Washoe County Commissioners filled three vacant legislative seats at a meeting in Reno on Tuesday.

Commissioners unanimously appointed Julia Ratti to Senate District 13, previously held by Democratic Senator Debbie Smith who died earlier this year. 

"It was meaningful to me to be sitting there with my husband and parents and to have the County Commission say 'Okay, you're a senator,'" Ratti said.

Commissioners also appointed Jesse Haw to Senate District 15, formerly held by Republican Senator Greg Brower who previously accepted a Washington D.C.-based appointment in the U.S. Department of Justice.

They also appointed Dominic Brunetti to Assembly District 25, previously held by Republican Assemblyman Pat Hickey who left to join the Nevada Board of Education earlier this year. 

"I need to catch up, but that's why I'm here," Brunetti said. "That's why I believe the commission believes in me because I'm going to dedicate the time to really understand it."

Earlier this month, Governor Sandoval announced he would call a special session, once legislative vacancies are filled in Washoe and Clark Counties. Once those positions are filled, legislators can discuss the NFL’s possible relocation of the Oakland Raiders to Las Vegas. The move would require an increase in Clark County's hotel room tax, to pay $750 million of the approximately $1.9 billion domed stadium. The county-owned stadium would host Raiders and UNLV Rebels football games. 

"How does that relate to Washoe County? What happens if Clark County can't pay it back? What happens if the room tax isn't there? Does that ripple effect come up here? Clearly, that would be important," Haw said.

Clark County's room tax can only be raised by the state legislature.  The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee recommends raising the tax by 0.88 percent for properties in the immediate area of the stadium.  Outlying hotels would see an increase of 0.5 percent.

Commissioners say they made their appointments based on business experience, intelligence, education, and the willingness to go into a special session with an open mind to balance the cost to the taxpayer and the economic benefit from additional tourism dollars.

"We have an opportunity to look at a situation such as the Oakland Raiders moving to Las Vegas and looking at a stadium opportunity that could potentially take us into a different realm of tourism that we've never experienced here in the state before," Commissioner Bob Lucey said. "However, at what cost?"

The money would also be used to expand the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority and increase law enforcement.

If approved, construction could begin in early 2018 and finish by the fall of 2020.