How Reno Transformed Boards and Commissions to Build an Award-Winning Governance Model

OVERVIEW

When Reno, Nev., transitioned its Boards and Commissions program to the City Manager’s Office, leaders uncovered a deeply fragmented system — one where manual spreadsheets, outdated webpages and disconnected recordkeeping tools made administration difficult and public participation confusing.

The city activated its Granicus Agenda Management OE (OneMeeting) capabilities to centralize governance workflows, reduce administrative burden, improve compliance and deliver a more accessible experience for residents — all without increasing costs.

The result was an award-winning system of record that now serves as a model of operational excellence.

“Ultimately, the technology offered by Granicus has allowed us to drastically reduce administrative burden and increase public engagement and transparency here at the city of Reno.” Cali Shy, Agenda Coordinator, City of Reno, Nev.

SITUATION: EVERYTHING, EVERYWHERE, ALL AT ONCE

Reno’s previous Boards and Commissions program relied heavily on manual data entry and informal tracking. Advisory bodies had been created individually over many decades, resulting in inconsistent rules, disconnected governance standards and no centralized source of truth.

Critical information lived in siloed recordkeeping systems — like in Excel spreadsheets or on more than 40 outdated webpages — that were updated independently and, often, inconsistently. Appointment processes regularly stalled for months, and staff had no reliable way to track vacancies, expirations or onboarding status.

Understanding how to apply for or participate in a board was difficult and unclear for citizens. In some cases, residents were appointed to boards and never notified; in others, members continued serving after their terms expired, creating compliance risks and confusion.

“We kind of had everything everywhere,” said Cali Shy, agenda coordinator for the city of Reno. “It was honestly a huge source of external confusion and internal tension.”

SOLUTION: “I CAN’T BELIEVE WE’VE NEVER USED THIS!”

Reno had been using Agenda Management OE for City Council meetings for years, but its Boards and Commissions functionality had never been activated. “I clicked on it and thought, ‘I can’t believe we’ve never used this!’” said Tyler Shaw, agenda manager for the city.

Recognizing this untapped potential, Shaw and Shy led a full, in-house integration of the solution across all boards and commissions.

Using Agenda OE’s membership tracking, data storage and reporting tools, the city centralized all boards, commissions and committees into a single platform. A new public-facing portal (reno.gov/boards) now serves as a one-stop hub for:

• Applications
• Rosters
• Bylaws
• Meeting schedules
• Training resources

This centralized access to resources transformed the city’s public service to be more accountable than ever before. “That central hub for everything was a really huge change for us,” said Shaw.

Granicus now serves as the system of record — producing quarterly vacancy reports automatically and providing real-time visibility into every advisory body. Councilmembers can view up-to-date information on appointments and terms, while board members receive faster onboarding and better training.

These upgrades have simplified access, reduced errors and made government information more user-friendly. The ease of the platform allowed the team to complete all the integration and configuration work without assistance — delivering immediate cost savings while building internal expertise and confidence.

RESULTS: A MODEL OF OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE

“Modernizing how Reno manages its boards and commissions was essential to strengthening transparency, accountability and efficiency in how we serve our community,” said Shaw. “By activating technology we already owned and redesigning our processes, we reduced costs, streamlined appointments and created a more accessible system for residents who want to engage in local government.”

The city of Reno reported the following financial benefits through its improved, gov tech-powered process:

• $24,760 in annual savings from modernization and automation
• $20,000 saved through elimination of external minute-taker contracts
• $6,875 in consultant savings from in-house system integration
• $3,744 annual savings from paperless meeting materials

Operational improvements were equally impactful: More than 24 boards successfully onboarded into the centralized system, and more than 100 members were trained in using the platform.

Appointment timelines that once took months are now completed in days, ensuring vacancies are filled quickly, and members receive timely guidance. Manual tracking, duplication and outdated records were reduced, improving accuracy and compliance with Open Meeting Law requirements.

As technology, policy and community needs evolve, the city remains committed to using Agenda Management OE to modernize governance. “Every single time we look at the program and say, ‘Wow, it’d be really great if we could do this,’ and then we find a way,” said Shy.

For example, boards are now being onboarded into the HTML Agenda Builder to allow agendas and materials to be published directly in the platform.

“We look forward to continuing to use [Granicus] to make our board and commission program even better in the future.”
Tyler Shaw, Agenda Manager, City of Reno, Nev.

This story highlights the hard work and innovation that earned the city of Reno recognition as a winner in the 15th Annual Granicus Digital Government Awards, honoring exceptional achievements in digital government.