As unemployment continues to rise during the pandemic, the Sparks City Council has moved to make it easier to hire bartenders and casino workers to find work, by dropping a 2003 worker permit rule. 

"There's a lot of great bartenders in Reno who would want a job out here," said Packs and Pints General Manager Jacob Gruesen. "We're still out here trying to work. but we can't work to survive," said out-of-work bartender Dionte Swartzfager.

Both bar manager and bartender spoke out against the Sparks Worker Permit at the city council meeting on Monday.

The permit required bartenders and those in the gaming industry to shell out extra cash to get fingerprinted and get a criminal background check. This is not such a big deal for gaming employees who already go through this process for the gaming board.

But for bartenders, the state doesn't require this check.

"The city's application fee was $25. There was a $27 fee for the criminal background check. So $52 dollars total. That isn't a lot to a lot of people. But for people who have been out of work for weeks to months, that could really be the difference., said Sparks Assistant City Attorney Alyson McCormick.

But that is no more. The Sparks City Council unanimously voted to get rid of this rule. Bartenders still have to have an alcohol awareness training and an alcohol education card from the state. But now they don't have to get the criminal check. "You could see the people who couldn't get those types of jobs before. now be able to get those types of jobs. Perhaps they will get on a better path to turn things around for themselves," said McCormick.

For Dionte Swartzfager, it will save him from having to get multiple permits for the different bars where he normally works. "So how are we supposed to get a work permit, when we don't have a job because the government shut down. Or we had to sped our last penny for our rent," said Swartzfager. "If you've ever been in the bar or service industry, you know typically everyone has multiple jobs," said Gruesen.

For Packs and Pints General Manager Jacob Gruesen, the permits have caused him a different type of problem. He's been unable to get the permits because of the city's pandemic closures. But now, he no longer has that problem. "Now i can hire multiple people who have their alcohol awareness card from Nevada," said Gruesen.

The city of Sparks estimates discontinuing the permits will cost the city $14,000 a year in lost revenue. The city council is hoping, however that it will help alleviate employment issues for employees and employers.