Ballot Questions

Bill Isaeff retired in November 2001 after 30 years as an attorney and manager for the state of Nevada and the cities of Reno and Sparks. He spent 17 years in the Nevada Attorney General’s office, eventually becoming the chief deputy, the No. 2 position. 

From 1989 until 2001, Bill specialized in water law and such related issues as water quality and water conservation.  Bill was the lead negotiator on behalf of local government on many important water agreements including the Water Quality Settlement Agreement, the Water Conservation Agreement and the Truckee River Operating Agreement. In 1994-95, Bill was instrumental in helping establish new law in Nevada on the question of whether water rights are acquired by a local government when it acquires property by condemnation.  Both the state district court and the Nevada Supreme Court held such rights were part of the condemned property and passed to the new government owner, unless expressly reserved from the transaction.

Under the Water Quality Settlement Agreement, for five years Bill was chairman of the Local Government Oversight Committee which acted to acquire Truckee River water rights for use in-stream and to enhance the water quality of the river, pursuant to a joint $24 million dollar water rights purchase program involving Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, the federal government, and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

In 2000-2001, Bill led the management team which successfully negotiated the purchase of the water business of Sierra Pacific Power Co. on behalf of the newly formed Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which he also helped create under Nevada’s joint powers law.

As part of his duties in the Sparks city manager’s office, Bill used to produce and host a monthly television show called “Spotlight on Sparks”, a program designed to keep citizens better informed about the workings of the Sparks city government. His keen interest in water issues coupled with his experience in public-oriented television led to Bill agreeing, after his retirement, to produce and host a new show for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority called “Fresh From the Tap”, which he used to both inform and entertain the Authority’s 75,000 customers about their water company.

Bill moved to Reno in 1957, graduating from Central Junior High (’59), Reno High School (’62) and the University of Nevada (’66).  He attended George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1969.  Bill and his wife Beth returned to Reno in 1971, where they have lived the past 53 years.