Washoe County officials walk residents through $1.1 billion budget and online "Checkbook" transparency tool

Washoe County finance officials presented an overview of the countybudget and demonstrated the Washoe Checkbook, a near-real-time online tool that lets residents examine revenues, expenditures and vendor spending across funds.

"Washoe County remains committed to transparency and making it easier for our residents to understand how public dollars are collected, allocated, and spent," said Abby Yacoban, the countychief financial officer, who opened the July evening session on behalf of Chairwoman Andreola.

The briefing covered how the county prepares a one-year adopted budget, how budgets differ from actuals and the statutory rules that constrain spending. "In its simplest form [a budget] is the financial plan," said Laurie Cook, division director of budget, adding that actual costs almost never match forecasts. Cook also cited Nevada statutes that prohibit spending in excess of appropriations and warned that inaccurate budgets can affect credit ratings.

Officials said the county's adopted total budget is roughly $1.1 billion. When looking at expenditures alone, that figure is around $987 million, officials said. For fiscal year 2027 the presentation showed a planned use of fund balance of about $5.6 million and a multi-year forecast with a declining ending fund balance that county leaders called a structural deficit they are working to mitigate.

Cook described the county's financial policies: a stabilization minimum of $3,000,000 (she said the county currently holds about $4,000,000), a recommended general fund reserve between 10 and 17 percent of fund balance, and a statutory contingency cap of 3 percent. The adopted budget currently sets contingency at 2 percent, and Cook said staff intend to raise that toward the 3 percent limit.

Comptroller Kathy Hill demonstrated the Washoe Checkbook on the county website, walking attendees through how to select a fiscal year, open the general fund, drill into departments such as district court and trace vendor payments. "This is more time-sensitive information that you will have access to," Hill said, urging residents to explore the site and noting records go back to 2025.

On procurement, Hill told attendees that businesses should contact the county department that would use their services and follow public procurement steps (request for proposals, invitations to bid) when applicable. She said the county cannot award contracts solely on a local-preference basis but may apply modest scoring advantages to local bidders while still selecting the lowest responsive, responsible bidder.

Officials took audience questions about the difference between budgeted amounts and actual spending and how residents can influence priorities. Cook said public engagement channels include budget workshops, Board of County Commissioners meetings, public hearings on the tentative budget and an upcoming citizen survey the county plans to deploy in the coming months.

Materials and supporting documents are available on the county's budget and comptroller web pages, including the detailed budget book and the annual comprehensive financial report. Yacoban closed the session by encouraging residents to use 311 and the county communications team for follow-up and to participate in the upcoming outreach.

The session ended without any formal votes or board actions; officials said next procedural steps include ongoing forecasting, outreach and forthcoming budget hearings before the Board of County Commissioners.