Scott Sonner / AP File (2021)
In this 2021 file photo, traffic passes on Main Street in Fernley, which was founded a century ago by pioneers lured to the West with the promise of free land and cheap water. It wasn’t incorporated as a city until 2001, though.
Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 | 2 a.m.
• Third in a series
Nevada is a sprawling state with most of its people in two population centers. But beyond the reaches of Las Vegas and Reno is a land filled with attractions and history. Some of them, of course, might not be familiar to most Nevadans.
The Sun has reached out to mayors and representatives of the Silver State’s 19 cities, giving them a platform in our pages to talk about their area’s history and attractions and to describe what makes them special and what challenges they face.
Today, we present a Q+A with Fernley Mayor Neal McIntyre.
Give us a history lesson. What makes your jurisdiction unique?
The city of Fernley is one of the latest cities in all of Nevada to incorporate, just back in 2001. However, because of the decision made in 2001 that the city did not establish its own police department and fire department, state law prohibits Fernley from getting its fair share of Nevada’s Consolidated Tax (C-Tax) distributions that it needs to keep up with all the growth.
Fernley is by far the fastest-growing community in Lyon County, yet the lion’s share of C-Tax all goes to the county. Fernley may be the only city in Nevada that the more that it grows, the more impoverished it may become due to that lack of sufficient revenue streams.
What kind of attractions and events do you have that people may be interested in visiting?
The Fernley Depot dates to 1914 and was in use until 1985, when it was closed by the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Fernley Preservation Society purchased the building in 1986 and moved it to its present location on Main Street.
We have the Fernley 95A Speedway, which is a great BMX and motocross track, and the historic Fernley (train) Depot which was built in 1914. Events that are becoming real crowd-pleasers around here are the Music, Murals and Margaritas festival held in May, the Fern 45 OHV rally that benefits veterans causes in November, and our largest-in-the-county Independence Day celebration, the Fernley 4th of July.
What new development opening in 2024 has you excited? Why?
Hands down, it’s the Fernley Community Response & Resource Center. Construction begins in April 2024, and will be the home for regional disaster relief, the Boys & Girls Club, a teen center, an early-learning program and classrooms, and ultimately just a community space to hold events, indoors or out, in the greenspace. Fernley does not have anything like this and it is sorely needed around here.
What is the biggest challenge facing your jurisdiction?
C-Tax distribution. Also, Fernley has been adversely affected by the Bureau of Reclamation lining the Truckee Canal that flows through town. Because of the concrete lining, groundwater will not be able to be replenished and that is affecting our citizens on private wells. This issue with the Bureau of Reclamation is in litigation.
What industry is most important to your town’s economy? What about diversifying?
Manufacturing and warehousing are the big drivers of development in Fernley now. Our city is only 15 miles to North America’s largest industrial park — the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center. And with pending land acquisitions through future “lands bills,” Fernley could become the home of a second such center. Fernley is in a great position to be a key part of the “Lithium Loop” being developed in Northern Nevada. Our region was recently announced as one of 31 communities across the country as a Regional Innovation and Technology Hub through the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration bureau, too.
What opportunity does your community provide for public education? What challenges does it face?
The Lyon County School District runs the public education at Fernley’s two elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school.
Being such a spread-out county can create challenges or obstacles for local participation in LCSD business, and overcrowding in our schools could become a problem as we continue to grow.
The city is starting construction on the Community Response & Resource Center soon, which will have brand new classroom spaces for early learning programs, a Boys & Girls Club, and maybe even college classes someday.
What challenges do your residents face with health care availability and cost?
The closest hospital is either in Fallon or Sparks, which are both 30 miles away. There is one urgent care facility in a city of 22,000-plus people. There’s very limited access to EMS services sometimes, which can cause delays in ambulances arriving on scene in a timely manner.
Nevadans have lived with historic drought for the past two decades. What initiatives are in place to save the valuable commodity of water?
Water flows through the Truckee canal in Fernley in this March 18, 2021, file photo. The city has a planned project to take surface water from the canal and pipe it to its water treatment plant.
Fernley has a planned project to take surface water from the Truckee Canal that flows through town, and pipe it to our water treatment plant. Beyond that we will need to develop the ability to treat the surface water at the plant and add water storage capabilities. This will add a new water source for the growing city and save our strained groundwater supply.
What issues are facing your community regarding roads and transportation?
Revenue to rehabilitate our falling-apart roads. Because of a lack of proper and equitable C-Tax distribution, traffic and roads are in bad shape. Until our Nevada Pacific Parkway bypass road from Interstate 80 to U.S. Highway 50 is built, we will continue to have heavy backups in town on the Nevada Department of Transportation-maintained roadways.
How can public safety be enhanced in your community?
With proper C-Tax distribution, we would be able to have our own police department. Right now, Lyon County provides our public safety. But Lyon County is 2,000 square miles. It would be better for the public, for Fernley residents, to have local law enforcement. Additionally, a second fire station with increased fire protection coverage is going to be needed in our burgeoning industrial areas, where hazardous materials may be present and there is no fire station there yet.
What is one thing you wish the rest of the state knew about your jurisdiction?
Lack of revenue to provide amenities to our residents as well as not receiving our fair share of the C-Tax.
Lack of revenue also doesn’t allow the city to pay our employees a comparable wage compared with other jurisdictions like the county.
For example: Fernley gets $8.94 per capita distribution to its residents through the C-Tax. Compare that with the county seat, Yerington, at $180.06 per capita. Or even the second-lowest in the state, Caliente, at $171.24.
