Verdi TV District officials brief commissioners on tower operations as residents press for website, audits and clearer finances

Representatives of the Verdi Television District told the Washoe County Board of County Commissioners on Oct. 21 that the district operates a transmission site on Peavine Mountain and is working with Washoe County to post required materials to the county’s General Improvement District (GID) web pages after public complaints about transparency.

Hud Horton, chairman of the Verdi TV District board, described the district’s origins and operations, saying the district was “formed in 1961” to provide over‑the‑air signals and that its primary site sits on Peavine Mountain at roughly 8,096 feet. He explained the district’s income derives largely from state distributions of consolidated tax and a small payment from a radio broadcaster. Horton said the district pays expenditures through the Washoe County comptroller’s office and that the board provides oversight for operation and maintenance at the site, which serves television and radio channels, public‑safety communications and amateur radio use.

Multiple members of the public told commissioners they had trouble finding Verdi TV District financial records, minutes and board membership information online, and several asked for an independent financial review. Vicky Ralston told the board the district was “unaccountable, non transparent, and evasive” and asked for a financial investigation into “where our money has gone for decades.” Jill O’Leary and others raised concerns about the county recorder accepting liens without verifying legal basis and urged the commission to address broader recorder/filing policies.

Chairman Horton said the district is working with the county communications team to place a landing page under the county’s GID site; Michelle Sanino, district secretary, said minutes and budgets “were there for the last two years” and that a hyperlink was “coming.” Commissioners pressed the district on why documents were not prominent, on prior news reports stating the board had exempted itself from reporting and on whether independent audits had been sought. Horton and others said the district does submit budgets to the State Department of Taxation and that some coverage in media outlets was inaccurate; he said the district had an independent accountant and an attorney (Guild Gallagher; accountant Michael Knott) and that some financial filings are routed through the county’s comptroller.

Commissioners and the interim county manager advised the district to keep a single county point of contact for web posting and to provide the board with the district’s most recent five years of financial reports and budgets; County Manager staff said they would work through Communications and the county liaison Casey/Casey Solero to ensure a GID landing page and hyperlinks are in place. District representatives agreed to supply missing documents and to clarify contact information on mapping services.

Ending: The board requested the Verdi TV District provide a set of financial records and to coordinate with county staff to make GID pages and audit/reporting links visible and accessible. Commissioners discussed statutory limits on county intervention in special districts but encouraged transparency and the district to request independent audits if needed.