Around the Arch Blog

The City of Reno in nearing completion of the first phase of the Reno Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative. The Initiative represents a $20 million investment in energy projects funded through grants, rebates and future energy savings. The Initiative was launched at direction of the Reno City Council in 2008.

In the spring of 2011, the City received a $568,700 grant from the Nevada State Office of Energy through the Stimulus Act to install LED pedestrian signal lights and street lights. Through the grant, the City has installed 781 LED pedestrian signal lights that are 77% more efficient than the old ones. The City also installed 730 LED streetlights at intersections that are 44% more efficient. All told, the retrofit will conserve 490,329 kWh per year and save the general fund more than $48,000 per year. There will be additional savings with decreased maintenance needed.

The Reno Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative has successfully performed numerous energy retrofits and installed solar and wind energy systems on City facilities since the first solar array went in in December 2008. To date, the City has installed 9 wind turbines and is receiving power from 1,287 kW in solar PV. In December 2011, the City surpassed 1,000,000 kWh from these renewable energy systems. Production from all systems can be monitored and downloaded from the Green Energy Dashboard at www.reno.gov

31 kW solar PV array at Fire Station #11 in northwest Reno.

The City of Reno in nearing completion of the first phase of the Reno Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative. The Initiative represents a $20 million investment in energy projects funded through grants, rebates and future energy savings. The Initiative was launched at direction of the Reno City Council in 2008.

The year before the Initiative was launched the City used 20,338,249 kWh and had a total energy bill of $5,146,343. The bulk of the work was completed in 2010 and 2011 and the savings are already starting to show. In 2011, the City had reduced its electricty use to 14,985,571, a 26% reduction. The total energy bill also decreased to $3,924,091. In 2012, the City should realize even greater savings as there will be a full year of savings.

The City of Reno recently completed adding 1,027 kW of solar photovoltaic electricity to its power supply through a third party Power Purchase Agreement with Nevada Solar Works. With the addition of these projects under the Reno Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Initiative, the City will receive 18-20% of its power from the sun.

The largest installation is at the Stead Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is a 522 kW array consisting of 2,520 panels that is estimated to produce almost 1 million kWh per year.

The project was made possible through the NV Energy SolarGenerations rebate program made possible by the Nevada State Legislature and the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada.

We posted on Facebook earlier this month that Nevada made Forbes’ recent list of “Best States for Business” in two categories; #7 for business costs and #6 for growth prospects.

Some residents pointed out that it should not be overlooked that Nevada also ranked #50 in economic climate and #49 in quality of life.

We applaud those individuals for engaging in these important issues facing our entire state. This opens up conversation on a well-known discussion here within City of Reno management.

From my perspective as Reno’s (relatively new) Finance Director, a strong Reno starts with strong fiscal management. I can tell you that this view is adamantly supported by our City Manager and the rest of our team. Without this foundation, we will be unable to deliver quality services to our citizens.

Reno is at a financial crossroad

The costs of pensions, health care, labor and general operations keep rising, and revenues from taxes and fees are either declining or not keeping pace with cost increases.  We are also limited on the ability to ask citizens to pay more in taxes and fees.

We need to operate with more efficiency and less expense. Instead of relying on across-the-board cuts or tax increases and account transfers, our plan is to pursue a more strategic approach.

Reno’s strategy for financial stability

The City of Reno is at a point where easy answers and one-time fixes are no longer enough to create financial stability. So we have a plan for where we intend to go.

•  It doesn’t make sense to continue to address simply year-to-year structural shortfalls. So we’re developing a multi-year model for funding and budgeting.

•  We want citizens to be able to see all of our monetary transactions in a simple online interface. It’s your money – you have every reason to see where it’s going.

•  We’re developing a Strategic Plan that outlines our Mission, Vision & Values. This will help staff plan their individual goals and objectives. We have so many people here who care, really care, about our City and what they do for it. To make this work, we all need to move in the same direction. Big ideas don’t mean much by themselves, so the plan will include timeframes for action items and performance measures to ensure accountability.

•  Bonds are a big issue! A complete review of the bonding program of the City is underway. It’s important that we:

– Meet financial obligations
– Implement a revised bonding policy
– Minimize interest costs
– Reduce the overall debt ratio

•  We’re continuing ongoing review of government operations to find improvements, and we’re reviewing our revenue streams to ensure the maximum (and appropriate) revenue is being received.

•  Reno isn’t the only one in this boat. We’ll work with other local and state governments for opportunities for regional solutions and intergovernmental cooperation.

•  We’re looking at ‘managed competition’ to identify areas that may offer efficiencies or savings by utilizing private vendors, and we’re reviewing our non-critical assets to see if there’s anything that makes sense to sell.

We only get so many people coming to our City Council meetings, or stopping by City Hall and sharing their ideas. I’d like to invite you to connect with us in any way you can. Through your participation online and with events like the Recharge Nevada Summit, you can help us get a better understanding of your ideas and concerns that matter to you.

Please feel free to comment below, and share this post to invite others in on the conversation.