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Record of Proceedings

Nevada V&T Commission Meeting August 26, 2026: Rail Bike Contract Approved, Early Ticket Sales Discussed

Board of Supervisors — Wednesday, August 26, 2026
BodyCarson City, Nevada
SessionBoard of Supervisors
DateWednesday, August 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 49:19

Original source
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1:13

Thanks everybody for being here.

1:15

We are going to call to order this meeting of the uh Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the VNT Railway.

1:21

The time is 9 01.

1:23

We're almost on time, but the vice chair had a few very pressing things he needed to finish up.

1:29

So we'll do better next month.

1:35

Yes.

1:35

Yes.

1:36

Be ready for 859 next month so we don't go short.

1:39

All right.

1:42

Brianna, would you take us through a roll call, please?

1:44

Yes.

1:44

Chair Mitchell.

1:45

I'm here.

1:46

Vice Chair Peterson.

1:47

Present.

1:47

Treasurer Cruz.

1:48

Secretary Hicks.

1:50

Here.

1:50

A quorum is present.

1:51

Thank you kindly.

1:52

I will move on to item number three, which is a pledge of allegiance.

1:55

If you would care to join me, please do so.

1:59

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

2:06

One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

2:15

Thank you.

2:16

That brings us to item number four, which is public comment.

2:19

The VNT Railway Commission will provide at least two public comment periods.

2:23

Public comment will be taken at the beginning in the uh beginning of the agenda before any action is taken and again at the end before adjournment.

2:29

No action may be taken on a matter raised under public comment unless the item has been specifically included in the agenda as an item under which action may be taken.

2:37

Comments may be limited to three minutes per person or topic at the discretion of the chair in order to facilitate the meeting.

2:43

With that, is there any public comment here in the chambers?

2:48

All right, seeing none.

3:03

Does the commission have any uh comments or questions about the minutes?

3:11

All right, hearing none, uh, is there any public comment on the minutes?

3:17

Seeing no public comment, I would entertain a motion to approve those minutes.

3:22

I move to approve the minutes of the July 23rd, 2026 meeting.

3:29

Great.

3:29

We have a motion and a second.

3:30

Uh any final discussion?

3:32

Hearing none, I'll call the question.

3:34

All those in favor of approving the minutes, please indicate by saying aye.

3:37

Aye.

3:38

Aye.

3:39

Motion passes unanimously.

3:41

Thank you.

3:42

We'll move on to item number six, which is discussion of possible action regarding the VT Commission's statement of accounts payable checks paid June 1st through 30th, 2026.

3:51

Any questions or comments on the accounts payable?

3:55

Uh, Mr.

3:55

Chair, I just had a question.

3:57

The one listed for a Nicholas Guestino.

4:00

Is that an ad by?

4:02

Or is that something different?

4:04

Or uh the one for Nicholas Guistano or Gostino?

4:08

Or is that just uh is that a part of the advice with Melissa, or is that something up there?

4:14

Um does the Google tracking and things I don't understand.

4:20

Okay, okay.

4:20

I mean, there was a bunch of six twelves, but uh yeah, I have not seen it just wasn't familiar with that particular media company.

4:28

So thank you.

4:30

Other questions?

4:31

That's Wasat Walsach Media is his company name.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Rail Operations█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Procedural████████████████19%
Marketing████████████15%
Financial Management█████6%
Public Comment████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway – August 26, 2026

The Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway met on August 26, 2026, at 9:01 AM in the Carson City Community Center Robert “Bob” Crowell Board Room. The meeting adjourned at 9:49 AM. A quorum was present. The commission approved consent items, a rail bike operations contract with a revenue-sharing arrangement, and discussed early ticket sales for the 2027 season without taking formal action.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved the minutes of the July 23, 2026, meeting.
  • Accounts Payable: Unanimously approved a statement of accounts payable checks totaling $103,452.85 paid June 1–30, 2026. One expenditure was clarified as a media company (Wasat Walsach Media).
  • Budget Report: Unanimously approved the FY 2025/2026 budget report for the period ended June 2026, showing adjusted revenue of $1,743,690.92 and expenses of $1,742,728.38, resulting in a surplus of $962.54. The bank balance as of August 17, 2026, was $1,101,503.65. Staff noted a few thousand dollars in additional expenditures and revenue adjustments will be made before the audit, but the commission was assured the year would remain in the black.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were offered during either the initial or final public comment periods.

Discussion Items

  • Contract No. FY27-C001 with V&T Railbikes, LLC dba Rail Zephyrs: The commission approved a three-year contract allowing Rail Zephyrs to operate guided rail bike excursions on the Carson River Canyon Track. The revenue-sharing model provides the Commission $5 per ticket sold, with Rail Zephyrs retaining the remaining gross revenue. Rail Zephyrs will handle all operations, expenses, and ticketing (via Kelly’s Activity Tickets system). The contract will be integrated with the V&T Railway website (vtrailway.com) and potentially Visit Carson City’s site. During discussion, the commission agreed to modify the payment timing: tickets sold through June 30 must be paid promptly to close the fiscal year, and a final season-end settlement will be made. The Chair was authorized to execute the contract with these modifications. Operations are expected to begin September 1, 2026, with early evening and morning tours planned. The Nevada Southern Museum was noted to have ended its rail bike program due to challenges.
  • Early Ticket Sales for 2027 Season: Staff sought guidance on opening ticket sales earlier than the traditional March launch. Options included selling tickets during the current 2026 season or moving the launch to February. The commission discussed pros and cons, including potential price changes, schedule adjustments, and logistical complexity. A consensus emerged to sell tickets for the period through June 2027 at current 2026 prices, with new prices effective July 1, 2027, if changed. The commission decided to agendize a formal review and finalization at the September 2026 meeting, where a proposed go-live date will be presented for action. No vote was taken on early sales.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approvals: Minutes, accounts payable, and budget report all passed without opposition.
  • Rail bike contract approved: Unanimously passed with modifications to payment timing as discussed on the record. Chair authorized to execute.
  • Early ticket sales: No action taken; staff directed to bring a proposed go-live date to the September meeting for formal consideration.
  • Next meeting: Scheduled for the week of September 21, 2026, exact date to be determined (options: September 21, 22, or 23, subject to room availability).

Non-Action Items (For Discussion Only)

  • Marketing Update: Promotion of the "Toast of the Canyon" line train and events on the Carson Now website begins next week.
  • Track Maintenance Update: Wide gauge detected on some curves; corrective work ongoing. Drainage culvert work delayed until cooler weather.
  • Operations/Trains Report: Boiler wash on locomotive #18, work on the Mount House car for Polar Express, and a movie production postponed to April 2027. The upcoming 250th birthday celebration weekend is nearly sold out.
  • Executive Assistant Update: Final preparations for the barbecue event featuring shoe tree brewing, Minden Mill distillery, trivia, and raffle (including rail bike tickets). Toast of the Canyon events in September and October, including a Mark Twain-themed train, are planned. Audit work has begun.

Commissioner Comments

  • No comments or announcements were made.

Meeting Transcript

Thanks everybody for being here. We are going to call to order this meeting of the uh Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the VNT Railway. The time is 9 01. We're almost on time, but the vice chair had a few very pressing things he needed to finish up. So we'll do better next month. Yes. Yes. Be ready for 859 next month so we don't go short. All right. Brianna, would you take us through a roll call, please? Yes. Chair Mitchell. I'm here. Vice Chair Peterson. Present. Treasurer Cruz. Secretary Hicks. Here. A quorum is present. Thank you kindly. I will move on to item number three, which is a pledge of allegiance. If you would care to join me, please do so. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. That brings us to item number four, which is public comment. The VNT Railway Commission will provide at least two public comment periods. Public comment will be taken at the beginning in the uh beginning of the agenda before any action is taken and again at the end before adjournment. No action may be taken on a matter raised under public comment unless the item has been specifically included in the agenda as an item under which action may be taken. Comments may be limited to three minutes per person or topic at the discretion of the chair in order to facilitate the meeting. With that, is there any public comment here in the chambers? All right, seeing none. Does the commission have any uh comments or questions about the minutes? All right, hearing none, uh, is there any public comment on the minutes? Seeing no public comment, I would entertain a motion to approve those minutes. I move to approve the minutes of the July 23rd, 2026 meeting. Great. We have a motion and a second. Uh any final discussion? Hearing none, I'll call the question. All those in favor of approving the minutes, please indicate by saying aye. Aye. Aye. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you. We'll move on to item number six, which is discussion of possible action regarding the VT Commission's statement of accounts payable checks paid June 1st through 30th, 2026. Any questions or comments on the accounts payable? Uh, Mr. Chair, I just had a question. The one listed for a Nicholas Guestino.

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