The Treasurer serves as an elected official who fulfills the duties outlined in Chapter 249 of Nevada Revised Statute (N.R.S.) and Section 3.045 of the Carson City Charter. One of the most important responsibilities of the Treasurer’s Office involves the billing and collection of real property taxes and special assessments. At the start of fiscal year 2023-2024, the Treasurer’s Office billed property taxes on 20,315 parcels of property for a total of $62,464,414.39. The collection rate for real property taxes in Carson City has remained consistently high during the past 17 years, with a collection rate close to 100%. Since 2018, the Treasurer’s Office has only had to sell two parcels of property due to the non-payment of taxes. The Treasurer’s Office also calculates the apportionment of the taxes to determine the distribution of property taxes to the schools, special districts, and the State of Nevada.
The Treasurer’s Office also collects other revenue for Carson City that include personal property taxes, water consumption and sewer use fees, landfill fees, parking fines, franchise fees, rents, and the consolidated taxes from the State of Nevada, such as sales tax, gas tax, and gaming tax.
As part of its statutory and fiscal responsibilities, the Treasurer’s Office also maintains a record of the City’s cash balance, and reconciles it with the records from the City’s Finance Department on a monthly basis. In addition, the Treasurer’s Office administers the City’s banking relations, and makes investments with the City’s surplus funds. The Treasurer’s Office establishes the City’s investment policy, which the Board of Supervisors reviews and approves on an annual basis. The City’s investment policy determines how the Treasurer’s Office will invest the City’s surplus funds, and further ensures that the Treasurer’s Office invests these funds in compliance with the provisions of N.R.S. Chapter 355. The primary objective of the City’s investment policy focuses on the safety, liquidity, and return on investment of the City’s financial investments, and the investment policy further outlines which financial instruments the Treasurer’s Office can use when investing the City’s surplus funds. The Treasurer’s Office currently contracts with two registered investment managers who help guide the Treasurer’s Office with different investment strategies in managing the City’s investment portfolio. The Treasurer’s Office also invests surplus funds with the State of Nevada Local Government Investment Pool, which the Office of the Nevada State Treasurer manages in accordance with N.R.S 355. As of July 2023, Carson City's combined investment portfolio hovered around $180 million.
Finally, the Treasurer’s Office also provides training to the City’s various offices and departments that collect payments and fees from the public, such as the Parks and Recreation Department, the City Landfill, the City’s court offices, and Public Works, and oversees these office’s compliance with the handling and deposits of money. The Treasurer’s Office also oversees the use of the City’s cashiering software program, and further reviews the accounting entries posted by the City’s various offices.
