers, school coaches and school counselors nominate the students whose leadership and involvement makes them role models for their peers.

The Positive Image Youth Awards Program recognizes five outstanding students (one from each of Fernley’s public schools) for their personal and academic achievements. Awards will be given in the following categories:
Grades 1 - 5 Three awards of $250
Grades 6 - 8 One award of $500
Grades 9 - 12 One award of $750

Mayor Todd Cutler is pleased to honor the following Fernley students for their personal and academic achievements,

Christian Burleson, 10th Grade, Fernley High School
Ashley Crook, 8th Grade, Fernley Intermediate School
Kaval Bedi, 5th Grade, Cottonwood Elementary School
Seth Cannon, 5th Grade, Fernley Elementary School
Jason James Hanski, 5th Grade, East Valley Elementary School

“These awards are important because they recognize the efforts, successes and positive influences of Fernley’s greatest asset, our children, our future leaders,” said Mayor Cutler, “Also, since the awards program is at the end of the academic year, the awards become an attainable goal, which students strive to obtain.”

Awards are provided by corporate partners and the Fernley Mayor’s Office. All nominees must attend school a Fernley public school and reside in Fernley.

For more information on the Positive Image Awards, please contact Leslieann Hayden in City Manager’s Office at 775-784-9851.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program Funds Announced: Funding to Revitalize Fernley and Dayton Neighborhoods Hard Hit By Foreclosure

May 29, 2009 FERNLEY-NV – The City of Fernley is proud to announce the availability of Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds in Fernley to assist homebuyers purchase bank-owned homes in Fernley and Dayton. Funding is available through Lyon County’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

As a component of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), the NSP is specifically intended to stabilize neighborhoods experiencing the negative effects of the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the general economic downturn. These localities are identified as those hard hit by foreclosures and are statistically at high risk of continued market deterioration. “It is critical that we take action to mitigate the destabilizing affect foreclosures and vacant homes can have on our neighborhoods and that is why these Neighborhood Stabilization funds are so important,” said Mayor Todd Cutler. “These funds will provide much needed assistance in improving the health and viability of our community and position us for future growth. By keeping our neighborhoods strong, we are keeping Fernley strong.”

Lyon County is currently taking applications for the qualified homebuyers Down Payment Assistance Program (DPA). This program is funded by HUD through NSP funds and provides $30,000 to qualified homebuyers at 50% area medium income and $15,000 for 120% area medium income, at 0% interest, in the form of a deferred loan. The Lyon County loan is due only upon sale, transfer of title, if the property is no longer the applicant’s primary residence, or buyer’s refinance with cash out. Homebuyers may use DPA funds as down payment and for closing costs. (More detailed information on this program is available in the attached brochure).

“Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds will allow us to continue working with community partners in stabilizing our housing market,” said Interim City Manager Greg Evangelatos. “All of the federally funded projects will help us to promote employment growth, continue neighborhood revitalization, and enhance overall quality of life.”

For further information on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program funds, or to receive an application contact the Lyon County Comptrollers office at (775) 463-6510 or on the Lyon County website at www.lyon-county.org

For more housing and foreclosure prevention information, please visit the City of Fernley’s website and click on Housing Resources @ www.cityoffernley.org

[Lyon County Brochure...]

No Open Meeting Law Violation

Fernley, NV – March 31, 2009 – The State of Nevada Attorney General’s Office issued an opinion providing guidance that the Fernley City Council did not violate the Open Meeting Law (“OML”) in regards to passage of the solid waste ordinance and waste franchise contract.

Fernley resident Nedra Kurosaki filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office stating that the Fernley City Council violated the OML by failing to clearly and completely place the solid waste ordinance and franchise agreement on the council agenda when Council provided direction to staff to include the mandatory component of solid waste collection in the request for proposals. In response to the complaint, the City of Fernley provided full disclosure to the Attorney General’s Office regarding the solid waste ordinance and franchise agreement.

The Attorney General’s Office commented “The history of Fernley City Council’s move to an exclusive agreement for mandatory waste disposal clearly does not indicate that it tried to conceal from the public the mandatory nature of an exclusive franchise.” The Attorney General’s Office concluded that the Fernley City Council did not violate the Open Meeting Law in regards to properly placing the solid waste ordinance and franchise on the agenda.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

City Announces Layoffs, Department Cuts to Close $455,000 Revenue Gap

Fernley, NV – March 4, 2009 – The City of Fernley continues to monitor and respond to the national financial meltdown and its impacts on city finances. Despite months of on-going belt tightening measures such as hiring freezes, reducing travel, eliminating annual cost of living increases for employees, across the board department and contract cuts, stagnant housing and declining revenues continue to underscore the need for the city to do more.

Facing what he called one of the toughest challenges of his professional career, Interim City Manager Greg Evangelatos said, “Fernley certainly didn’t create the global economic crisis, but we have to deal with it, and we have to deal with it immediately and straightforwardly, in order to keep the city’s finances in order and protect the people of Fernley.”

“The mid-year building revenue deficit, which amounts to nearly $455,000.00 is so substantial that it can only be closed through workforce reductions after the city had trimmed every department to bare bones levels. We are faced now with the reality from the financial crisis: We must cut spending and generate more revenue. Each path is unpleasant and painful,” said Evangelatos.

“The plan we’re undertaking makes no one happy, least of all me. But it’s a plan that will take the necessary steps to keep our city solvent while preserving the core city services our residents and businesses depend on,” said Mayor Cutler.

The work force will be cut by 14 employees, about half through layoffs and the remainder through attrition. The layoffs include full-time and part-time staff (all from the general fund budget) from nearly every city department including Building, Community Development, Finance, Parks, Animal Control and other employees. Not even the Mayor and City Manager’s Office were spared as special events, community support activities, and communications have been cut or eliminated from the budget.

“We take these measures with a heavy heart. People are losing their jobs and services will be affected; there’s no way to sugar coat this. But these are tough economic times that require tough decisions to be made,” Mayor Cutler continued, “the program cuts we’re enacting will be painful and they will be noticed, but nothing we’re doing will compromise the public’s basic safety and well-being. We have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that core city services continue.”

For more information contact:
Greg Evangelatos, Interim City Manager
City of Fernley
775-784-9858

-End-

March 18, 2009

NEVADA CEMENT QUARRY POSITION PAPER

1. The council’s main obligation is for protection of the citizens of Fernley with respect to Public Health, Safety, and Welfare. I received a large quantity of letters, emails and phone calls on this issue. I have researched the facts concerning this proposal in considerable detail. While I do not claim to be an expert on air pollution, I have had experience as the safety engineer for Concord Naval Weapons station and have been qualified as a Certified Safety Professional.

Based on my experience, I feel comfortable with the approach presented for tracking fugitive dust in the air dispersion modeling report prepared for this project. I visited the quarry site, drove on the roads, and studied the complete dust prediction report prepared by Enviroscientists Limited.

I have also discussed this study with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), and verified that the technique used in the study is scientifically sound, the state uses this company for many of their other studies, and this company is in good standing with the State of Nevada. I hoped that each council member and concerned member of the public had carefully reviewed the results of the study.

In brief, the projected levels of dust from the loading site are negligible at a short distance away, and the nearest houses are considerably further away. The high school is literally miles away. The allowable background safety levels for dust, as established by the state, are not even close to being exceeded. Unfortunately, there appears to much scientific misinformation spread by some who are biased against the project, but I have based my decision upon what I believe to be the facts, and not the rumors or numbers of letters resulting from the misinformation.

We council members would not be doing our job for our community if we simply weighed the stack of letters opposing a change against weighing the stack in favor. It takes careful study, and I believe I have done that without bias for the citizens of Fernley. I have broken up pieces of the shale between my thumbs and noted that it does not powder, but cleaves into smaller layers of shale.

The concern about silicosis comes from the finished Pozzolan product, which will only be made from the shale rocks after exposure to high temperatures and processing in a ball mill. This process is only conducted at the NV Cement plant, north of I-80, and will be done in a controlled environment by workers protected by required safety equipment. So, the spreading of concerns by quoting the Material Safety Data Sheets for Pozzolan is inappropriate for the quarry site. It must be noted that the development of operation rules and the best management practices will come from the Environmental Review process. The federal and state governments who are well equipped and tasked to deal with environmental protection issues require these reviews, and it would be inappropriate for the city to prevent the project from being advanced to this stage of rigorous review.

The quarry will not be allowed to operate if it is found to be unsafe by government agencies, including the federal Mine Safety Administration.

2. Traffic. The traffic routing to Hiway 95A is indeed a concern. I was not in favor of the production route being on Sage Street. Production trucks must be directed to Hiway 95A by another road to be built by NV Cement somewhere south of Sage. I am willing to allow Sage to be used for a limited amount of time for equipment needed to initiate the quarry operations, but not for production trucking. A period of up to 18 months may be needed for set up, but if full production occurs sooner, I believe the use of Sage should be stopped. It is noted that the total number of NV Cement trucks traveling on Hiway 95A will be reduced as limestone resources near the high school are depleted and hauling will be finished within the next few years. The net result will be less truck traffic even with the addition of the shale quarry operation.

3. Special use timing. The proposal is for a 25-year operation, and it is very hard to know how much development will occur during that time in the area. It is important for the council to have control of the quarry’s impact on future homes expected to be built nearby. Therefore, it is imperative that a 3 to 5 year renewal period be placed on the special use permit. If the quarry becomes a real detriment to residential development in the area, this council can direct modifications to the quarry operations in the future. The Fernley City Council will have the future ability to control changes to the route of trucking, hours of operations, and even closing the quarry if necessary.

4.City’s relationship to business. I want to say that I have never visited NV Cement until this issue came up for our study. I did not know any of the principals of the company and have no financial connections whatsoever. I have approached this proposal with absolutely no bias, and have developed my conclusions on my own using information from different sources. There seems to be a desire by some to try to measure dollar benefits versus costs to the city. This is not an appropriate way to determine development.

Our duty is to determine if Health, Safety, and Welfare conditions of any new development are being met, and if they are, we should not be telling business how much money they can make or how much taxes they will pay to get our support. Or, worse yet, if they are even allowed to operate in our city. Since, thank God, we do not live in a socialist state then we should not dabble in these affairs. I am not looking at what taxes will be paid by NV Cement, and to whom, or if the company will, or will not, make a profit. I do want to see them continue to be able to compete in their industry, and if successful, to continue to keep 130, or more, jobs in Fernley.

It is irrelevant how much tax they directly pay to the city in our deciding whether or not they benefit the city. The employees’ salary gets spent over and over again in the community, and that is what makes the economy work.

5.In summary, I find no science-supported reason to deny NV Cement to continue to pursue the development of this quarry, provided production traffic is routed away from residential developments, reasonable dust protection is provided for the roads, and the city still has control of the special use permit process into the future. The company will be required to develop best management practices and controls if the appropriate environmental protection authorities grant approval.

I decided to update a position paper that I originally wrote back in November to respond to a campaign of misinformation, accusations and name calling that has been circulating around our community for the past few months. I wanted to set the facts straight and outline the reasoning for the decisions I made as a Fernley City Councilman, regarding both the Mandatory Residential Pickup and the reason I voted to go with Trashpros. This happened because we were at the end of a 10-Year Franchise Agreement with our former provider that we inherited from Lyon County. So this decision has to be good for 10 years into our future, when our population could be double of what it is right now. To view entire letter to residents click here.

On October 30, 2008, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor for the City of Fernley regarding alleged statutory and procedural deficiencies in issuance of a building permit for Fernley’s water treatment plant. The unanimous ruling before Justices Hardesty, Parraguirre, and Douglas provided that the challengers to the issuance of the water treatment plant building permit failed to use the proper procedural remedy. The challengers, who include David C. Mathewson, Sandra Mathewson, Shirley G. Fraser, Jack Knowles, and Mary Knowles, Mesagate Homeowner’s Association argued that the City had violated statutory and building code requirements during the water treatment plant approval process. The Court did not consider whether the City had violated the approval process for the water treatment plant because the challengers failed to exhaust the administrative remedies of appeal to the Building Board of Appeals prior to initiation of the law suit.

For more information on the City of Fernley’s Water Treatment Plant, please visit our website at www.cityoffernley.org.

Did you know that you have instant access to more than 1,000 Federal and State administered benefit and assistance programs through GovBenefits.gov (www.GovBenefits.gov)? Managed by the U.S. Department of Labor and 15 Federal agency funding partners, this valuable Internet resource gives individuals the ability to quickly find programs that meet thier specific needs, determine eligibility and obtain contact information for applying.

GovBenefits.gov, includes information on benefit and assistance programs for a wide range fo categories including, employment, education, housing, small business, child care, food and nutrition, healthcare, disaster relief and more. GovBenefits.gov has guided more than 5.8 million people to the help they need.

Citizens are encouraged to visit the site regularly, particularly when life events - such as applying for college, seeking food and nutrition services, property damage following a storm, retirement, starting a business, etc. -occur that could make you eligible for assistance.

"Rather than trying to figure out which agency to call, citizens can simply log on the Internet from homeor thier community library and quickly get the information they need on one Web site," said GovBenefits.gov Program Manager, Curtis Turner.

GovBenefits.gov is available in English and Spanish.

[Additional info...]

Message From City Hall: 2/11/2008

The City of Fernley would like to take the opportunity to praise the citizens of Fernley for their brilliant response to the terrible canal breach and flood we faced on January 5, 2008. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the families whose homes and lives have been forever changed by the flood waters. There are no words that can express the shock and sadness of their loss.

We appreciate that this has been an extremely difficult time for those affected by the canal breach in Fernley. There is still a lot of work to do, and many people to express our gratitude to, and still more who need our help. City Hall was converted into a Disaster Recovery Center and was the temporary home for emergency services and assistance. Here at City Hall you will find the Small Business Administration (SBA), the State of Nevada Homeowner Disaster grants as well as local resources and support that are available for recovery. These include grants from the Fernley Assistance Fund, household furnishing donations and volunteer repair work from the Long Term Recovery Team and other helpful information and resources.

Our unreserved thanks go out to all the people across Fernley who pulled together with remarkable strength and endeavor to help during the emergency situation that arose so quickly. Thanks to all the emergency services: Sheriff’s, Fire, Search and Rescue, NAS Fallon, City staff, NDOT, as well as other state and neighboring agencies whose staff have worked around the clock to keep local people safe. A big, big, thanks to our residents and neighbors - the ordinary people of Fernley who made extraordinary efforts to help one another during this crisis.

Fernley has been in the spotlight of the media’s attention over the last several weeks, from all over the country. In all the coverage there’s one thing that has always shone through: the resilience and strength of Fernley residents. As not only your city representatives, but as your fellow neighbors, friends and family members, that makes us remarkably proud.

Letters of support and thanks have been coming in from everywhere. During the visit by former President Clinton when he saw how the flood had devastated our neighborhoods, he was full of praise for the residents, and for all those involved in the emergency response and recovery work, and rightly so.

We have seen astonishing scenes over the past weeks and we’ve seen how the kindness and spirit of Fernley has won out, despite it all. We can assure you that the City will be working with the government to ensure we get as much help as possible to help Fernley get back on its feet. We can assure you that we have been working closely with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corp of Engineers and the Truckee Carson Irrigation District and many other experts to make sure that the canal is safe.

With best wishes,
City of Fernley
Mayor, City Council and City Staff