City of Reno

Recovery Plan Performance 

Report

State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds

2021 Report
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 1

City of Reno

2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report (RPPR)

Report Coverage Period: Award Date – July 31, 2021

Table of Contents

GENERAL OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................... 2

Executive Summary ..............................................................................................................................................2

Uses of Funds........................................................................................................................................................2

Promoting equitable outcomes...........................................................................................................................2

Community Engagement......................................................................................................................................3

Labor Practices .....................................................................................................................................................3

Use of Evidence ....................................................................................................................................................3

EXPENDITURES ............................................................................................................................................ 4

Summary of Expenses by Expenditure Category..................................................................................................4

PROJECT INVENTORY ................................................................................................................................... 4

Project Inventory Summary..................................................................................................................................4

Project 10901: City COVID-19 Coordinator......................................................................................................5

Project 10401: Hybrid Meeting Technology ....................................................................................................5

Project 40201: Retention and Recruitment for Homeless Shelter Staff ..........................................................6

Performance Metrics............................................................................................................................................7
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 2

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Executive Summary 

The City of Reno is in the early phases of determining how to allocate its $51,519,997 in State and 

Local Fiscal Relief Funds (SLFRF) appropriated from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. 

In August 2021, the Reno City Council approved a plan to engage the community, seek input, and 

develop an allocation plan for the funds. The key components of this process, including components of 

community engagement and project evaluation, are detailed in this report. As a first step in using the 

funds, the City approved three limited-scope projects in the categories of supporting the public health 

response to COVID-19 and providing premium pay for essential workers. These projects were 

identified as immediate needs as the City continues to seek input from across the community to 

develop an allocation plan that prioritizes the needs of the local COVID-19 response and recovery 

effort.

Uses of Funds

The City of Reno approved a plan to solicit, identify, and fund projects utilizing SLFRF on August 25, 

2021. This plan outlines the process for collaborating with surrounding jurisdictions and the State of 

Nevada to help identify projects that meet the established criteria. The collaborative process is meant 

to support a coordinated effort to funding projects and avoiding overlap. Identification of other funding 

sources and opportunities is a critical aspect of the City’s allocation plan and aligns with Council’s 

desire to identify and fund projects that will have the largest impact on the City and its residents.

Funding proposals will be accepted in the five major categories outlined by the Treasury Department 

and must be measureable. Projects that support underserved or disproportionality-impacted 

communities will be given priority when allocating funds. City staff is working to collect proposals from 

the community through an expanded partnership with the State of Nevada as well as Council 

members and community organizations. Staff will develop a full allocation plan that is based on the 

identified needs of the community and alignment with strategic initiatives and Treasury Department 

guidance. 

Additional efforts are underway to accept and utilize funding authorized through other programs 

authorized through ARPA, including the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERA2). Staff will be 

asking Council for guidance on the use of these funds in September 2021.

Promoting equitable outcomes 

The City of Reno is in the process of soliciting feedback and developing an allocation plan based on 

identified needs of the community, the Council, and City staff. Part of the identification and evaluation 

process involves collaboration with the State of Nevada listening tour to gather information and 

feedback from various groups and topics directly impacted by the pandemic. This includes roundtables 

focused on housing, access for persons with disabilities, Black and Latino business owners, workforce 

impact, business impact, education, and others identified by the City and the State that will allow for 

deeper discovery of needs in the community. 

The evaluation process identifies and aligns with projects that support greater impacts to populations 

that have suffered greater impacts or are traditionally underserved as identified by qualified census 
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 3

tracts. As a part of the project approval process, the City also requires proposals to include metrics 

that ensure projects can measure impact to the community, including:

 Identification of projects that support or impact an underserved community; and

 Identification of projects that support or impact disproportionately impacted communities.

Community Engagement 

Community input is a critical component of City’s process to develop an allocation plan for SLFRF. 

Between August and October 2021, the City of Reno is collaborating with the State of Nevada to meet 

with stakeholder groups, some of which were identified in the previous section of this report, and to 

promote an online survey. These conversations and the survey are intended to gather feedback on 

high priority needs as the response and recovery continues. The City of Reno is also planning to visit 

each of its five Neighborhood Advisory Boards to seek additional input and will be requesting proposal 

ideas using an online portal. The data from the surveys and the feedback from the various meetings 

will be used to help guide the development of an allocation plan. The City of Reno will also keep the 

community apprised of progress on each of the projects through communication efforts, included a 

dedicated location on the City’s webpage. 

Labor Practices 

The City of Reno has not initiated any infrastructure projects with ARPA dollars to date. Relevant 

information about labor practices will be provided in future reports.

Use of Evidence 

The City of Reno has established a rigorous evaluation and review process for all proposed projects 

that intend to utilize SLFRF. A process for community input, partner collaboration, project evaluation, 

and ongoing monitoring has been developed and approved by the Reno City Council to clearly identify 

how projects will be selected and funded under the guidance of the Treasury rules as well as other 

qualifications specific to the City. City staff will evaluate all project proposals utilizing a standardized 

evaluation tool to ensure fair and complete evaluation of all projects, including the identification of 

measurable outcomes for all proposed projects.

Project evaluation criteria (projects must meet the following):

 Meets eligible use criteria and timeline established by the Treasury Department

 Proposal includes measurable performance indicators that can be monitored for life of project

City of Reno evaluation criteria (strong preference to projects meeting the following):

 Project aligns with the Council Strategic Plan

 Project is listed or aligns with the Capital Improvement Plan 

 Project aligns with the City of Reno Master Plan – ReImagine Reno

Additional evaluation criteria used to identify project potential (priority given to these criteria):

 Prioritizes underserved communities as identified in the guidance

 Does the project prioritize efforts to address climate change
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 4

EXPENDITURES

Summary of Expenses by Expenditure Category

Between the award date and July 31, 2021, the City of Reno did not expend its ARPA dollars as the 

City is continuing to go through its community engagement effort to develop a funding allocation plan. 

While there are no expenditures during this reporting period, it should be noted that the Reno City 

Council approved on August 25, 2021 several initial projects to be funded with ARPA dollars, 

including:

1. $90,000 to extend the contract with the City’s COVID-19 coordinator;

2. $200,000 to improve hybrid meeting technology; and

3. $480,000 to recruit and retain staff at the local homeless shelter.

Additional details on each of these projects are described in the Project Inventory section of this 

report. Expenditures for these projects will be incorporated into future reports.

Table A: Expenditures by Category

Expenditure Category (EC) Cumulative Expenditures 

through 7/31/2021

Amount Spent 

Since Last RPPR

1 EC: Public Health $0.00 $0.00

2 EC: Negative Economic Impacts $0.00 $0.00

3 EC: Services to Disproportionately 

Impacted Communities

$0.00 $0.00

4 EC: Premium Pay $0.00 $0.00

5 EC: Infrastructure $0.00 $0.00

6 EC: Revenue Replacement $0.00 $0.00

7 EC: Administrative and Other $0.00 $0.00

PROJECT INVENTORY

Project Inventory Summary 

The following projects have been identified and approved to be funded as of August 25, 2021. No 

action has been taken outside of approval during this reporting period. The summaries provided below 

identify the project and planned funding allocations. These projects will evolve and a more detailed 

measurement plan will be implemented as part of their rollout over the next 30 days. 

Table B: Project Inventory Summary

Project 

#

Project Name Allocation EC 

#

EC Name Status

10901 City COVID-19

coordinator

$90,000 1.9 Payroll costs for public health, 

safety, and other public sector staff 

responding to COVID-19

In progress

10401 Hybrid meeting 

technology

$200,000 1.4 Prevention in congregate settings In progress
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 5

40201 Retention and 

recruitment for 

shelter 

operations for 

VOA staff

$480,000 4.2 Private sector: grants to other 

employers

In progress

Project 10901: City COVID-19 Coordinator

Funding amount: $90,000 (through June 30, 2022)

Project expenditure category: 1.9 – Support public health response: Payroll costs for public health, 

safety, and other public sector staff responding to COVID-19

Project Overview

This project extends the contract for the City’s EMS COVID coordinator position through June 30, 

2022. This position has been instrumental in assisting the City with the necessary testing, contact 

tracing, compliance, mitigation, and response duties as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Through the coordination and management efforts provided by the coordinator, the City provided 

10,400 vaccinations and more than 500 tests to City personnel and our community. 

Responsibilities of the position include:

 Assisting with developing the City's infectious disease (i.e. COVID-19 and 

influenza) strategies; 

 Coordinating and managing all ongoing vaccination POD (COVID and influenza) 

activities for City employees and the community; 

 Managing all ongoing COVID-19 testing;

 Acting as the City’s infectious disease liaison with regional and state partners; and 

 Assisting City leadership with ongoing mitigation efforts. 

Furthermore, the coordinator is the point of contact for all federal and state agencies requesting 

access to or the collection of clean, valid, reliable, and timely data as it relates to vaccination, 

testing, training, and emergency medical services. The position ensures the data collected in the 

context of field visits and potential exposures are evaluated for attributes such as quality, 

definitions, timeliness, completeness, simplicity, generalizability, validity, and reliability. 

Use of Evidence

The position will continue the assigned COVID responsibilities of addressing the City's COVID-19 

strategies and communication with City employees, testing centers, and City leadership. Specific 

metrics for the remainder of the fiscal year will be identified with the coordinator.

Project 10401: Hybrid Meeting Technology

Funding amount: $200,000

Project expenditure category: 1.4 - Support public health response: Prevention in congregate 

settings

Project Overview
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 6

This project focuses on implementing a hybrid meeting solution that allows the City’s boards and 

commissions to conduct meetings safely in a physical location while also allowing participation of 

members and the community through an online audio and video connection. The project includes 

three phases allowing for development of more immediate solutions while simultaneously 

implementing more complex and flexible options that can be sustained in the future. Project 

completion is expected by October 31, 2021 based on staff and product delivery timelines. 

Use of Evidence

Phase 1 will identify and outfit specific City-owned locations with appropriate equipment to 

conduct hybrid meetings. These locations will be evaluated and updated to include 

additional technology required to conduct hybrid meetings.

Phase 2 will incorporate lessons learned from development of the fixed locations and 

identify equipment that can be packed into a mobile option for use at other locations. This 

phase will require more time as additional equipment (e.g. hotspots, screens, laptops, 

tablets, etc.) will be required to support a fully mobile option. 

Phase 3 will include updating hybrid technology in Council chambers to ensure meetings 

can be held virtually as needed.

Project 40201: Retention and Recruitment for Homeless Shelter Staff

Funding amount: $480,000

Project expenditure category: 4.2 – Premium pay for essential workers: Private grants to other 

employers

Project Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impacts have gone beyond traditional healthcare and public health 

response. Supporting the unsheltered population through a pandemic has presented many 

challenges, including the ability to retain and recruit staff to support critical shelter operations. 

There has been a 42 percent turnover rate at the CARES Campus, the region’s primary low-barrier 

shelter, the last 12 months due to attrition and an inability to recruit effectively based on pay and 

the requirements of the job. The positions include outreach, housekeepers, case managers, and 

other support staff. ARPA identified a funding category to support essential workers by providing 

premium pay incentives for people working directly and in close physical contact with the 

community. This pay is only eligible for people earning 150 percent of the average annual salary in 

Washoe County. Based on the most recent data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

that amounts to $77,235 annually. This pay can provide up to $13.00 an hour on top of current 

salary or $25,000 total additional pay a year. All positions receiving the premium pay option qualify 

under these requirements. The following premium pay structure has been developed to improve 

retention and support significant recruitment efforts related to sheltering operations. This program 

will expire on December 31, 2021.

Use of Evidence

 Shelter operation staff
City of Reno 2021 Recovery Plan Performance Report 7

o Tiered pay for work completed through the pandemic – total $100,000

 Employed as of July 1, 2021 - $500

 Employed for three to six months – additional $500

 Employed for seven to 12 months – additional $500

 Employed over 12 months – additional $500

o Tiered pay for essential workers through December 31, 2021 – total $380,000

 Employed through September 30, 2021 - $2,500

 Employed through December 31, 2021 - $2,500

Pursuant to the ARPA funding guidelines set forth by the Department of the Treasury, this projects 

costs are eligible for reimbursement under the category “premium pay for essential workers” based 

on the average annual salary and the direct, ongoing contact with the public and homeless 

population. 

Performance Metrics

As previously discussed in this report, the City of Reno is currently going through its community 

input and allocation plan process. Ensuring measurable key performance indicators will be a part 

of the evaluation process and determination of project funding. As projects are approved and 

funded, key performance indicators, including the mandatory performance indicators for certain 

expenditure categories, will be tracked and included in future reports.