Regular Meeting

City of Elko ) County of Elko ) State of Nevada ) SS October 28, 2025 The City Council of the City of Elko, State of Nevada met for a regular meeting beginning at 4:00 PM, Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The meeting was held in the council chambers, 1751 College Ave., Elko. This meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro Tempore Giovanni Puccinelli. The public can watch the meeting by phone, tablet, laptop, or computer by going to the link provided on the agenda. Questions can be sent to cityclerk@elkocitynv.gov. I. CALL TO ORDER The Agenda for this meeting of the City of Elko City Council has been properly posted for this date and time in accordance with NRS requirements. II. ROLL CALL Present: Chip Stone, Councilman Clair Morris, Councilman Giovanni Puccinelli, Councilman Marissa Lostra, Councilwoman Absent: Reece Keener, Mayor City Staff Present: Jan Baum, City Manager via GoTo Dale Johnson, Assistant City Manager Dave Stanton, City Attorney Jim Kerr, Utilities Director Andrew Storla, Water/Sewer Superintendent Paul Algerio, Public Works Jim Foster, Airport Manager James Johnston, Fire Chief Jonathan Keil, Lieutenant Annette Robinson, City Clerk Cathy Laughlin, City Planner Ralph Negron, Development Manager Julie Davis, Financial Services Director Candi Quilici, Accounting Manager James Wiley, Parks and Recreation Director Jeff Ford, Building Official Sarah Schick, Civil Engineer Nichole Stephens, City Clerk Technician II October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 1 of 13  III. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IV. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN Mayor Pro Tempore Giovanni Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. V. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes for the October 14, 2025, Regular Session. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ** A motion was made by Councilmember Morris, seconded by Councilmember Stone to accept the consent agenda as written. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) VI. PRESENTATION A. Reading of a proclamation by the Mayor Pro Tem in recognition of "Extra Mile Day", and matters related thereto. INFORMATION ONLY, NON-ACTION ITEM Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli read the Extra Mile Day Proclamation, a copy of which is in the agenda packet. B. Update on the Recreation Center from Rusty Bahr at the Boys & Girls Club of Northeastern Nevada, and matters related thereto. INFORMATION ONLY, NON-ACTION ITEM Rusty Bahr, 602 Country Club Drive gave council gave an update on all of the projects they took on about three years ago. He said at the time, they had three goals. Number one was to build the new rec center. Number two was to make the rec center have geothermal capability, and number three was to see if they could obtain the outdoor pool. He said the rec center came in at just about $20 million and they were expecting to open January 5th and he was available for tours if anyone would like one. He said they were working on an agreement with Elko Heat and the entire building would be on geothermal, from the pools and mechanical systems to the heating and air conditioning. He reported they found the leak in the outdoor pool, and it was fixable and they anticipated having it operational by May of next year. He handed out copies of their new brochure, which included pricing on items such as rates, membership fees and party rentals. A copy is included in the minutes packet. He did note that once someone was a member, they were able to utilize all of the Boys and Girls Club facilities. October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 2 of 13  VII. APPROPRIATION A. Review and possible approval and/or ratification of warrants, hand cut checks and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION ** A motion was made by Councilmember Morris, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to approve regular warrants in the amount of $2,555,516.85. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) ** A motion was made by Councilmember Morris, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to approve hand cut checks in the amount of $416,211.87. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) ** A motion was made by Councilmember Morris, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to approve utility refunds in the amount of $481.88. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) B. Review, consideration, and possible issuance of substantial completion for Public Works Project EL-2025-373; the Hot Springs Road Repair Project, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Great Basin Engineering has substantially completed the 2025 Hot Springs Road Repair Project. The project bid amount was $399,602.89. There were two change orders totaling $24,288.86 and three bid quantity change reductions for $85,957.50 reducing the contract amount to $337,934.25. PA Paul Algerio, Street Superintendent, said the original budgeted amount for the project was $350,000, but had been approved at $399,000 and some change. He added they ended up under the originally budgeted amount at $337,000. He said the road had been pretty rough for quite some time, but they had a really nice road across the tracks now. He noted the only major change order was the installation of some culverts to get water across the road on the uphill side of the intersection to help preserve the new portion of road. He added the railroad flaggers using 12 days instead of the 30 were a substantial savings. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Morris, seconded by Councilmember Stone to issue a substantial completion. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 3 of 13  C. Review, consideration, and possible approval of entering into a Professional Services Agreement with Hansen Allen & Luce INC. Engineers and Related Services for the Flood Vulnerability Assessment, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION A Flood Assessment project was approved in the City’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget in the amount of $106,450.90. Since the original approval, the scope of work has expanded to include additional analysis of groundwater conditions and the storm drain system, which will provide a more comprehensive understanding of local flooding risks and mitigation needs. To accommodate this enhanced scope and ensure the accuracy and completeness of the assessment, an increase in the project budget to an amount not to exceed $137,000.00 is requested. JJ Fire Chief James Johnston said they did change the scope of the work since they now have a City Engineer. He added Sarah Schick, City Engineer, was available to answer any questions. Sarah Schick, City Engineer, said there was nothing major, just a little bit of a change in scope and removal of things that were kind of duplicates of what the city had already done. She noted they added groundwater and stormwater effects into it since it was not captured in the first go-around and definitely has a big impact. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli said the storm drain system was one of the big issues during the floods and a better understanding of that will help a ton. Councilmember Chip Stone asked if there was anything else they felt needed to add to really do this right but hadn’t added due to budget constraints. Ms. Schick responded she though they were in a good spot, and the intent of this would be to get the report, which would lead them to the next phase where they have data they can use to come up with a solution to implement. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to approve entering into a Professional Service Agreement with Hansen, Allen and Luce Incorporated Engineers and Related Services for the Flood Vulnerability Assesment. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. Review, consideration and possible approval of the First Amendment to the Lease for Continued Recreational Use of Elko Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool Facility between the City of Elko and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeastern Nevada effective January 1, 2026, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 4 of 13  On April 23, 2024, the Elko City Council entered into a lease agreement with the Boys & Girls Club of Elko for the continued recreational use of the Elko Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool Facility. This lease allowed the Boys & Girls Club to work on the outdoor pool during the construction phase of the new Recreation Center. With the Recreation Center’s anticipated opening in January 2026, the City Council tentatively approved the closure of the City of Elko Pool effective December 31, 2025, as part of the FY 2026 budget presentation held on May 13, 2025. To support the transition, the First Amendment to the lease expands the leased area to include the indoor pool, maintenance building, and adjacent parking area effective January 1, 2026. This amendment has been reviewed and approved by both the State and Federal Parks Service, in compliance with the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) encumbrance requirements on the pool property. JW James Wiley, Parks and Recreation Director, said this was an amendment to the original lease agreement with the Boys and Girls Club, which only included the outdoor pool. The amendment includes the rest of the pool facility and a little bit of the parking lots, parking stalls and everything else remaining on the property. Councilmember Stone asked if the encumbrance and the other land they had been looking at was copacetic now. Mr. Wiley responded it was in process and was one of the main reasons they were going with a lease instead of a conveyance. He added Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) State Parks and National Parks have approved the language in the lease and everything tied to it. Dale Johnson, City Manager, added once the encumbered area goes through the LWCF process, they could go back to the Boys and Girls Club and convey the entire property. Councilmember Marissa Lostra asked if the city would be responsible for any upkeep or maintenance of the facilities. Mr. Wiley responded the lease addressed that. Mr. Bahr noted that the lease also allows them to take over and keep operations going, so if they got delayed until January 15th for example, the Boys and Girls Club would run the current pools there and there would be no gap. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Morris to approve the first amendment to the lease for continued recreational use of the Elko Municipal Outdoor Swimming Pool Facility between the City of Elko and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northeastern Nevada effective January 1, 2026. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 5 of 13  B. Review, consideration, and possible approval to waive the requirement for curb, gutter, sidewalk, and half-street improvements along Metzler Drive until such time as the City of Elko acquires additional right-of-way width and has a construction design for the improvements, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION At the August 9, 2011 meeting, City Council approved the development of Metzler Drive (formerly Metzler Road) to a rural road standard consisting of a 40-foot right-of-way width and a roadway section of 3 inches of asphaltic concrete over 9 inches of Type II base. At that time, Council also directed staff to evaluate the practicality of installing curb, gutter, and sidewalk along this corridor. Many sections of Metzler Drive currently lack the necessary right-of-way to accommodate these improvements. Without sufficient right-of-way, the City cannot design or require property owners to construct curb, gutter, and sidewalk along their frontage as development occurs or as required under Elko City Code 8-21-3. If approved, staff will continue to work toward the design of Metzler Drive and return to City Council once additional right-of-way has been acquired and a construction design has been developed, or if it is determined that installation of curb, gutter, sidewalk and ½ Street improvements are impractical. RN Ralph Negron, Development Manager, said this was a housekeeping item. He explained Metzler Road varies in depths for the roadways and they don’t have a very good right-of-way area, and it will take some time to get the rights-of-way completed. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Morris to approve the waiver of curb, gutter, sidewalk, and halfstreet improvements along Metzler Drive until such time as the City of Elko acquires additional right-of-way width and has a construction design for the improvements. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) IX. RESOLUTION AND ORDINANCE A. First Reading of Ordinance 906 an ordinance amending Title 2 Chapter 1 of Elko City Code entitled “Building Regulations and Administrative Code," and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION The proposed ordinance clarifies and updates various requirements related to the Building Regulations Administrative Code to reflect current standards, technologies, best practices and establishes clear administrative procedures for the enforcement, interpretation, and implementation of building regulations. JF October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 6 of 13  Jeff Ford, Building Official, said this is what they used to administer and enforce building codes, and there were only a couple of changes that they were proposing. He said the big one was the master reuse was going to wind up in there, and they are proposing a change to the requirements for calling to request inspections from 8 a.m. the same day to 4 p.m. the day before. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Councilmember Stone to conduct the first reading of Ordinance 906 and set the matter for hearing and second reading. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) X. PETITION, APPEAL, AND COMMUNICATION A. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing a 217-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Brandy Fretwell, DBA Brandy’s Bar, located at 449 Railroad Street, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Lieutenant Jonathan Keil reported they did not find anything negative to note and recommended approval. The owners were present and did not wish to comment. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Morris to ratify the Police Chief issuing a 217-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Brandy Fretwell, DBA Brandy’s Bar, located at 449 Railroad Street, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) B. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing an 188-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Shasta Gretch and Marc Smith, DBA Iron Pig LLC, located at 1250 Lamoille Hwy Unit 730, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Lieutenant Keil reported they did not find anything negative to note and recommended approval. The owners were present and did not wish to comment. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Councilmember Stone to ratify the Police Chief issuing an 188-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 7 of 13  Retail Liquor License, to Shasta Gretch and Marc Smith, DBA Iron Pig LLC, located at 1250 Lamoille Hwy Unit 730, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) C. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing a 167-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Chad Edwards, DBA Commercial Fun Center, located at 345 4th Street, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Lieutenant Keil reported they did not find anything negative to note and recommended approval. The owners were present and did not wish to comment. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to ratify the Police Chief issuing a 167-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Chad Edwards, DBA Commercial Fun Center, located at 345 4th Street, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) D. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing an 83-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Trinidad Flores and Alexander Gammill, DBA Evergreen Flower and Gift Shop, located at 232 3rd Street, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Lieutenant Keil reported they did not find anything negative to note and recommended approval. The owners were present and did not wish to comment. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Councilmember Morris to ratify the Police Chief issuing an 83-day Temporary Retail Liquor License and issue a regular Retail Liquor License, to Trinidad Flores and Alexander Gammill, DBA Evergreen Flower and Gift Shop, located at 232 3rd Street, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) E. Ratification of the Police Chief issuing a 47-day Temporary Packaged Liquor License and issue a regular Packaged Liquor License, to Sarabjit Singh and Baljinder Kaur, DBA Summit Gas & Food LLC, located at 1575 Lamoille Hwy, Elko, NV 89801, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 8 of 13  Lieutenant Keil reported they did not find anything negative to note and recommended approval. The owners were not present for comment. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Councilmember Stone to ratify the Police Chief issuing a 47-day Temporary Packaged Liquor License and issue a regular Packaged Liquor License, to Sarabjit Singh and Baljinder Kaur, DBA Summit Gas & Food LLC, located at 1575 Lamoille Hwy, Elko, NV 89801. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) F. Discussion, consideration, and possible direction to Staff regarding a request by Mr. Louis Goldberg, owner of Mona’s and Inez’s D&D, to amend Elko City Code pertaining to Brothel Bartender Work Cards and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION On October 9, 2025, Mr. Louis Goldberg contacted Police Chief Ward and the City Clerk to request placement on a future City Council agenda. Mr. Goldberg is proposing the creation of a "Universal Bar Card" that would permit brothel bartenders to work at any licensed brothel or bar within the City of Elko under a single work card. Currently, Elko City Code provisions under Title 4, Chapter 9, and Title 5, Chapter 11, regulate work cards for bartenders and other employees in brothels and bars. Mr. Goldberg's proposal would necessitate a review and potential amendment of these sections to accommodate the issuance and acceptance of a universal card for brothel bartenders. AR Annette Robinson, City Clerk, confirmed that Mr. Goldberg had contacted them. She said Chief Ward asked her to relay the message that he was not on board with a universal bar card but was more receptive to some sort of accommodation provision since Mr. Goldberg owns two brothels that would allow for his bartenders to go back and forth between those. She added they would have to look into all of that and noted that this would affect the brothel and liquor codes. Louis Goldberg, 103 South 3rd Street, said it seemed like a simple change and was just a matter of how they do the wording. He added the chief had suggested just making it for the two that he owns. He said currently his bartenders can work at Brandy’s and Goldie’s as well as Mona’s, but they can’t work at Inez’s and this would help a lot of things, and it was a win-win for everyone involved. Councilmember Lostra asked Ms. Robinson if Chief Ward had given any suggestion on what kind of accommodation he was looking for. Ms. Robinson responded it was something along the lines of if it’s the same owner of a brothel then it could be vice versa, but they would still have to look through code. She suggested Mr. Stanton could get involved since she knew that Chief Ward had spoken to him about it. October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 9 of 13  Dave Stanton, City Attorney, said he got an email back from Chief Ward and his understanding was Chief Ward was okay allowing an employee to go back and forth between two brothels under the same ownership. He noted that it would require a change of code. Councilmember Stone said it was important to make the right decision on this and not the quick decision. He wanted to make sure they got it right for the long term. Mr. Stanton said he and Chief Ward could put something together, maybe a couple of options to bring back to council. Councilmember Clair Morris thought that was the best solution. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli said he agreed with Councilmember Stone and thought it was fair to have staff take a look at it and see what we can come up with. Councilmember Stone added that location was important since it was a privileged license; they want to make sure it is being controlled. Councilmember Lostra suggested there be some added parameters in regard to location and believed that was something staff could address. Mayor Pro Tempore called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Stone, seconded by Councilmember Lostra to direct staff to research and evaluate the implications and feasibility regarding brothel bartender work cards or universal bar cards to present options, make policy and enact an Ordinance. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) XII. REPORTS A. Mayor and City Council Councilmember Stone reported they had an ECVA meeting this morning, and they decided on the recipients for the Christmas Tree Festival and selected Battle Born, Community and Schools, LASSO, and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). He said the Silver Bell Christmas Tree would be stopping in Elko on November 14th. He believed it started at 5 p.m. and would only be there for two hours. Ms. Robinson clarified the Silver Bell Tree would be here on November 2nd. Councilmember Stone added the Cioppino feed for the Boys and Girls Club would also be this Saturday, November 2nd. B. City Manager October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 10 of 13  C. Assistant City Manager Mr. Johnson reminded everyone that November 4th was workshop number 2 for the strategic plan over at the convention center. He added Mr. Negron, Ms. Laughlin and himself went to the APA Planning conference last week and Ms. Laughlin was named Planner of the Year. D. Utilities Director No report. E. Public Works Mr. Algerio reported fall is upon us and the leaf collection program started on the 20th and would continue through November 21st. He asked everyone to help get the word out to people. F. Airport Manager No report. G. City Attorney No report. H. Fire Chief No report. I. Police Chief Lieutenant Keil reported First Tuesday would be held at the airport and he encouraged businesses and the community to attend. J. City Clerk No report. K. City Planner No report. L. Development Manager No report. M. Financial Services Director October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 11 of 13 No report. N. Parks and Recreation Director Mr. Wiley reported they would be receiving their shade structures for the sports complex and they would be installed before the end of the year. O. Civil Engineer No report. P. Building Official No report. XI. 5:30 P.M. PUBLIC HEARING A. Review, consideration, and possible action to conditionally approve Tentative Map No. 5- 25, filed by BDSA, LLC, for the development of a subdivision entitled Tower Hill Unit 5, involving the proposed division of approximately 5.698 acres of property into 14 lots for single-family residential development within a R1 (Single-Family Residential) Zoning District, and matters related thereto. FOR POSSIBLE ACTION Subject property will be accessed by Chukar Drive, to be developed as part of Tower Hill Unit 5. RN Mr. Negron read through his staff report a copy of which can be found in the agenda packet. He said there were four findings, and staff was recommending conditional approval. Mr. Johnson noted the investment the city made in the ARPA projects is promoting this development. Without the booster station that was built, this development would not be able to be constructed at this time. Scott MacRitchie, 1947 Amber Way, thanked the city for making this possible, otherwise they would be waiting potentially another decade for a water tank and he appreciated the city including them in the plans they had made with the hospital. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for public comment and did not receive a response. ** A motion was made by Councilmember Lostra, seconded by Councilmember Morris to conditionally approve Tentative Map Number 5-25 for the Tower Hills Unit 5 Subdivision, subject to the findings and conditions as recommended by the Planning Commission meeting held on October 7, 2025. The motion passed unanimously. (4-0) October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 12 of 13  XIII. COMMENTS BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC Pursuant to N.R.S. 241, this time is devoted to comments by the public, if any, and discussion of those comments. No action may be taken upon a matter raised under this item on the agenda until the matter itself has been specifically included on a successive agenda and identified as an item for possible action. ACTION WILL NOT BE TAKEN Councilmember Stone stated he had misspoken on the ECVA Festival of Trees recipients; Community and Schools, Missing Murdered and Indigenous Women, LASSO and Elko Cancer Network were the recipients this year. Battle Born was not one of them. Mayor Pro Tempore Puccinelli called for additional public comment and did not receive a response. There being no further business, Mayor Pro Tempore Giovanni Puccinelli adjourned the meeting at 5:37 p.m. Mayor Pro Tempore Giovanni Puccinelli Annette Robinson, City Clerk October 28, 2025 City Council | Minutes Page 13 of 13