UPDATE: The Reno City Council voted to approve moving ahead with a plan to purchase the RGJ building for a new RPD headquarters 6-1.
Wednesday, the Reno City Council will discuss and possibly vote to provide no more than $7,000,000 for the Reno Police Department (RPD) to purchase the Reno Gazette Journal (RGJ) building at Sutro and Kuenzli Streets.
"The bottom line is we want to be better at delivering service to our community," said Jason Soto, Chief of Police. "We want to be more efficient. We want to be quicker."
The current location was built in 1947 and Soto believes the department has outgrown the space.
"It makes a lot of sense on a lot of fronts," said Soto. "Simply because we need to grow with our community."
The RGJ building has more than 33 percent of usable space, according to Soto. He also likes the fact that there is a lot of open space inside, and the department can design the interior to fit its needs. The 1947 site has a jail on the top floor, and Soto says that space cannot be used, aside from storage.
Looking for a new department space is not new for the City of Reno.
"We've been looking at a new stations for decades," Soto said.
When the RGJ site went on the market, the department needed to act.
"That is certainly a building that when it went up for sale, we had interest in it," said Soto.
However, not everybody is on board. On Monday, Washoe County Assessor Mike Clark sent a letter to the City of Reno expressing his concerns, especially taxes.
"Not getting a parcel's true value, or worth, puts an unnecessary burden on the rest of the taxpayers," wrote Clark.
Tuesday, Clark reiterated his fears to our crew, saying if city were to buy the property, the county would lose on a 'lifetime of lost property tax.'
"I think the highest and best use for a prime riverfront property like this needs to be in the private sector," said Mike Clark, Washoe County Assessor. "[We need] something that can go on the tax roll."
Despite his concerns, Clark understands the need for a new police department.
"I'm not against the police having a better facility," said Clark. "God knows they need it. The place they have now is well passed its economic life."
