Commissioners Approve Repairs to Fairgrounds

Commissioners Approve Repairs to Fairgrounds

By Rachel Dahl

At their regular meeting on Wednesday, Churchill County Commissioners approved a $300,000 investment in planned improvements at the Churchill County Fairgrounds. In light of the new Rafter 3C Arena, Jorge Guerrero, Facilities, Parks, and Recreation Director told Commissioners it wouldn’t make sense to attract large regional events to use the Fairgrounds facilities and not make the needed upgrades that make it conducive for using the entire grounds.

“With the 3C Arena coming online we’ve been working on connectivity between all the amenities on the grounds and the short-term and long-term improvements that will need to be made,” said Guerrero.

The first order of business will be to reconfigure the main area and grounds, with a goal of completing the work before the first major outdoor event, planned for April 2022. “The improvements are not only for attracting new events, but also to encourage current events and programs to grow,” he said.

Slated refurbishing projects included in this funding are asphalt; flooring, windows, and siding to the Multipurpose Building; and repairs to the existing outdoor arena including pipe, panels, fencing, a sound system and the addition of additional bleachers.

In other business, commissioners herd from Chad Atkinson, a CPA with Hinton Burdick who presented a report on the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. The management discussion and analysis document presented said that cash and investments of $63,475,808 are available to meet the current liabilities due within one year of $10,472,959. The current liabilities include the current portion of capital leases, bonds payable, and accrued compensated absences totaling $1,222,774. A conservative measure of the cash and investments available to pay current obligations is the County’s cash ratio which is 6.1, meaning that the County has 6.1 times the unrestricted cash on hand to meet its current obligations. Last year’s cash ratio was 12.7. It should be noted that $2,447,361 of unspent grant funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) are included as unearned revenue under current liabilities.

Additionally, General revenues increased to $29,932,508 from $28,310,562 an increase of $1,621,946 or 5.7%. The County’s primary general governmental revenue sources are ad valorem taxes of $9,809,885 and consolidated taxes at $8,285,676. These two revenue sources comprise 32.8% and 27.7% of countywide general revenues, respectively. Ad valorem revenues increased by $432,720 or 4.6% due in part to the increase in the assessed value due to expansion. The assessed value increased as a result of plant expansion in the geothermal/solar sector, new housing starts as well as increases in real estate values. The consolidated tax revenues which include sales tax revenues (SCCRT & BCCRT), Cigarette, Liquor Taxes, Real Property Transfer Tax, and Government Services Tax, increased $1,148,598 from $7,137,078 to $8,285,676 up 16.1% primarily due to an increase in taxable sales.

There are several major governmental funds that contribute to the overall financial health of the county. The General Fund is the County’s primary operating fund. It accounts for all financial resources of the general government, except those accounted for in another fund. The Road Fund accounts for transactions by the County related to the construction and maintenance of roads. Revenue resources of this fund include licenses and permits, intergovernmental, and miscellaneous revenues. The Debt Service Fund accounts for debt service activity within the County. The County reports the following major proprietary funds: CC Communications – Telephone Fund - The Telephone Fund accounts for the operation of the County’s telephone system. CC Communications – Broadband Fund - The Broadband Fund accounts for the operation of the County’s television and internet services. Wastewater Enterprise Fund – The Wastewater Enterprise Fund accounts for the operation of the County’s wastewater system.

Commissioners approved the appointment of Page Hiskett, Julie Gilmore, and Jaime Sammons to the Cemetery Board, and Bob Getto, Tom Riggins, and Alan Kalt to continue serving on the Board of Equalization. They also continued with existing Chair and Vice-chair positions for the Commission, Highway Commission, CC Communications, and committee assignments for 2022 other than Greg Koenig switching from the Conservation Districts to Western Nevada Development District due to scheduling conflicts. Pete Olsen will continue as the Commission Chair and Greg Koenig will serve as the Vice-chair.