Hello and welcome to On the Agenda, the city of Reno's podcast that brings city hall to your commute or walk around the block. From council decisions and community projects to programs and people who keep Reno moving, each episode takes a closer look at what's happening across the biggest little city and what it means for you. I'm Victoria from the city of Reno's communications team and joining me is of course Reno city manager Jackie Bryant. Hello Jackie. >> Hi Victoria. Hey Victoria, where's AJ? AJ decided to go on a vacation for once and we're very happy for him. >> I know. He's just trying to live up a little bit of summer because we're almost to fall. Personally for me, I'm ready for the weather to be cooler. >> Bringing the snow. >> Exactly. >> But welcome. I'm glad you're here with us today. >> Thank you so much. Thank you for letting me substitute for a podcast today. If you've ever looked at a Reno City Council agenda, you've probably seen something called a privilege business license. Despite the name, it does not mean the business gets special privileges or a shortcut through the process. These licenses apply to certain types of businesses and activities that require additional review, such as alcohol sales, gaming, cannabis, and secondhand sales. Today, we'll be joined by Lance Ferdo, director of licensing and code enforcement, to explain what makes a business license privilege, why these applications appear on council agendas, and what happens before council is asked to make a decision. But first, Jackie, let's look at a few of the highlights from the latest Reno City Council meeting. >> Absolutely. So, council adopted a resolution declaring its intention to sell city-owned property located at 14180 Mount Charleston Street to the Reno Housing Authority. By the way, the Reno Housing Authority is not run by the city of Reno. It is actually a different entity altogether. I always like to sort that. But the RHA plans to use this property for affordable housing, which we are thrilled to assist with. The property will be purchased by the RHA for $10 plus closing cost. This is a pretty common scenario when we're doing an intergovernmental transfers and it's the first step in a two-step process of transferring ownership between the city of Reno and the RHA. The public will have an opportunity to object at the August 26 Reno City Council meeting. And if approved, the sale is expected to be completed in fiscal year 2027 with the proceeds deposited into the city's capital fund for capital outlay purposes. Those $10 will go pretty far. Council adopted the city's fiscal year 2027 through 2029 strategic plan and this establishes seven strategic priorities and 16 goals within those priorities for the next three years. The city strategic plan serves as the guiding document for the city of Reno's strategic and operational decisionm for the next three years and outlines specific goals the city would like to achieve. And lastly, council approved two bill draft requests that seek to allow the authority to extend the redevelopment area too by 15 years and allow for a park district and the assessments of which to be used for operations and maintenance costs. The city is authorized to submit up to two BDRs for the 84th session of the Nevada legislature which is scheduled to begin on February 1st, 2027, which is right around the corner in our land. A BDR is a formal request to the Nevada legislature to draft a bill and that will change state law pertaining to the selected topic. So very interesting. >> Lots of stuff going on and February 1st will definitely be around the corner before we know it. Now we're going to switch gears. He's been sitting next to us this whole time. Onto today's topic. Lance Verado, director of licensing and code enforcement here on the podcast. Lance, thank you for coming to On the Agenda. >> Hello. Thanks for having me. >> And this is his first time on the podcast. Right. >> That's right. >> Perfect. Hopefully, we won't scare you and we can have you back again. But let's start with the term itself. What is a privileged business license and how is it different from a standard city of Reno business license? >> So, a privileged license is a legal or regulatory classification. It does not mean the business receives any special treatment, but certain business activities require a higher level of review and oversight because of their potential effects on public safety and the community. A privilege license generally works alongside a standard city business license by authorizing a specific regulated activity. So, what types of businesses or activities generally require a privileged business license in Reno? >> Well, some common categories include alcohol, gaming, cannabis, and secondhand sales. The requirements depend on the specific activity, ownership, and a type of license being requested. Businesses should contact licensing staff early on in the process to determine which applications, reviews, and approvals they're going to need. >> So, I know sometimes when it comes to the city council agendas, a lot of people wonder, "How does it get on an agenda?" Specific to privileged business license applications, why do they have to come before city council? >> So, Reno Municipal Code requires that city council review and approve certain privileged business licenses. This is additional public and governing body review provides another level of oversight for these regulated activities. Many applications appear on the consent agenda because staff has already completed the review and is recommending approval. Council still may pull an item for questions or separate discussion, though. Now, by the time residents see one of these applications on a council agenda, about how much review has already taken place behind the scenes? >> Well, the process begins with the required general business license and then the privilege business license applications. Depending on the business license type, the application may be reviewed by building, planning, fire, Reno PD, and other departments and agencies. Before making a recommendation to council, staff confirms that the applicable reviews have been completed and requirements have been met. So when council votes on a privilege business license, what exactly are they approving? Is council approving the entire business? Is it the location or is it specific to regulated activity? >> Well, the council item identifies the applicant, the business location, and specific license type or regulated activity under consideration. The application may involve a new license, a change of ownership, or a change to an existing license. Approval of a privileged business license does not replace the zoning, building, health, state, or other regulatory requirements. So, Lance, if I have a bar and I have a privilege license for say alcohol, if I sell the bar to somebody else, does the new owner of the bar need to get a new license? >> Exactly. Any new change of ownership, the person and the application has to be vetted by staff and then by council again? >> And that's just to make sure that the the owner is legit. We have restrictions around who can have a privileged license, right? That's correct. >> So, what would be some of the barriers to having a privileged license? Generally speaking, past business practices, possibly criminal history, things like that would be looked at as far as a background check. And and then the uh the requirements, the zoning requirements around as as things change, if there hasn't been a bar in a certain area for a certain amount of time, it could not be grandfathered into a space anymore. So, what would used to be a bar down the road could maybe not be a bar. So, there's a lot of things to look at from different angles >> cuz we have restrictions around what types of businesses can be next to a daycare, for example, or school. And speaking of what can be next to something and all that stuff, this is a very complicated subject. We know that there is a new tool coming out to help people in this process. Can you just explain to our listeners what is up and coming and how is it going to help streamline the process for them and just make it super cut clear and easy to understand? >> Yeah, absolutely. We launched a new business licensing center tool powered by Open Counter. It's a simple, user-friendly guide that helps people understand what licenses or permits they need, and it even will uh include a zoning check so you can quickly see whether your business type is allowed at a specific location. You can access it right from the city's website. And uh just to be clear on this, it does not replace our existing licensing portal. You still apply through the regular Asella system. However, the business licensing center just makes this front end of the process much easier and much more transparent. >> So, obviously, this is online, super easy. You go on there, you can type an address and see a map. If you have more questions, like let's say I put in an address and I'm like, "Whoa, whoa, actually it says that I can't do what I want to do. Am I able to still contact the business licensing team some way? And how would I do that?" >> Absolutely. So, the system will notify you of any issues with the specified piece of land that you're looking at, and there's information on contacting the planning department, the business licensing department, and anybody that would need to review that. >> Lance, before you go, what is the most important thing that you want residents and prospective business owners to understand about privilege business license? Yeah, I'd say the most important thing for residents and prospective business owners to understand is that a privileged business license exists to protect the community. It's not about creating barriers. Uh they're about ensuring the higher risk activities are reviewed carefully, responsibly, and transparently. When you see these items on a council agenda, it simply reflects the extra level of oversight. Our goal is always the same, to support responsible business activity while keeping Reno safe and thriving. >> We love it. Lance Farado, director of licensing and code enforcement for the city of Reno. Thank you so much for joining us and you survived your first podcast. Hopefully we'll see you again. You really helped us cleared up what residents are seeing on the council agendas. >> Great. Thanks for having me. >> Jackie, before we go, what can we look forward to on the agenda for the next council meeting? >> Our next Reno City Council meeting will be on Wednesday, August 26. Some highlights to look forward to include an annual update from our parks and recreation department on the implementation of the parks, recreation, and open space master plan. We will bring forward an incredible donation from the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation to renovate and expand Reno Fire Station 12. And lastly, we will have a special guest presentation from Liberty Dogs, which is a phenomenal new organization located right here in Reno. >> And I hope they bring some of the pups because we love puppies and dogs. >> All the pups. >> And actually, several City of Reno employees have signed up to be a puppy raiser for this program. So, I'm I'm just really proud of everyone involved. >> That's super exciting. I can't wait for that presentation. Thank you so much, Jackie. And you can find the Reno City Council agendas, staff reports, and meeting videos at reno.gov. If you are opening or changing a business in Reno, you can also find licensing information and application resources on the city's website. And that's it for this episode of On the Agenda. So, be sure to follow the city of Reno on social media and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And we will see you next time.