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Funding

Night Skyline Downtown
Reno
The shimmering lights of
downtown Reno shine as
brightly as the stars in
the clear, night sky.
The Reno-Sparks Convention & Visitors Authority, an independent governmental entity, was established in February 1959 as the Washoe County Fair and Recreation Board. The Authority is the operating instrumentality in the Washoe County area for promoting conventions, tourism, and recreation. To provide revenue for such purposes, pursuant to the Fair and Recreation Board statute and related provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, a tax on the income from room charges of transient rental facilities is imposed by the state, county, and the incorporated cities of Reno and Sparks.

The tax rates as of July 1, 2003 are twelve percent (12%) in non-downtown Reno and thirteen and one half percent (13.5%) in downtown Reno, thirteen and one half percent(13.5%) in Sparks, and twelve percent (12%) in the unincorporated areas of Washoe County.

  • The Authority collects these taxes and retains a total of 8 5/8%
  • 1% is remitted to the City of Reno for the National Bowling Stadium
  • 3/8% is remitted to the State of Nevada Department of Taxation
  • 1% of the tax collected in Reno is returned to the City of Reno
  • 1% of the tax collected in the unincorporated areas of Washoe County is returned to Washoe County
  • 1.5% of the tax collected in downtown Reno is returned to the City for construction of a multi-use facility in downtown Reno
  • 2.5% of the tax collected in Sparks is returned to the City of Sparks is returned to the City of Sparks for Victorian Square capital improvements
  • The remaining one percent is allocated between:
    1. Lowering the railroad tracks in downtown Reno, which 56 properties pay towards, and
    2. The remaining tax collected going to the Truckee Meadows Tourism Facility and Revitalization Steering Committee (TMTFRSC) which is to be utilized to construct a multi-use facility in downtown Reno.
The Authority consists of a thirteen member board comprised of (a) two members of the Board of County Commissioners of Washoe County; (b) two members of the City Council of the City of Reno, Nevada; (c) one member of the City Council of the City of Sparks, Nevada; and (d) eight members appointed by the aforementioned elected officials. The eight members set forth in the item are selected from nominations made by gaming, motel and other industry associations, or the Greater Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce. Furthermore, these members must be actively engaged in the gaming industry (three members), the motel industry (one member), the finance industry (one member), the airline industry (one member), and general business or commerce (one member). Private sector members serve two-year terms, and are limited to a maximum of two consecutive terms. Representatives of the various governmental entities serve until the expiration of their respective terms of office.

The Authority operates the Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Wildcreek Golf Course, Northgate Golf Club, the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center and the National Bowling Stadium. Two additional facilities are owned by the Authority but operated under management agreements with other organizations. They are the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts which is operated under a management contract with the Reno Performing Arts Council Association, and the Visitor's Center at Incline Village, North Lake Tahoe, which is operated by the Incline Village/Crystal Bay Visitor and Convention Bureau.

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