SB15 - Revises various provisions relating to governmental administration. (BDR 30-464)

- 83rd Session (2025) Senate Bill No. 15–Committee on Government Affairs CHAPTER.......... AN ACT relating to governmental administration; revising provisions relating to the timing of when an annual meeting of a debt management commission must occur; revising the hours the office of the county treasurer is required to be kept open; revising the contents of a notice of delinquent taxes; revising provisions relating to certain fees imposed by certain counties and cities on the construction of a structure or the grading of land for certain purposes; revising provisions relating to certain property held in trust by the county treasurer; eliminating the requirement that a school associate superintendent provide a quarterly report to the governing body of a county within a local school precinct; revising the notice requirements relating to applications for certain franchises; and providing other matters properly relating thereto. Legislative Counsel’s Digest: Existing law creates a debt management commission in each county of this State and requires a commission to review and vote on proposals of a municipality to incur certain debts, levy a special elective tax, issue certain bonds or enter into an installment-purchase agreement with a term of more than 10 years. Existing law also requires a commission to review and vote on proposals by general improvement districts to issue medium-term obligations, borrow money or issue certain securities, among certain other duties and responsibilities. (NRS 350.0115, 350.014) Existing law requires a debt management commission to meet annually in August and at the call of the chair for certain purposes, in addition to certain other meetings. (NRS 350.012) Section 2 of this bill eliminates the requirement that the annual meeting be held in August. Sections 1 and 3 of this bill make conforming changes to remove references to the annual meeting being held in August. Existing law authorizes the board of county commissioners in a county whose population is 700,000 or more (currently only Clark County) and which is home to a species or subspecies that has been declared endangered or threatened pursuant to federal law to: (1) impose a fee on the construction of a structure or the grading of land in the unincorporated areas of the county; (2) deposit the money collected from the fee into an enterprise fund; and (3) use the money from the fee to fund an area or zone for the preservation of the endangered or threatened species or subspecies. (NRS 244.386) Existing law also allows the governing body of a city to: (1) impose a similar fee if the county in which the city is located has created such an enterprise fund; (2) deposit the fee into the enterprise fund; and (3) use the money collected from the fee to take certain measures to conserve the endangered or threatened species or subspecies. (NRS 268.4413, 268.4415). Sections 3.3, 3.7 and 3.9 of this bill allow the money collected from such fees to also be used for the establishment of plans and programs for the conservation of the habitat and ecosystems in certain areas or zones. Sections 3.3 and 3.7 require any such fee collected to be based upon an economic analysis of the cost to carry out such a plan or program for habitat and ecosystem conservation. Section 3.3 also authorizes a – 2 – - 83rd Session (2025) board of county commissioners that imposes such a fee to adjust the fee for inflation beginning in Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Existing law requires, subject to certain exceptions, sheriffs, county recorders and county auditors, county clerks, county assessors and county treasurers to keep open the county office and branch offices, if any, on all days except Sundays and nonjudicial days from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and on all days except Sundays, nonjudicial days and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Existing law also authorizes the board of county commissioners of any county to designate or authorize deviation from the days and hours, but requires each office to be kept open for not less than 40 hours during each week. (NRS 245.040) Existing law establishes that the county treasurers are tax receivers for the county. (NRS 361.475) Section 3.5 of this bill provides that the county office and branch offices, if any, of the county treasurer may not close earlier than 5 p.m. on any business day but may close later than 5 p.m. Existing law requires the tax receiver of the county to mail notice of delinquent taxes to certain persons. The notice of delinquency must state certain information including that if the amount of delinquent taxes is not paid, the tax receiver will, at 5 p.m. on the first Monday in June of the current year, issue a certificate authorizing the county treasurer to hold the property. (NRS 361.5648) Section 4 of this bill provides instead that the notice of delinquency must state that if the amount of delinquent taxes is not paid, the tax receiver will, at the close of business of the tax receiver of the county on the first Monday in June of the current year, issue a certificate authorizing the county treasurer to hold the property. Existing law requires the tax receiver to make out a trustee’s certificate that describes each property on which delinquent taxes, penalties, interest and costs have not been paid. The trustee’s certificate authorizes the county treasurer to hold each property for a certain period of time. (NRS 361.570) When the time allowed by law for the redemption of a property described in a certificate has expired and no redemption has been made, the tax receiver who issued the certificate is required to execute and deliver to the county treasurer a deed of the property. Upon obtaining such a deed, the county treasurer is required to hold the property in trust until it is sold or otherwise disposed of. Existing law provides that during certain periods or not later than 5 p.m. on the third business day before the day of the sale by a county treasurer, certain persons are entitled to have the property reconveyed upon the receipt by the county treasurer of payment of the delinquent taxes and certain costs. (NRS 361.585) Section 5 of this bill provides instead that during certain periods or not later than the close of business of the county treasurer on the third business day before the day of the sale by a county treasurer, certain persons are entitled to have the property reconveyed upon the receipt by the county treasurer of payment of the delinquent taxes and certain costs. Existing law authorizes, under certain circumstances, the county treasurer to sell property held in trust because of delinquent taxes. Upon payment, the county treasurer is required, with certain exceptions, to issue a quitclaim deed to the purchaser. Existing law provides an exception to this requirement to issue a quitclaim deed under certain circumstances, if, not later than 5 p.m. on the third business day immediately preceding the day of the sale by the county treasurer, a municipality provides the county treasurer with an affidavit that meets certain requirements. (NRS 361.595) Section 6 of this bill provides instead that, under certain circumstances, the county treasurer may not issue the quitclaim deed if, not later than the close of business of the county treasurer on the third business day immediately preceding the day of the sale by the county treasurer, a municipality provides the county treasurer with an affidavit that meets certain requirements. – 3 – - 83rd Session (2025) Existing law requires the superintendent of schools in a school district in this State which has more than 100,000 pupils enrolled in its public schools (currently the Clark County School District) to assign a school associate superintendent to oversee one or more local school precincts. (NRS 388G.620) Existing law prescribes the duties of a school associate superintendent, including requiring a school associate superintendent to provide a report in person, not less than quarterly, to the governing body of each city and county within which a local school precinct to which he or she is assigned to oversee is located. (NRS 388G.630) Section 7 of this bill eliminates the requirement to report to a county. Exiting law authorizes a board of county commissioners to grant a franchise to construct, install, operate, and maintain street railways, electric light, heat and power lines, gas and water mains and telephone lines, among certain other things. (NRS 709.050) Any person or entity desiring a franchise is required to file an application in writing with the board of county commissioners wherein the franchise is to be exercised. (NRS 709.060) Notice of such an application is required to be given at the next regular meeting of the board and is required to be: (1) published once each week for 4 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county, subject to certain exceptions; and (2) posted in three public places nearest where the application will take effect, and if more than one unincorporated town is affected, posted in three public places in each of the unincorporated towns. (NRS 709.070) Section 8 of this bill revises such requirements to post the notice from three places to one place if more than one unincorporated town is affected by reducing the postings required in public places in each of the unincorporated towns. EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. NRS 350.0115 is hereby amended to read as follows: 350.0115 1. There is hereby created in each county whose population is 700,000 or more a debt management commission, to be composed of: (a) Three representatives of the board of county commissioners from its membership; (b) One representative of each governing body of the five largest incorporated cities in the county from its membership; (c) One representative of the board of trustees of the county school district from its membership; and (d) Two representatives of the public at large. 2. There is hereby created in each county whose population is less than 700,000 a debt management commission, to be composed of one representative of the county, one representative of the school district and the following additional representatives: – 4 – - 83rd Session (2025) (a) In each such county which contains more than one incorporated city: (1) One representative of the city in which the county seat is located; (2) One representative of the other incorporated cities jointly; and (3) One representative of the public at large. (b) In each such county which contains one incorporated city: (1) One representative of the incorporated city; and (2) Two representatives of the public at large. (c) In each such county which contains no incorporated city, one representative of the public at large. (d) In each such county which contains one or more general improvement districts, one representative of the district or districts jointly and one additional representative of the public at large. 3. In Carson City, there is hereby created a debt management commission, to be composed of one representative of the Board of Supervisors, one representative of the school district and three representatives of the public at large. The representative of the Board of Supervisors and the representative of the school district shall select the representatives of the public at large and, for that purpose only, constitute a quorum of the debt management commission. Members of the commission serve for a term of 2 years beginning on January 1, or until their successors are chosen. 4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 1, each representative of a single local government must be chosen by its governing body. Each representative of two or more local governments must be chosen by their governing bodies jointly, each governing body having one vote. Each representative of the general improvement districts must be chosen by their governing bodies jointly, each governing body having one vote. Each representative of the public at large must be chosen by the other members of the commission from residents of the county, or Carson City, as the case may be, who have a knowledge of its financial structure. A tie vote must be resolved by lot. 5. A person appointed as a member of the commission in a county whose population is 100,000 or more who is not an elected officer or a person appointed to an elective office for an unexpired term must have at least 5 years of experience in the field of public administration, public accounting or banking. 6. A person appointed as a member of the commission shall not have a substantial financial interest in the ownership or negotiation of securities issued by this State or any of its political subdivisions. – 5 – - 83rd Session (2025) 7. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, members of the commission or their successors must be chosen in January of each odd-numbered year and hold office for a term of 2 years beginning January 1. The representatives of incorporated cities must be chosen after elections are held in the cities, but before the annual meeting of the commission [in August.] required by subsection 2 of NRS 350.012. The term of a representative who serves pursuant to paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of subsection 1 is coterminous with the term of his or her elected office, unless the public entity that appointed the representative revokes his or her appointment. 8. Any vacancy must be filled in the same manner as the original choice was made for the remainder of the unexpired term. Sec. 2. NRS 350.012 is hereby amended to read as follows: 350.012 1. The commission shall meet during the month of February of each year to organize by selecting a chair and vice chair. In a county whose population is 700,000 or more, the chair must be one of the representatives of the board of county commissioners. The county clerk is ex officio the secretary of the commission. 2. In addition to the organizational meeting, each commission shall meet annually [in August of each year] and at the call of the chair whenever business is presented, as provided in NRS 350.014 and 350.0145. 3. In conjunction with the meetings required by subsections 1 and 2, the commission in a county whose population: (a) Is 100,000 or more but less than 700,000, shall meet each calendar quarter. (b) Is 700,000 or more, shall meet each month.  The meetings required by this subsection must be scheduled at each annual meeting [in August [Text truncated for display. Full text available on LegiScan.]