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Legislative subcommittee trims NDOT authorizations, approves bond sales and targeted projects
Summary
The joint subcommittee reduced highway fund authorizations modestly and approved targeted funding for wildlife crossings, bond sales and IT modernization for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
The Joint Subcommittee on Public Safety, Natural Resources and Transportation approved closing recommendations for the Nevada Department of Transportation that reduce highway fund authorizations and authorize targeted capital and program expenditures.
The subcommittee approved closing actions that result in a projected decrease in unrestricted highway fund authorizations of $3.7 million in fiscal year 2026 and $4.4 million in fiscal year 2027 compared with the governor's recommended budget. Liliana Camacho Polko of the LCB Fiscal Analysis Division presented the NDOT findings.
The subcommittee recommended providing $1,000,000 in expenditure authority in fiscal year 2026 for projects to design, construct, identify, restore or protect wildlife crossings and other related highway features, and placing $4,000,000 in reserve requiring interim finance committee approval before release. Members also approved the sale of $85,000,000 in bonds pledged with highway fund revenue and $75,000,000 in bonds pledged with fuel-revenue indexing generated in Clark County for construction projects, plus interest earnings for capital projects as described in the closing documents.
The committee approved $21.6 million in highway fund authorizations over the 2025–27 biennium for IT modernization efforts, including geographic information system enhancements intended to streamline workflows and support mapping and analytics. The subcommittee approved 2 new NDOT positions (one unclassified rural community specialist and one Personnel Officer 2) and directed the department to review long-term vacant positions for possible repurposing or reclassification.
Fiscal staff noted that the department's targeted unrestricted highway fund balance would be about $149.6 million at the end of the biennium, approximately $4.2 million below the department's fiscal year 2027 target of $153.8 million given the committee's recommended adjustments and updated DMV revenue projections.
An omnibus motion to approve the NDOT closing report and authorize fiscal staff to make technical adjustments was moved by Assemblymember Monroe Moreno, seconded by Senator Wynne, and carried by voice vote. The subcommittee approved other closing items and gave staff authority to make additional technical corrections as necessary.
The approved closing actions balance targeted project funding with a modest reduction to the department's recommended highway fund authorization levels, while preserving board direction to pursue bond financing and certain capital upgrades.
