End of an Era: Jim Barbee Retires from Churchill County

After more than three decades of public service and six transformative years as Churchill County Manager, Jim Barbee is stepping away from the desk, the meetings, and the whirlwind of rural governance. But don’t expect him to slow down. 

“I’ve got over 30 years in the retirement system, and as of July 1, I’m officially retiring,” Barbee said over coffee at Telegraph, where he reflected on his tenure. “I’m going to retire from PERS but I’m going to have a consulting firm and still be doing some things. We’ve got some folks who are also approaching retirement and we’ll go our own way.” 

Barbee’s career spans from education in Fall River Mills, California to leadership at the Nevada Department of Agriculture, and eventually to Churchill County government. Since taking over as County Manager in May 2018, Barbee has shepherded the community through floods, COVID, and one of the largest economic development initiatives in rural Nevada, the Rafter 3C Arena.

“It’s been the hardest part of even considering retirement is stepping aways from that, it’s been such a baby,” he said, “and there’s still so much more to come.”

The facility has already had a staggering $13 million economic impact, more than double the initial goal. From the first official PRCA rodeo held last week, and the state wrestling tournaments to bull riding on New Year’s Eve, Barbee’s vision has helped position Fallon as a regional hub for sports, entertainment, and tourism.

With $32 million in grant-funded upgrades on the horizon, including a fully covered outdoor arena, expanded RV facilities, and major road and landscaping improvements, Barbee calls the project “a cornerstone for long-term growth.”

Beyond big infrastructure, Barbee points to quieter, but equally impactful, projects like the expansion of CARES childcare services. What began in a trailer near the fairgrounds with just 25 kids has grown into a three-building complex now serving nearly 150 children at the old Cottage Schools..

“It’s a huge benefit to the community,” he said. “Especially during COVID, that program kept essential workers from the county and the school district, on the job.” 

If there’s a through-line in Barbee’s leadership, it’s land and water and using those resources to position the community for the future. He helped secure Churchill County’s inclusion in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) through some forward-thinking negotiations with the federal government during the Navy’s expansion process. Until Churchill was included, that money had only gone to Clark, White Pine, and projects at Lake Tahoe. That access unlocked over $40 million in grants and solidified the county’s eligibility for future funding rounds.

He also championed a visionary “checkerboard” land exchange with BLM, positioning Churchill to consolidate fragmented parcels on the railroad corridor into developable tracts, expanding industrial capacity while protecting water recharge areas.

“We’re blessed,” Barbee said. “Our predecessors were smart. They bought water rights, protected aquifers, and gave us tools like the conservation easement program with the Navy. Now, it’s on us to keep that balance.” Again, he reiterated, “Churchill is blessed,” referencing the water rights the county owns and has permitted 20,000 acre-feet of water in Dixie Valley. 

Barbee’s legacy includes building off the “Big Dig” flood mitigation work that protected the valley in 2017, to create a weir system that protected the valley during the 2023 flooding. He has worked ever since and expresses frustration with federal agencies like FEMA and BOR that still haven’t updated floodplain maps, despite the county’s proactive measures. “That’s been the most exhausting piece,” he said, “working for years and still no resolution.”

His thoughts on growth are pragmatic. “We need to have all kinds of housing. We’ve had folks kind of lose their minds over the multifamily housing, but the irony is, multi-family is so much more efficient in terms of land usage and water consumption. We haven’t had a modern apartment complex in this community in years.” He said it’s important at some point that we get a modern apartment complex.  “We’re talking the kind of product that the navy folks are used to having access to.” 

Barbee is quick to highlight the strength of the team he’s leaving behind, particularly incoming County Manager Chris Spross, who has served as Assistant Manager for two years.

“He left a great job to come up here and focus on family and lifestyle. That’s the kind of person you want leading the county,” Barbee said. “It’ll be a seamless transition.”

Looking ahead, Barbee’s consulting firm will keep him in the game, albeit on his terms. “I’ve never been able to set my own schedule before. That’s going to be weird. Good weird.”

And as for the question he hears most, “Where are you moving to?” Barbee answers without hesitation: “We’re not going anywhere. We moved here to be in this community, it wasn’t by accident. We are committed to this.” He said he wants his kids to be able to make a living and stay here. “We want our kids to have a place where they can go away and do their life experience and they have a place to come back to and make a good life and career for themselves, and you can’t do that without expanding the industrial opportunities in the community.”