The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners convened on March 6, 2025, to hash out county affairs, approve what needed approval, and settle what needed settling. Among the more noteworthy moments of the meeting was Sheriff Brad Pope presenting Deputy Trevor Bonds with a Meritorious Service Medal for his gallant conduct during a high-speed hullabaloo in Smith Valley on January 25.
The Commissioners then turned their attention to Nevada Copper, which, like many a hopeful miner before it, had found itself in a bit of a financial pickle. The company was allowed to square its personal property tax debt for $1,170,339.77. In a stroke of charity—or perhaps pragmatism—the Board waived penalties and trimmed the bill by five percent, provided Nevada Copper paid up without delay.
In other matters of local consequence, the Commissioners blessed Desert Hills Dairy to expand its anaerobic digester systems. Those unfamiliar with the term may take comfort in knowing that it is a sophisticated way of saying the dairy can now do more with cow leavings than letting them pile up.
Verizon Wireless and its accomplice, Vertical Bridge, secured a Conditional Use Permit to plant a new wireless communications facility and a 115-foot windmill tower in Mason Valley. The windmill, presumably, is for aesthetic purposes or perhaps a nod to the past, as it is unlikely Verizon intends to harness the wind for anything other than metaphorical purposes.
Meanwhile, the Commissioners took a red pen to The Lakes at Dayton Valley Planned Use Development. Out went the idea of a hotel and casino, in came something more fittingly labeled “Community Commercial,” which could mean anything from a laundromat to a grand emporium of curiosities. Additionally, a zoning map amendment was approved to reassign various parcels from single-family nonrural residential and tourist commercial designations to the more all-encompassing PUD (Planned Unit Development), ensuring the future of Dayton Valley remains as flexible as a well-worn saddle.
Silver Springs also saw its fair share of change, as Tract Capital Management, LP, received the go-ahead to swap out vast swaths of land from rural to suburban and from fifth rural residential to service industrial. The Board also approved a “mini master plan,” which, despite its diminutive moniker, will steer the planning of roads, waterworks, and sundry necessities across a 460-acre stretch.
Lastly, the Commissioners turned their attention to the Sheriff’s Office, approving the conversion of certain evidence items—including firearms—into County Property for lawful use or disposal. It is unclear whether the disposal will involve smelting or a more creative redistribution, but it got settled without fuss.
The Old Blog in the Desert 
Leave a comment