Longtime state employee will head Nevada taxation department

CARSON CITY -- The man who has led the state's efforts to assist the city of North Las Vegas through its financial problems was appointed director of the Nevada Department of Taxation on Wednesday.

The appointment of longtime state employee William Chisel was announced by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

Chisel, 50, is a 26-year state employee who has been chief of internal audits for the administration. A certified public accountant, he previously was a senior auditor at the Gaming Control Board.

The Taxation Department collects most state taxes and does audits to determine if companies are paying their appropriate taxes.

"Bill has an in-depth understanding of the state's budget, management and operations and will be able to lead the department to efficiently collect revenues owed the state," Sandoval said in a statement.

Chisel replaces Interim Director Chris Nielsen who has been serving in the position since March when Director Gino DiCianno resigned abruptly after telling legislators his agency had not been doing tax audits of mining companies. Nielsen will return to his deputy director post.

Chisel restarted the mining audit program, according to Sandoval.

He assisted the administration in developing the 2012-13 performance-based budget which will save about $145 million over three years, the governor said.

Chisel will be paid $124,528 a year.

Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.