Organization of the Week: Churchill County Public Administrator

The Churchill County Public Administrator serves as the court-appointed representative for county residents who die without a will, without family, or without another qualified person to manage their estate. As one of the county's elected constitutional offices, the department operates around the clock and is responsible for settling probate cases assigned by the district court. Since taking office in 2015, Public Administrator Bob Getto has completed more than 380 probate cases. Each case is unique and can take years to resolve.

Under Nevada law, the Public Administrator also may be appointed by the district court when there are no known heirs, when a named executor is unable or unwilling to serve, or when a will names the Public Administrator as executor. The office also has authority to secure a deceased person's property before a court appointment in certain situations authorized by state law.

The office consists of one employee. Getto took office in 2015 with no existing files or records from previous public administration cases. Since then, he has built the office while handling a growing caseload.

If appointed by the court, the office's responsibilities can include securing and inventorying property, coordinating the sale or donation of estate assets, managing financial accounts, paying bills, and working with attorneys, accountants, and other professionals to settle an estate. The Public Administrator is an administrative office and does not provide legal or tax advice.

One challenge discussed during Churchill County's February budget hearings involved cases of "unclaimed persons," or deceased individuals whose bodies are not claimed by family but who may still have assets. Recovering those assets can require hours of work and, in some cases, hiring a private investigator, making it more expensive to pursue reimbursement than the value of the assets themselves. Getto said Churchill County has covered those costs for decades and estimated the county handles about 10 to 15 such cases each year. He recommended creating a dedicated fund so those expenses could be managed more efficiently while allowing the county to recover costs whenever practical.