Board approves $50,000 stipend for public administrator and directs code change to raise hourly extraordinary-services rate

Churchill County commissioners approved an increase in the annual stipend for the public administrator from $40,000 to $50,000 and instructed staff to pursue a code change to raise the public-administrator extraordinary‑services hourly rate to $90.

Bob Ghetto, the public administrator, told the board the additional $10,000 would be used to cover the labor and administrative costs associated with managing unclaimed or complicated estate matters. "The change where we're at currently is $40,000 per year and we move that to $50,000 per year with the intent of using that additional $10,000 for the actual labor associated with processing unclaimed individuals," Ghetto said.

Commissioners clarified the $15,000 set aside for mortuary or cremation costs is outside the $50,000 stipend and would be applied directly to contractors when needed. The county manager and county counsel outlined a process for invoicing, recording and, where estates have funds, recovering costs through estate claims; indigent cases could be moved to social services as appropriate.

On a related item, the board directed staff to pursue a county-code amendment to modify NRS‑linked provisions so the extraordinary-services hourly rate adopted by the county could be raised from $70 to $90. Staff noted the $70 figure is currently codified and a code change is required so the board can adopt the rate administratively. The action taken was phrased as direction to staff to effectuate the code change rather than an immediate paid-rate change.

The record shows an abstention disclosure: the chair noted, "I'll be abstaining from voting as Mister Ghetto is my uncle," and recorded abstentions where relatives were involved in the matter. The board also approved two invoices for extraordinary services submitted to the public administrator office, totaling $6,548 and $787.50.

The board voted on the stipend and the direction to amend code for the hourly rate; commissioners said the steps should reduce the need for future extraordinary invoices by better funding the office and clarifying billing procedures.