The Tale of Two Meetings: Commissioner Alexis Hill Wants to Tax You More.

Okay, Picon was wrong … Commissioner Alexis Hill has waited until summer to try to tax you. We were off a season.

Remember back on February 5, 2025 Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill and now retiring County Manager Eric Brown told us they have homelessness under control. Hill told the Nevada Legislature’s Senate Committee on Government Affairs that Washoe County had reduced homelessness by 40%. Now you all remember the media sort of tore that number apart and the propaganda princesses at Washoe County put a new spin on it trying to invent a way to explain the ridiculous claim.

Based on our story yesterday featuring the homeless barbeque along the river we thought this increased tax grab is a good reminder of all that money Commissioner Hill has residents spending on the homeless, and for what? Now Commissioner Hill wants more of your hard earned cash.

While homeless are busy grilling on the banks of the Truckee, Washoe County government is cooking something a little sneakier. It’s a tax hike. And they’re hoping you’re too distracted by the smoke to notice the fire.

Let’s talk about the latest dish served up by Commission Chair Alexis Hill and her entourage — the outgoing County Manager Eric Brown (enjoying his farewell tour), and the incoming Interim Manager Kate Thomas (starting July 1, but apparently already sharpening her budget knives). Their move? A sneaky hat trick of government scheduling so murky you’d need a GPS, a Ouija board, and a flowchart to follow the breadcrumbs.

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 - 2PM - First Special Meeting - presentation by Raftelis of their assessment of the County Manager’s Office.

It starts with the regular County Commission meeting on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, and then — surprise — two special meetings scheduled Wednesday, June 25. Because nothing says “transparency” like burying critical votes in back-to-back weekday meetings while most residents are at work.

First up at 2PM: The county is rolling out the Raftelis Report — a bureaucratic deep-dive by a private consulting firm known for helping local governments justify big moves. Think of it as the opening act.

The 2nd Special Meeting on June 25, 2025 - Commissioner Alexis Hill’s attempt to raise your taxes.

Then at 3PM, hold onto your pocketbooks. That’s when Commission Chair Hill finally unveils her ongoing pet project — an attempt to raise your taxes. Never mind that she didn’t mention any of this on the campaign trail. Why ruin a good “community-focused” narrative with numbers?

Agenda Item #5 is where the rubber meets the road: a Recommendation to approve and execute Resolution R25-43, which levies property tax rates for Fiscal Year 2025–2026. It's dressed up in polite legalese, citing NRS 361.460 and a capped rate of $3.64 per $100 of assessed valuation — as if quoting statutes will make it sting less.

Let’s decode that: this isn’t just a routine budget approval. It’s a carefully choreographed move to hike your property taxes without making it the headline. Because what Hill really seems to believe is that fiscal responsibility means: “raise a tax, then spend it.”

Forget belt-tightening, lean governance, or doing more with less. Washoe’s new motto might as well be “Ask forgiveness, not permission.”

The real grilling is happening inside the Washoe County chambers — and it’s your wallet that will on the spit.