What started as a routine joint meeting between the Pershing County Commission and the Lovelock City Council turned into a substantive discussions about how the city and county share services, spend room-tax dollars, and support public safety.
Over nearly two hours, local leaders wrestled with longstanding questions:
Who pays for what? Who benefits? Who decides?
And perhaps most importantly, does the community need a new structure to manage shared responsibilities?
One of the most significant topics came from Commissioner Chuck Sayles, who asked the boards to revisit an idea that surfaces every few years: merging the Lovelock Police Department and the Pershing County Sheriff’s Office into a single “metro” law enforcement agency.
Sayles argued that because the sheriff’s office routinely covers city calls when city staffing is thin, both entities should take another hard look at consolidation.
City representatives didn’t reject the conversation but emphasized past cost estimates remain steep.
City officials recalled earlier calculations provided by Sheriff Jerry Allen, estimating that moving city officers under the county’s wage scale and operational structure would cost the city roughly $1 million more per year than the current setup. The city is already facing a $300,000 balance owed to the county under the tax-exchange agreement.
“I understand the reasoning,” Councilwoman Jordan McKinney said, “but the city simply can’t absorb that cost and still function in all its other responsibilities.”
Still, both sides ultimately agreed the question deserves a fresh, fully updated analysis and legal counsel advised that a complete study should be prepared before the next joint meeting, allowing the boards to evaluate real numbers instead of assumptions.
Any official consolidation would require both city and county to pass matching ordinances. It would not go to a public ballot.
The longest and most spirited portion of the meeting centered on the Recreation Board, the hybrid body created years ago when the former Tourism Board and Fair & Recreation Board were merged to streamline costs and avoid duplication.
Today the board oversees roughly $200,000 annually in room-tax revenue, recreation dollars, and property-tax allocations. That money funds events, youth programs, pool maintenance, McDougal Field improvements, and a wide range of local requests.
And everyone agreed: the system works… until it doesn’t.
Concerns raised during the meeting centered on whether the Recreation Board is operating with enough transparency, oversight, and consistency to match the amount of public money it manages. Several city officials said the board’s decisions can feel “unilateral,” with large allocations approved without clear communication back to the city or county about how the money will be used. Some residents questioned whether every funded event truly aligns with the statutory intent of tourism and recreation spending, while others pressed for more defined guidelines and stronger accountability.
Local business owners noted that motel operators—who generate the room-tax revenue—deserve a more active role in the process. In response, board members and city staff emphasized that funded events are required to submit after-action reports and that many recurring organizations have long histories of compliance and positive impact. They added that the bulk of spending supports activities that do, in fact, draw visitors to Lovelock. Ultimately, both boards agreed that the Recreation Board’s enabling ordinance is too vague for the responsibilities it carries, and clearer rules, better reporting, and more structured representation are needed going forward. Both boards agreed the Recreation Board’s enabling ordinance is too vague for the level of money and responsibility involved.
Both boards agreed that the Recreation Board needs clearer spending guidelines, more consistent reporting to both the city and county, and a cleanup of representation and appointment procedures — including addressing expired terms and ensuring required seats are filled. They also acknowledged that tourism and recreation dollars may need to be separated again or clearly distinguished depending on legal advice. To support that discussion, city and county legal counsel will prepare a memo outlining what the current ordinance allows, how tourism and recreation boards function under Nevada law, and what alternative structures could be considered if the entities choose to reorganize. That memo will be reviewed by both governing bodies before their next joint meeting.
Similar questions were raised about the Pershing County Economic Development Authority on the purpose, budget, staffing needs, and whether its structure still serves the community. No decisions were made, but the boards agreed the same memo process would help clarify options for modernization.
The boards also received from Councilwoman Kirsten Hertz an early presentation about a potential professionally designed skate park, similar to the one recently installed in Winnemucca, that could attract tournaments and provide recreation for older youth. The concept is not yet under consideration for a vote; more information will be presented at a later date.
The city and county will reconvene at the annual joint meeting in February, where the legal memo and financial data will be reviewed. Both the city and the county stressed the need to avoid rehashing old arguments and instead build a shared plan for stronger coordination, transparent use of room-tax funds, and sustainable law-enforcement planning.
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