County commission tackles packed agenda

Here are news briefs from the May 20 county commissioners meeting.

What’s happening in Carson City? Mears outlines bill progress

County assessor Mike Mears discussed SB116, the Elected Officials Salary Bill, which passed out of the Senate, 19 to 2, and out of Assembly Government Affairs, 12 to 2. It’s now on the Assembly floor for a floor vote. 

Mears said most of the real property taxation and property bills have died throughout the session, except AJR1, which requires a constitutional change and entails depreciation and abatement on a property that would reset at the point of sale. 

AB479, the Agro-Voltaic Bill, currently doesn’t require “ag users to annually report their income unless there’s a question of whether they’re meeting the $5000 a year income threshold to qualify.”

The Daylight Savings Bill died, but the Pecan Punch state drink bill is still alive.

AB135, the bill that allows for a surviving spouse to receive a veteran’s exemption, is moving forward. 

AB377 will modify the declaration of value on a deed and indicate whether a property is an owner-occupied residence or not.

Jake Tibbitts said water retirement bills AB104 and SB36 “are still both alive to create a permanent water rights retirement program throughout the state.” 

County re-evaluates HR director’s resignation, opts for transition period

In considering Tasha Dunlap’s resignation as human resource director, effective May 31, 2025, Chairman Rich McKay said he would prefer not to accept the resignation at this point due to active investigations and potential lawsuits and litigations the county is dealing with. There are seven candidates in consideration for the position. Dunlap is willing to continue on the job until a replacement is found.

Many people commented on how helpful Dunlap has been and how much she will be missed. 

The commission moved to rescind the resignation and allow for a transition period and reevaluate after 60 days. They then formed an advisory committee to conduct interviews. On the committee will be City Clerk Kathy Bowling, Sheriff Miles Umina, Dunlap, Commissioner Marty Plaskett, and Mears.

Senior meal counts rise

Senior Centers Director Linda Gordon reported a $9,764.30 deposit for the month of April. She said the meal count went up in Eureka and stayed constant in Crescent Valley. Medical trips for Crescent Valley residents are going well, with trips on Tuesday and Wednesdays to Elko or Battle Mountain in June and Tuesdays and Thursdays in July. Presently, only seniors have taken medical trips although the service is open to all residents. 

Health district moves to strengthen Eureka ties

Shannon Ernst stepped into the role of Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) interim administrator March 28. The CNHD is presently not providing many services in Eureka or Crescent Valley, and her goal is to evaluate “every service in every one of our partners in the district, what is being provided and how it relates to the core of public health.” 

Ernst said core public health includes environmental health, infectious disease prevention and treatment, epidemiology and public health preparedness. She commented, “Everything that was taken from all of us through DOGE is coming back.”

She has been looking at cost effectiveness, service delivery models, staffing levels and overall organization. There will be a CNHD workshop to bring recommendations back to the board.

Chairman McKay asked what services are currently being provided to Eureka by the CNHD. Ernst said in Crescent Valley they provide immunizations and family planning. In Eureka there is not an actual location. The goal is to have a clerical specialist and resource liaison within each community. 

The CNHD attended an event in Eureka last October and provided 18 vaccines. 

Pershing, Mineral, Eureka, and Churchill and the City of Fallon are included in the CNHD, which is the first rural health district in Nevada established in 2022 after the pandemic to address public health. Ernst said since the district’s launch, they have had a hard time keeping staff. A resource liaison would be of great help.

Public Works Director Jeb Rowley thought that bringing EMS director Nikki Cooley on-board for the health district would be a good idea.

The CNHD workshop in Churchill on May 29 will be attended by Rowley and Cooley. On June 3, it will be agendized to have Cooley replace Commissioner McKay as a Eureka County representative to the CNHD.

Advanced medications, new protocols signal EMS upgrade

Cooley reported the total runs for April were Eureka volunteers, six; MedEx, six; Crescent Valley Volunteers, seven and MedEx, five, for a total of 24 runs. The total clinic visits in Eureka were 365 and Crescent Valley, 23. January saw 22 visits in Crescent Valley. February saw 18 and March saw 24.

Related to the ambulance service, Cooley reported 11 participants in the EMS class, with none in Crescent Valley signing up for that class. They are setting up a class for weekends when volunteers are on their five days off and plan to hold a class in Crescent Valley in person. 

Cooley reported that the FireWise Events in Eureka and Crescent Valley on May 2 and 3 went great, with good attendance.

Griffin Bussian, EMT, explained they met with the medical director and will be utilizing Elko’s protocol as their base, modifying it as needed.  Approximately 26 more modern EMS medications are being added for both minor and severe pain. In addition, they will be able to administer anti-seizure medications and are “moving to a much more modern approach.”  Related trainings will be done, and the protocols will be approved through the state. The ambulance agency certification is coming up. 

Cooley reported, “But in the meantime, we already have the variance for the morphine, and we had the doctor rewrite the orders so anybody can do the training on that.” Cooley will reach out to a “couple of agencies and see if some of their paramedics can come and do the training for the morphine so we can roll that out ASAP.”

Cooley said the increase in medications will cause an increase in budget expenses. 

MedEx is still coming out eight days a month to assist.

Cooley said they have had a large uptick in volunteers. There are four drivers in Crescent Valley and two are doing the EMT class in Crescent Valley. In Eureka, one Advanced, one Basic and two drivers applied. 

Cooley related that Bussian has been working to get all systems updated so they are in compliance with the state mandate on how they chart.

Additionally, the service has been doing stand-by for softball and baseball. Cooley will be meeting with the school to make sure they have schedules for other sports as well.

The ambulance has been performing stand-by for fire incidents. 

Commissioner Martin Plaskett, a volunteer firefighter, said, “I liked seeing you there.” He said, “It’s nice to know someone’s not too far away because you never know.”

Sheriff’s office rolls out radio upgrades, secure messaging system

Sheriff Miles Umina reported they are in the process of doing radio upgrades as they work on the towers with radios in vehicles and hand-helds are reprogrammed. The sheriff said the construction project is moving along.

Two sheriff department applicants are in background checks right now. One is finished and has to get an offer letter and another is almost finished. Umina expects two people to attend the academy. The deputy recently placed in Crescent Valley is working out well and passed phase one of his field training program. A new dispatcher started Sunday, May 18.

The sheriff’s office has transitioned to a secure system for messaging that is HIPPA and CJIS [Criminal Justice Information System] compliant. 

A lieutenant’s position is open, with two applicants. 

Busy season for public works

Assistant Public Works Director Raymond Hudson reported extensive road blading across areas like Grass Valley, Fish Creek Road, and Diego Canyon. The Sadler project was completed, alongside work on Bailey Pass Road and Lone Mountain. Crews also swept Eureka streets and managed materials at the landfill and Minoletti pit. The North End crew focused on Barth, Palisade, and Maggie Creek roads.

Public Works Director Jeb Rowley provided updates on Buildings and Grounds, noting the Eureka park has been fertilized and water is on. A new equipment operator for Crescent Valley starts June 2, and interviews are ongoing for a Eureka position. Heating systems at the Opera House and medical clinic are complete. The Eureka Clinic X-ray installation is scheduled for June 17, pending a proposal and new wiring. Carpet cleaning will begin in several county buildings.

The Eureka Opera House and Museum saw 98 visitors and 660 event attendees. The pool had 28 daily swimmers. May Clean Up has been very successful, particularly with tires (400-500 per day), and has two Saturdays remaining. The landfill received 478 solid waste deliveries.

Rowley is working with Jake Tibbitts on water rights and BLM right-of-way applications for 3 Bar and Kobe Valley. The HAZMAT Mitigation Plan is signed, with efforts to include a Community Wildland Protection Plan as an annex. An aquatic facility assessment for the pool went well, and the department is preparing for potential OSHA or fire marshall inspections. A Safety Committee is being finalized, with its first meeting on June 3, followed by fire extinguisher training at the Opera House on June 4.

Major radio system changes are underway, with over 300 radios needing reprogramming as towers are converted. The upgrade process began in Eureka on May 21, continuing to Mt. Tenabo (May 22) and Mary’s Mountain (May 23), then Crescent Valley. Radios must be brought in by Saturday for reprogramming.

In water projects, the Crescent Valley waterline project between 3rd and 8th and Airport is complete and live. Honeywell has a crusher at the Green Pit for asphalt and concrete recycling. Pipe sleeving is occurring in Eureka, with a change order expected June 3.

County addresses crickets, geothermal and water resources

Tibbitts said the FireWise events were successful, with about 170 people in Eureka and 100 in Crescent Valley. One quarter of those were volunteers. The Smokey the Bear Hot Air Balloon went up in Eureka and Crescent Valley, but the winds brought the balloon down in both places. 

He related that Dale Bugenig completed his last data download for the wells in Diamond Valley. His contract expires in September.

Tibbitts attended the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service State Technical Committee meeting in Elko May 20. 

Tibbitts has been having meetings related to the Mormon Cricket Environmental Assessment (EA) impacting treatment on public lands. There were some comments from the same groups that tied up the EA in Oregon, and they are trying to avoid a similar injunction in Nevada. They are having meetings so as to be ready when the EA is complete. They are trying to get aerial treatments ready to go for Pine Valley and around I-80 west of Emigrant Pass and are looking at a treatment for the Beowawe/Crescent Valley area. Tibbitts asked people who see any crickets to report them. 

He received a letter about the Crescent Valley Geothermal Project. “They’ve been doing some drilling and exploration” and are now going to begin actual development on the project in Eureka County. The geothermal lease is on NGM lands. The preliminary draft EA comment period closes June 11. 

Commissioner approvals

• Minutes of the April 1 and April 15 commission meetings;
• Expenditures of $1,322,318.85, including pass-throughs to the Nevada Room Tax of $279.42; Nevada State Controller School Tax, $138,194.96; Nevada State Controller, $13,270.62; Nevada Division of Minerals, $370; Washoe County Crime Lab, $287, for a total pass-through of $152,402;
• Tax rates of $1.1458 for Eureka County (General); Eureka County TV District, $0.0085; Diamond Valley Weed District, $0.0781; Diamond Valley Rodent District, $0.0400; Crescent Valley Town, $0.2153; Eureka Town, $0.2153; State of Nevada, $0.1700; Eureka County School District, $0.7500;
• The Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Final Budgets and signing the top sheets for submission to the Nevada Department of Taxation;
• Purchasing prizes for a photo competition to be used on Eureka County’s social media platforms and website using money from the commissioner donation budget for an amount not to exceed $300;
• Providing to the NV Division of Water Resources Eureka County’s written consent for Nevada Gold Mines to amend water right permits 82616, 8835 and 91618 consistent with the related November 2018 Water Rights Agreement and Stipulation Settlement Agreement and Withdrawal of Protest;
• Quote #020525LM from Eaton in an amount not to exceed $5,949 (which includes a 15 percent contingency on the base amount of $5,173) for the installation of a bypass switch at the Sheriff’s Office to support the existing Eaton UPS;
• A one-year contract with Josh Wilson, manager of Assessed Valuation Specialists LLC, in an amount not to exceed $15,000, payable from the Assessor Contract Services account (010-004-53010-058) to assist the assessor in market land analysis;
• Accepting the treasurer’s verified return of sale of $86,405.30 and reconciliation of trust property for the tax delinquent properties auction held on April 24;
• Adopting a resolution directing the county treasurer to execute and file quitclaim deeds for record with the county recorder and deliver said quitclaim deeds for properties sold at auction on April 24;
• The Interlocal Contract between the State of Nevada and the Eureka County Clerk, pursuant to AB 422 implemented during the 2021 Legislative Session, which establishes a centralized top-down database for the Voter Registration Election Management System for fiscal year 2025-2026, for Eureka County’s portion of the 50 percent of the total cost to maintain KNOWiNK based upon number  of registered voters, in an amount not to exceed $1,550.85 for one year, to be paid from the Elections Data  Software Account (010-010-53010-112);
• Updates to the Chief Information Officer job description, previously the IT Director; adding the IT Professional I job description and the IT Professional Trainee I, II and III job descriptions, previously referred to as IT Professional I, II and II;
• A $1,000 credit card increase for SGT Nicholas Collins for the month of June for attending the second part of the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course class in Las Vegas;
• The partial replacement of the camera DVR system failure that resulted from power bumps that hit Eureka in the beginning of May, in an amount not to exceed $6,946, paid from the Machine Maintenance account;
• Ratifying a 3/4-inch residential water meter and service application to  serve APN 002-039-11 in Crescent Valley;
• A 3/4-inch residential water meter and service application to serve APN  007-395-13 located in Devil’s Gate GID District 2;
• A quote from Empire Cat to host equipment operator training in Eureka at a cost not to exceed $6,000 (includes contingency), utilizing funds budgeted for travel and training in the Road Department budget;
• A proposal from Alpine Lock to install access controls at the Eureka Medical Clinic for a cost not to exceed $12,196.46 (includes contingency), utilizing funds budgeted for capital outlay in the Buildings & Grounds budget.