Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Question raised over employment department retreat

CARSON CITY -- More than 40 executives from one state agency are headed for a retreat in Southern Nevada, but the chief of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation says that isn't excessive.

Director Carol Jackson said she doesn't know how much the three-day retreat will cost taxpayers, but the more than 40 people attending is small compared with the 1,000 employees in her department. She has more than 35 offices around the state.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux said he hasn't heard about the retreat. Having more than 40 employees at the retreat seems like a lot, Comeaux said, but he noted that Jackson oversees a big department.

The sessions are scheduled for May 1-3 to discuss job development programs, new federal legislation and the agency's long-term strategy, Jackson said.

She said she has been trying to get hotel rooms in Las Vegas but hasn't been successful, so the conference could end up in Laughlin.

Using the word "retreat" may have been inappropriate, she said, stressing that it is a working session. "It's not fun and games," she said. It may be better to call this a meeting instead of a retreat, Jackson said.

Comeaux said he has held retreats while he was director of the state Department of Taxation, but they were usually small. The group, maybe six to eight, would rent a room or go to somebody's home for a day.

The value, Comeaux said, is that executives are not interrupted by the daily business or telephone calls and can concentrate on the big picture.

Jackson's agency includes the state Job Training Office, Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bureau of Services to the Blind, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Rehabilitation Division, Office of Equal Rights and the Employment Security Division. The combined general fund budget for the biennium is about $14.3 million.

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