The recent economic downturn has resulted in cost-cutting measures in Sparks including reduction in expenditures, delay in capital projects, large scale layoffs in Community Development, freezing of nearly all open positions in all departments, and changes to employee benefits. Discussions with neighboring jurisdictions to Sparks have included regional shared services where progress has been made and the possibility of consolidation of services by two or three of the local jurisdictions of Sparks, Reno and Washoe County. In 2001, the City of Sparks formed a committee to examine the possible merger of fire services with Reno and Truckee Meadows Fire Protection District, the two entities that did merge. The committee determined that the cost of fire services for Sparks would increase to maintain the same service levels in Sparks for a variety of reasons.