On Wednesday, July 20 the Churchill County Commission held its regular meeting. The commissioners were introduced to Jacob DeDecker, the Director of Extension and Associate Dean for Engagement with the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, & Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno. He was appointed to the position on July 1 and was in Fallon Wednesday, meeting with local officials and the staff of the local Cooperative Extension office.
DeDecker comes to Nevada from Michigan State University, where he worked for 16 years building Extension and 4-H youth development programming. He was raised on his family’s livestock and grain farm in Illinois.
Commissioners also heard a report from Christy Sullivan, Clerk of the Lahontan and Stillwater Conservation Districts. Sullivan reported on the annual activities of the conservation districts including the annual tree sale, Carson River Workdays, the poster contest, Range Camp, and the monitoring project of the Rambling River Ranch conservation easement. The Conservation Districts are funded by the County, Churchill Mosquito, Weed, & Vector Abatement, River Wranglers, and the Carson Water Sub Conservancy Districts. Commissioners approved the Interlocal Agreements with each district, along with funding of $7,500 for Lahontan and $5,000 for the Stillwater Conservation Districts.
Zip Upham, Cantaloupe Festival Board President, and Executive Director Adrian Snow made a presentation to the commissioners regarding the plans for the festival this year. They also requested $10,000 in community funding for the event. The festival this year will be held August 26 - 28 at the Fairgrounds. Concerts on Friday and Saturday night, as well as the Little Cowboy/Cowgirl Contest on Sunday morning, will be held inside the Rafter 3C Arena.
The festival is going into its 37th year and is a vehicle to help promote tourism as well as provide fun, family-friendly entertainment that promotes the Fallon area by celebrating the agricultural past and present, showcasing local talent, and supporting local business. Challenges this year revolve around security and clean-up between the back-to-back concerts. “The way events have been going so far this year,” said Upham, “we are expecting a big turn-out.” He said there are ongoing conversations between the sheriff and private security contractors. The deputies will be on patrol, providing a presence during the concerts, but not acting as security. County Manager Jim Barbee said that he appreciates the consultation with staff, but “I want to reinforce that the Sheriff’s Department is not security. If they’re there, things didn’t go well.” The county has been a long-time supporter of the event, and the request was approved.
Commissioners approved the Debt Management Policy after a presentation by Comptroller Sherry Wideman. The county revenue bond debt went from $22,991,129 to $22,303,862 during the 2022 fiscal year, with a capital lease balance of $9,142. The CC Communication revenue bond debt went from $6,00,00 to $14,658,000. She said there are several possible projects upcoming that may need further debt including the District Court House, the Library Expansion, water systems, and economic development, all of which have previously been approved in the five-year Capital Improvement Plan.
Greg Koenig reported that the Museum Board has hired Mel Glover as the new director. He is coming from a private museum in Wyoming and will begin his new position on August 1.
Comment
Comments