Carson City supervisors OK transitional housing program

The Board of Supervisors on Thursday approved a plan to fund a transitional housing program.

“We all need safe and stable housing and people in substance abuse court need safe, stable and sober housing,” said Justice of the Peace Tom Armstrong, who spoke in support of the plan proposed by Carson City Health and Human Services. “It is the single most glaring weakness that we have.”

The Carson City Sober Housing Assistance Reinforces Everyone’s Safety program would provide placement in a group home for three or more months for indigent individuals coming out of the Carson City Specialty Court Criminal programs.

Armstrong said the city is talking to Lyfe Recovery Services which operates two group homes in Carson City.

“We’ve been working in the housing task force for a while and this is super exciting,” said Supervisor Lori Bagwell. “This will help not just the recipient, it helps the jails and helps the families.”

The program, along with several other budget items, is being funded through the Indigent Accident Fund for the County Medicaid Match Program. The city is being reimbursed $834,091 for long-term care costs it paid in fiscal year 2017, which it will receive as a credit applied to the funds it’s currently required to match. The funds then must be used for services to the city’s indigent population.

The transitional housing program was allocated $97,000 for three years with an annual 3 percent increase in the second and third years.

As part of the program, $6,000 is being allocated to assist individuals facing eviction and $1,860 for random drug testing, for a total of $105,360.

The remaining money will be used to fund several staff salaries, including a community health worker, and up to $30,000 for one year for the Meals on Wheels program. Any remaining funds will be used to reduce the annual write off for indigent ambulance services.

The board voted to support all of the bills sponsored by Assemblyman Al Kramer, R-Carson City.

Those bills are Assembly Bill 91, which would provide $1 million annually for rural counties to provide Mobile Outreach Safety Team services to address people in behavioral health crisis; AB 214 would provide money for a feasibility study on turning the Nevada State Prison into a museum; Bill Draft Request S-50 makes minor changes to the Carson City Airport Authority Act; and BDR 48-45 would let counties use general fund money to pay for special water assessments if the amount of an assessment is less than the cost of collecting it.

Nancy Paulson, city manager, also updated the board on other legislation the city is monitoring, including a bill giving counties the ability to tax diesel, and several bills on workers comp and on prevailing wage. One of the latter bills would lower the threshold from $250,000 to $100,000 on construction projects requiring prevailing wage, which Paulson said would cost the city an estimated $200,000 annually. The Carson City School District estimated the change would cost it $4.2 million.

The supervisors gave an extension to Capital City Liquidators to clean up its outside storage. The South Carson Street business has been out of compliance with municipal code, which restricts outside storage to 20 percent of the property, since November 2015.

Late last year, the supervisors gave the business 90 days to comply or lose its business license. At the time, the business had 40 percent of its property used for storage and has since reduced that to 35 percent.

Ann Sullivan, owner, said the front of the property is clear, but recurring snowstorms have prevented her from being able to clear items stored behind the building.

The board voted to give Sullivan another 30 days to comply and if not in compliance to revoke the business license with another 30 days to wind down the business.

The vote was 3-1 with Supervisor John Barrette voting no and Mayor Bob Crowell absent.