Clark County's public payroll is looking richer than ever at the top, with hundreds of employees now pulling in more than the Nevada governor. Mixed into that group is a smaller circle of workers who are getting something extra every month: both a county paycheck and a Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) benefit at the same time. The practice, widely labeled as "double-dipping," is drawing fresh heat as local reporters and transparency advocates tear through payroll spreadsheets and contract records.
KSNV spotlighted the issue in an April 17, 2026 segment that laid out just how many high earners are on Clark County's payroll and noted that some of them are collecting pensions while still clocking in for public work. The station's coverage also featured Rachel O'Brien of OpenTheBooks, who walked viewers through who appears to be getting the biggest combined paydays.
OpenTheBooks and other watchdog groups have been mining payroll and pension databases to flag eye-catching combined payouts across Nevada, arguing that those arrangements put extra strain on a retirement system that already has its hands full. Their analyses and media briefings have repeatedly pointed to examples in which retirees or elected officials draw a PERS benefit while also earning taxpayer-funded salaries or getting paid through vendor contracts.
How Nevada law allows exceptions
Nevada law generally bars someone from drawing a PERS annuity while also taking compensation from a public employer, but it leaves the door cracked open with specific exceptions. NRS 286.523 allows agencies to rehire retirees into positions that have been officially labeled as suffering from a "critical labor shortage," according to the Nevada Revised Statutes. The Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada also publishes guidance and forms that spell out the notification and eligibility requirements for retirees who return to work, and those rules frame how agencies actually apply the exception.Public Employees' Retirement System of Nevada
Local reporting finds an LLC workaround
A Las Vegas Review-Journal investigation uncovered another route around the restriction. Instead of going back on the public payroll, some retirees form limited liability companies or other vendor entities that win government contracts, which allows them to keep receiving PERS benefits while also collecting contract payments. The Review-Journal named local examples where firms tied to retired officials brought in six-figure checks from counties, school districts and other public bodies while those individuals remained PERS beneficiaries. That reporting raised uncomfortable questions about disclosure practices, conflict-of-interest screening and whether public agencies are doing enough to identify who really benefits from their contracts.
Transparency and political fallout
Critics argue that the various arrangements do not just stress the retirement system over time, they also chip away at public confidence in how government pays its own. "I'm a government transparency guy: you need to be transparent," state Sen. Jeff Stone told the Review-Journal as he criticized how easily agencies can rehire retirees or sign contracts with entities linked to recent public employees.
What watchdogs want and what to watch next
Groups such as OpenTheBooks are pushing for clearer and more accessible disclosures of payroll and contract records so taxpayers can see who is benefiting and under what rules. County officials did not immediately respond to KSNV's request for comment, and the next few weeks could bring more local reporting, potential agency audits or renewed calls in Carson City for lawmakers to tighten or clarify the rules on reemployment and contracting.
