Nevada subcommittee approves OCIO staffing shifts, ends external fiscal service contract

A legislative subcommittee voted unanimously to approve a package of closing actions affecting the Office of the Chief Information Officer, including the creation of a centralized fiscal unit, the end of fiscal services provided by the Department of Administration’s Administrative Services Division, and new staffing for client support and technology programs.

The measures approved by the Subcommittee on General Government included the governor’s recommendation to establish a centralized fiscal unit in the OCIO by adding one accounting assistant and transferring three existing management analyst positions into the OCIO’s primary budget account (7211373). The subcommittee approved total expenditure authority of $487,199 in fiscal year 2026 and $499,868 in fiscal year 2027 for that change.

Fiscal staff told the subcommittee that Senate Bill 431 (2023) transitioned the former Division of Enterprise Information Technology Services to create the OCIO, and that increased fiscal workload led the agency to request in‑house fiscal capacity. Tom Weber, program analyst with the Legislative Council Bureau Fiscal Analysis Division, said the new accounting assistant would “assume responsibility of clerical tasks currently handled by the management analyst positions” and prepare financial reports and general accounting support.

The subcommittee also approved a budget amendment to discontinue the Administrative Services Division’s fiscal services for OCIO accounts, removing cost allocation charges previously paid to that division. Fiscal staff summarized the net fiscal effect as a projected $1.2 million cost reduction over the 2025–27 biennium and recommended reserve reductions of roughly $770,155 to fund two new positions (an accountant technician and an accounting assistant) and related operating and vendor costs so the OCIO can perform fiscal operations internally. The agency told the committee it would continue using the Administrative Services Division temporarily as it recruits and onboards new staff and targeted a handoff of certain accounting and pay‑clerk functions by Sept. 1, 2025.

The subcommittee approved several operational and program items recommended by the governor, including a rebranding request that would rename the OCIO to the Governor’s Technology Office contingent on passage of Senate Bill 12 and a technical funding change to equipment replacement. Fiscal staff also closed multiple “other closing items” across OCIO budget accounts with technical adjustments as noted in the closing packet.

On client support and infrastructure, the subcommittee approved the governor’s request to fund three IT technician positions in the OCIO Client Services Unit (budget account 7211365) to address an increased customer base, including continued funding for an existing position that supports the Office of the Military. The committee also approved replacement of the content management system using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery funds; fiscal staff noted projected ARPA expenditures of $1,300,000 in fiscal year 2025, $974,060 in fiscal year 2026, and $221,158 in fiscal year 2027, with ongoing costs to be recovered through cost allocation after ARPA authority ends on Dec. 31, 2026.

For the state’s planned public‑facing identity solution, the subcommittee approved a lower staffing level than requested. The OCIO originally requested two IT professional positions to support a statewide rollout of a single sign‑on solution; the subcommittee instead approved funding for one IT professional position beginning Oct. 2025, while directing the OCIO to report back. The OCIO told the panel roughly 85,000 users have accessed the single sign‑on solution to date (from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Motor Vehicles), and staff projected up to about 275,000 users per month if additional agencies adopt it. Committee members raised concerns that agencies not using the solution could end up subsidizing participating agencies; the OCIO said its long‑term plan is to make the solution available to all executive branch agencies.

The subcommittee also approved one IT professional position for OCIO cloud infrastructure support to help agencies migrate to a single OCIO‑managed public cloud environment, and fiscal staff said migration costs would initially be tracked through existing virtual server cost pools until utilization data supports creation of a new rate or cost pool.

Because of uncertainty about adoption rates and funding flows for the identity and public cloud services, the subcommittee approved a letter of intent directing the OCIO to report to the Interim Finance Committee by July 1, 2026, on implementation, utilization, costs and the need for new rates or cost pools.

Votes at a glance: the package of OCIO actions described above was adopted by voice vote and recorded as unanimous approval by members present.

The meeting record shows repeated staff presentations and motions, with committee chair presiding and fiscal staff answering operational questions. No public comment was offered on OCIO items during the hearing.

A copy of the subcommittee’s closing packet and related budget documents were referenced throughout the hearing for detailed tables of positions, reserve reductions and cost‑allocation impacts. The subcommittee requested staff authority to make technical adjustments to align final budget motions with the packet’s technical notes.