Carson City to Add Justice of the Peace, Delays Decision on Public Records Fees
Carson City will be adding a third justice of the peace and a corresponding municipal judge position, with candidate filing opening March 2-13. The Carson City Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution setting the filing period on Thursday, February 19, 2026 and subsequently voted 4-1 to approve the first reading of an ordinance establishing the third department in municipal court, effective January 1, 2027.
The addition of the new justice of the peace is mandated by state law, triggered by the city’s population exceeding 60,000 residents. Current District Attorney Garrit Pruyt has announced his intention to run for the seat.
Supervisor Maurice White cast the dissenting vote against the ordinance, expressing concerns about collaboration between existing justices and the board. “I see no justification for the third court,” he stated. “Perhaps we don’t need a full-time justice. Perhaps we need a part-time justice.”
According to Nevada Revised Statute 4.010, candidates for justice of the peace must be qualified electors and possess a high school diploma. A 2023 amendment to state law stipulates that candidates not licensed to practice law in Nevada at the time of election must pass an examination administered by the Nevada Supreme Court within 18 months of taking office. A law license is already required for justice of the peace positions in townships with populations exceeding 100,000.
Firefighters Honored for Bravery
During the same meeting, the Board of Supervisors recognized Carson City Fire Department (CCFD) firefighter/paramedics Erik Hopper and Houston Berntson with the Medal for Bravery, and Eric Robinson and Ryan Baker with the Unit Citation Medal. The recognition stemmed from an August 16, 2025, structure fire where Hopper and Berntson rescued a victim trapped inside a burning garage within one minute and 22 seconds of arriving on the scene.
According to a staff report, the crew of Rescue 52 – Robinson, Baker, and Berntson – then provided advanced life support to the burn victim while coordinating transport to the hospital.
Public Records Fee Schedule Tabled
The Board of Supervisors also postponed a decision regarding proposed new fee schedules for public records requests at both the Sheriff’s Office and the Clerk-Recorder’s Office. The discussion centered on public access, the labor-intensive process of redaction, and the administrative burden of fulfilling requests.
Supervisors instructed the District Attorney’s Office to address concerns and suggestions, including the possibility of a single, city-wide fee schedule instead of separate ones for each office, and a clearer definition of what constitutes a “free” request. Supervisor Stacey Giomi also suggested differentiating fees for Carson City residents versus non-residents.
The proposed schedules, as currently written, would waive the first $10 of any copy fee and then charge 4 cents per page for standard black and white documents and 10 cents per color page. Electronic copies would be provided without charge, except for the cost of storage media – CDs at $1 each, flash drives ranging from $4 to $20 depending on size, and hard drives from $30 to $200.
Fees for staff time would be applied to “routine” requests exceeding 10 hours at $23 per hour, while research and redaction requests would incur charges of $23 per hour for staff time and $40 per hour for attorney review time. The Sheriff’s Office initially proposed a $34 per hour “viewing fee” for deputies to be present while a requestor watches body or vehicle camera footage, but later stated they would eliminate that fee.
Kristen Marquez, CCSO civil records manager, reported that the Sheriff’s Office tracked over 600 public records requests between mid-July and December 31, requiring 200 staff hours. The Clerk-Recorder’s Office saw an increase from 99 requests in 2020 to 441 in 2025.
City officials cited growth in digital data, redaction requirements for privacy, increasingly complex requests, and administrative strain as justification for the proposed fees. However, the Nevada Press Association, along with the Nevada Open Government Coalition, Our Nevada Judges, and the ACLU of Nevada, argued that charging for staff time violates the Nevada Public Records Act, stating that cost recovery should be limited to materials.
Assistant District Attorney Dan Yu offered the opinion that the legal grounds for including personnel time in the fees are “pretty solid,” but acknowledged the lack of definitive legal precedent.
Budget Assumptions and Other Business
The Board of Supervisors also reviewed budget assumptions for the fiscal year 2027, beginning July 1, and voted to maintain the city’s property tax rate at $3.57 per $100 of assessed value. Chief Financial Officer Sheri Russell-Benabou projected a roughly 5 percent increase in property tax revenues.
the board approved a $2.6 million contract with Reyman Brothers Construction Inc. For a new metal building at the Water Resource Recovery Facility, and unanimously adopted an ordinance renaming the V&T Special Infrastructure Fund to the Street and Highway Infrastructure Fund, redirecting sales tax revenues to local road projects. A grant application for $1.63 million to purchase 81.55 acres of land in Ash Canyon for habitat and watershed protection, including a popular hiking trail, was also approved.
