Nevada State Library and Archives

NEVADA STATE BOARD OF CONTROL

The State Board of Control was created by the Nevada Legislature on March 30, 1933.  Section 6974 of Nevada Compiled Laws, 1931-1941 defined the Board and its functions.  This Board superseded the Board of Capitol Commissioners.

The Board of Control consisted of the Governor, Secretary of State, State Controller, State Treasurer, and the State Surveyor-General.  The Governor served as the chair and his private secretary served as the clerk of the Board.  The Board had supervision over and control of the state capitol building, capitol grounds and waterworks, state printing office building, and all other state buildings, grounds, and properties.

The function of the Board was to control the expenditure of all appropriations for furnishing, repairing and maintaining those buildings and grounds, for deferring all contingent expenses of all properties, for transporting books and documents, and for storage and transportation of state property.  No office could expend more than $50.00 without authorization from the Board; however, this part of the act did not apply to the University, Mental Hospital, State Prison, Orphans’ Home, Nevada School of Industry, State Highway Department, or State Printing Plant.

The Board was authorized to hire help to care for state buildings and grounds.  The legislation authorized certain improvements to be made to state buildings and grounds and specified how they would be financed, through bonds and an ad valorem tax on four mills ($0.004) on each $100 of taxable property in the state.

The 1949 Legislature created the State Department of Buildings and Grounds which assumed the functions of the Board of Control.  The Board was officially abolished by the Legislature of 1951.

RECORDS     1932-1945     .5 cu. ft.

Minutes    1934-1939     14 folders
Records of transactions of meetings of the Board, recorded by the Clerk of the Board.  Most of the minutes consist of rough notes or are in shorthand; few were typed as formal minutes.  Subjects of the meetings included authorization to purchase office supplies and equipment costing more than $50.00 and acquisition or construction of new state buildings.  Supporting documentation originally attached to the minutes was sampled to demonstrate the wide variety of items needed by state government offices.  Arranged chronologically.

Correspondence     1932-1939     8 folders
Samplings of letters written to the Board by state offices requesting permission to purchase equipment and supplies valued at more than $50 as required by statute; items ranged from postage stamps to motor vehicles.  Some requests documented construction of new buildings such as the Supreme Court and Library building.  Arranged chronologically.

Employment     1933-1939     1 folder
The Board of Control was charged with employing people who maintained state buildings, grounds, and other property.  This folder contains letters related to hiring guards, janitors, groundskeepers, and others.  Arranged chronologically.

Legal     1934-1939     1 folder
Deeds, resolutions, and bill of sale related to acquisition, sale or exchange of state property/land.  Arranged chronologically.