Mayor Hillary Schieve has heroically drawn her mightiest weapon—the strongly worded letter—after Renown already closed the Crisis Care Center doors. With the timing precision of someone showing up with a fire extinguisher after the house has burned down, the mayor is now "questioning" Renown's decision to shutter vital mental health services.

As local governments scramble to patch their leaking financial ships—with Washoe County, Sparks, and Reno all millions in the red—they've settled on the usual solution: deeper dives into taxpayer pockets. Increased fees, passed on charges, some say, sales tax hikes are circling the drain, and "fire consolidation assessments" have become the preferred alternative to actual fiscal responsibility - (translation: moving money around so Reno - Sparks - Washoe County can spend fire budgets to run the city/county, because if State Senator Skip Daly, Mayor Ed Lawson, Commissioner Alexis Hill, and Mayor Hillary Schieve have their way, residents will pay an assessment to fund fire services - slick, right).

Last week County Manager Eric Brown took a vacation and left one of his Assistant County Managers in charge - seems like lack of transparency has a trickle down effect at Washoe County.

In what has become Washoe County's standard operating procedure, deflect, deny, hide the facts, officials sat on news of a deputy public defender's Las Vegas arrest for four days—miraculously finding their voices only when the Las Vegas Review-Journal prepared to publish the story. Apparently, the county's definition of "public information" is "whatever we can no longer hide."

Washoe County offers some of their hiring practices in writing after persistent questioning. But they've left the most critical question unanswered: Who selects the screening committees?

This isn't just bureaucratic nitpicking - it's the foundation of the entire hiring process.

Commissioner Mike Clark reached out to our published as the gentlemen were eating chucker at a wild game dinner and fundraiser, come on folks it is still Nevada.

Clark mentioned his frustrations surrounding the historic courthouse, and was surprised when he received an email from Alicia Lerud, the Clerk of the Court, in January 2025, regarding his question on the dais as to radon testing. He questions if the building is referred to as a “bit of a frankenbuilding” why the courthouse judges and staff are not in front of the Board of County Commissioners at every meeting pleading their case needing a new building. Put it on the record constantly was Clark’s opinion. You know, squeaky wheel kind of thing.

Who knew our culinary adventure sampling a $4 gourmet disappointment at the Washoe County Senior Center's makeshift cafeteria would lead to such bureaucratic pearl-clutching?

Picture this: while digesting our questionable meal at the "under renovation" center (a phrase we use loosely, as "planning" appears to be a foreign concept in county vocabulary), we took a little constitutional and snapped a few innocent photos of some rather interesting signage.

Commissioner Clara Andriola has been taking victory laps around the county building for her revolutionary brainchild: the Washoe County Checkbook. This digital wonder promises to unveil the mysteries of county finances to the masses.

On Tuesday, April 8, 2025, we'll all be treated to a special tutorial where county staff is suppose to be showing all of us how to use Checkbook.

Remember that old saying about history repeating itself? Well, grab your wallets, Nevadans, because AJR1—the sequel nobody asked for—is now playing at a legislature near you.

This blockbuster tax hike (previously known as SJR14 in its 2017 flop) has risen from the political graveyard with a simple plot: extract more property tax dollars from your pockets. Why? Because apparently our local governments have developed expensive tastes they can't seem to kick.

In a world where genuine compassion is increasingly replaced by technological band-aids, Washoe County has unveiled its latest "solution" to human suffering: a box with a screen.

Anthem, Inc. has magnanimously bestowed $400,000 for a gleaming CareStation—a sterile, standalone unit promising "hybrid medical care"—at the 9th Street Senior Center. How very innovative, yet misguided.

Oh, how delightful. Washoe County Government has once again proven that they can't resist jumping into the social media fray, apparently believing their defensive comments are some kind of brilliant strategic move. Spoiler alert: they're not.

Let's break this down for the cheap seats: These public servants seem more interested in playing digital damage control than actually serving the residents who pay their salaries. It's like watching a desperate PR team try to plug holes in a sinking ship - except the ship is local government, and the holes are their own spectacular mismanagement.

Our Town Reno reported on this death at the Nevada CARES Campus yesterday. Commissioner Mike Clark sent the FYI announcement to the press. Why are we now reporting on this? Because the tenor of the email just really pissed us off, this is a human life.

The Washoe County manager and assistant county manager's response to a death at the Nevada CARES Campus appears to demonstrate a deeply troubling lack of human empathy. Reducing a human being's death to a mere "FYI" (For Your Information) memo reveals a disturbing bureaucratic detachment from the fundamental value of human life.

Please read to the bottom of this article and look at the complaint filed by criminal attorney Theresa Ristenpart. You’ll want to note the troubling information about Sober 24 and their testing methods “Including Forcing Pretrial Client to Strip Search Before Testing” - say what? Was County Manager Eric Brown and his staff aware this was taking place at Sober 24?

Has County Manager Eric Brown suddenly morphed into a legal expert, "warning" commissioners to keep quiet about the Justin Roper investigation. His excuse? Speaking might "risk of possibly interfering" with the law enforcement investigation or is it an "HR matter." Keep up Eric, choose one.

In a surprising display of priorities, Washoe County officials sprang into action after offensive "Zoom Bombers" crashed an Animal Advisory Board meeting—but couldn't be bothered when the exact same thing happened to a room full of senior citizens earlier this month.

County Commissioner Mike Clark called out this blatant double standard during yesterday's commissioner comments, noting that when the Senior Advisory Board meeting was disrupted on February 5th, the response was essentially a half-hearted email saying "Oops, our bad!" Meanwhile, the recent animal board incident triggered a full-scale response with County Manager Eric Brown and the IT Director suddenly developing an intense interest in Zoom security protocols.

On February 3, 2025, Commission Chair Alexis Hill and County Manager Eric Brown made quite the presentation at the Nevada Legislature, claiming they've reduced homelessness in Washoe County by 40%.

Let's Talk About Déjà Vu:

• Haven't we heard this magical 40% number before? or was it 50% back in 2023?

• Wasn't it proven false last time?

• Where's the data to back up this recycled claim?

Once again, Washoe County is playing fast and loose with taxpayer dollars, serving up a masterclass in how NOT to manage public funds. Let's break down the latest installment of "Who Benefits?"

Exhibit A: The Seven Magic Mountains Boondoggle Remember those rocks that Commission Chair Alexis Hill decided must be relocated Northern Nevada via the Nevada Museum of Art? A cool $500,000 of taxpayer money, and what do we get?

One of our “sleuthie” readers ran into the attached document the Washoe County FY21-25 Strategic Plan – FY25 Update and while reading through it identified two interesting notations about the Washoe County Library.

Commissioner Mike Clark forwarded us a Daily Media Report from January 30, 2025, regarding the restoration of hot meals to local seniors, and we found something concerning. While the news itself was positive - seniors finally receiving warm meals after a 14-day interruption due to unexplained "permitting issues" with the temporary kitchen - we noticed a glaring omission.

Despite Picon's extensive coverage of this situation, including detailed reporting on seniors receiving cold sandwiches and later cold salads, our outlet was conspicuously absent from the Daily Media Report. This exclusion comes despite our constant coverage compared to mentioned outlets like RGJ, Channel 8, Channel 4, 2 News, and Fox 11.

A crucial meeting about regionalizing fire services is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, 2025, at 8AM between the leaders of Reno, Sparks, and Washoe County. While the early meeting time may limit public participation, the potential financial impact on residents demands attention.

Mayors Hillary Schieve (Reno), Ed Lawson (Sparks), and Commission Chair Alexis Hill are collaborating with State Senator Skip Daly on a fire services regionalization plan that deserves closer scrutiny. The timing raises questions, as all three jurisdictions face significant budget deficits for 2026.

Washoe County Communications Director Bethany Drysdale challenged our reporting standards. While she correctly notes that the county met the legal requirement for publishing notice of the February 6, 2025 meeting, this raises broader questions about meaningful public access and transparency.

Yes, the county fulfilled its minimum legal obligation under NRS code. However, other local governments, like the City of Sparks, demonstrate that earlier notification is both possible and beneficial for public engagement. The 8:00AM meeting time creates an additional barrier for working residents who wish to participate in their local government.

At the January 21, 2025, Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting, Commissioner Mike Clark highlighted a striking contrast: the county hired over 300 new employees in 2024 while simultaneously facing what Our Town Reno reports as a $27 million budget deficit in 2026.

When contacted for comment, Clark offered to provide documentation from Washoe County explaining the rationale behind these hires. The county's defensive stance raises questions, particularly given County Manager Eric Brown's October 2024 warnings about reduced funding for the 2026 budget due to stagnant or declining tax revenues.