VNT Railway Commission Meeting - September 22, 2026

The Nevada Commission for the Construction of the VNT Railway met on September 22, 2026, at 9:05 a.m. Chair Mitchell presided, and a quorum was present with Vice Chair Peterson, Treasurer Cruz, and Secretary Hicks. The agenda and minutes were not provided with the transcript; this summary is based on the meeting transcript. The commission approved the prior meeting minutes, authorized a four-year contract with an outside contractor, set a ticket-sale start date for the 2027 season, and received financial, marketing, and operations updates. No public comments were offered.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comment was offered during either the opening or closing public comment period.

Financial Reports

• Statement of accounts payable: The commission discussed checks totaling $88,472.45, paid July 1-31, 2026. The report was unaudited; staff said the July accounts would be brought to the next meeting for approval. No action was taken.
• Adjusted FY 2026-2027 budget report: Staff noted the budget figures between June and July were not yet audited. The item was for discussion only; no action was taken.

Contract Authorization

• Staff recommended authorizing the chair to execute a four-year contract with Liz, an outside contractor, after consulting the Carson City District Attorney's office. The chair said the commission does not usually do four-year contracts and noted the contract would not be written in legal language. The agreement would be used as needed, described as a not-to-exceed $1,000 annual amount with unused funds rolling forward each year. A motion to approve the authorization was made and approved.

2027 Ticket Sales

• Commissioners considered when to begin 2027 ticket sales. Commissioner Stephanie proposed gift certificates with expiration dates tied to the fiscal year of issuance, with unused certificates becoming a donation to the railway. Vice Chair Peterson voiced support for that proposal. Another commissioner suggested specifying that early sales cover tickets through the end of the fiscal year, rather than the entire next year. Several commissioners discussed reviewing the schedule and prices before going live.
• A commissioner supported a November 1, 2026 ticket-sale start date, in part so the commission could still adjust after its next meeting if needed. The approved motion selected a start date of November 1, 2026, for tickets through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and instructed staff to prepare and, if needed, bring further instructions to the next month's agenda.

Monthly Reports

• Marketing: Staff reported the advertising campaign had run for about seven weeks, though not all of that time was paid for, and was above $1,000 in spend with 37 purchases from people who clicked one of the commission's ads before booking. Staff said a much larger attributed-purchase number was reported around the time Polar Express tickets went on sale, so they did not want to attribute that additional revenue directly to the wine train ads. Staff recommended adding a clear direct link to buy tickets on the website to move visitors from interest to purchase. A full third-quarter marketing report was expected later in September.
• Operations: Candy Duncan reported that all-new seating charts were made this year to make seat selection easier, and that trip protection has been helpful. She said there have been a couple of glitches, but the overall system is working well. Commissioners also discussed supporting rail bike bookings on the website and noted the VNT now provides the only rail bike experience in Nevada after Boulder City ended its rail bikes. A commissioner also asked about the process for a possible capital improvement and whether CIP funds set aside for the van could be used; no action was taken.

Commissioner Comments

• A commissioner complimented work on the west-facing side of the main building and mentioned an idea related to rail bikes as exposing people to something they have never seen before. A commissioner also reported that required disclosures had been received, with signature pages expected to follow.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the August 26, 2026 meeting minutes.
• Approved a motion authorizing the chair to fully execute the contract discussed after consultation with the Carson City District Attorney's office. No separate vote tally was recorded in the transcript.
• Approved a motion setting the 2027 ticket sales start date as November 1, 2026, for tickets through June 30, 2027, and directing staff to prepare and, if needed, return next month.
• Took no action on the unaudited statement of accounts payable or the adjusted budget report.
• No public comment was offered, and the meeting was adjourned.