KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasLas Vegas Monorail's Charity Status Stays
Ever since the Las Vegas Monorail project was labeled a "charity" many state leaders have questioned it. On Friday, the Nevada Tax Commission reviewed the charity status of the monorail, as well as its brief financial history.
When the monorail was in it's design stage, former Clark County Commissioner Bob Broadbent and his son-in-law, Cam Walker, acted as consultants to the project and then formed TSM -- a transportation management company. They received millions to act as project managers for the Las Vegas Monorail.
Monorail attorney Jim Waddams deflected suggestions that either man personally benefited or many huge sums of money as a result of their involvement. Tax Commissioner George Kalasis isn't convinced. He believes the project is all about nepotism.
In addition to the Bob Broadbent-Cam Walker connection, Kalasis says Walker brought his brother Todd on board as project spokesman. Waddams says the financial dealings of the Las Vegas Monorail are all a matter of public record. While he acknowledges he knows the salaries of the monorail's top executives, he refused to disclose them to Eyewitness News. This is information we have been trying to find out for months. But under Nevada charity laws, that information only needs to be disclosed to the state, and no one else.
The Las Vegas Monorail covers four miles, making stops at seven casinos. It charges money to ride. It doesn't provide comfort to the needy or afflicted. So why does it qualify as a charity?
Monorail president Curtis Miles told Nevada tax commissioners Friday morning the monorail serves 10 million people a year, that the monorail, as public transportation, provides a public service and qualifies as a charity. The State of Nevada Department of Taxation says he is right.
Tax commissioner George Kalasis has been questioning the monorail's charity status for years, suggesting it was a money-maker for those involved. But a Department of Taxation investigation found the salaries for those at the top of the pyramid were reasonable given the size, scope and dollar amount of the project.
Despite all the questions, the Nevada Tax Commission has re-affirmed the monorail's charity status -- for now.
Late Friday morning, tax commissioner David Turner suggested the State Attorney General's office be asked to investigate who profited off the Las Vegas Monorail project, and if anything illegal was done in the process.
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