The Lyon County Board of Commissioners ratified a lawsuit against the City of Fernley regarding an area redevelopment district. Only one member of the board opposed the lawsuit. County Manager Jeff Page is hoping that the lawsuit opens the door to mediate the issue. Had the board failed to ratify the lawsuit it would have been dismissed.

The lawsuit was filed in mid-June just hours before the three month challenge period for the district ended. The lawsuit not only names the city, but also the Fernley Redevelopment Agency, the North Lyon County Fire Department, the Nevada Department of Taxation, the Lyon County School District, and the Fernley Pool District.

According to Page, there was an attempt made to reach out to the city and others involved in the lawsuit, but their calls were not returned. Page stated that the lawsuit was “not a decision we made easily.”

The lawsuit calls into question whether or not the redevelopment complies with the state’s revised statutes, whether or not the city had provided all information to the county, and whether or not the city is violating the law by exempting the North Lyon Fire and pool district from the redevelopment district. At the moment, the county and school district will lose tax revenue that will be diverted from the entities back into the redevelopment district.

Page pointed out the disparity in revenues and stated he believes that Fernley residents are being taken advantage of right now. His hope is that once the city is served with the lawsuit that it will open doors to mediation and the suit can be dismissed.