6 Thursday, May 22, 1997 Pahrump Valley Gazette
They'll be going after your pocketbook
Disaster Prediction: Nye County is going uniter
With the recent revelations over Nye County's budget crisis m and
yes, it is a crisis-- I cannot help but wonder what future actions are going
to be taken by our great commissioners. It will prove interesting since
most of them were on the Board of County Commissioners and got us
into this mess in the first place.
Bob Davis, Tonopah, and Bob Revert, Beatty,
were not part of the money tree that has constantly
bloomed in commissioner meetings. But, money
has been scattered over just about anyone, or group,
that has approached
the commission for
it.
To give the devil
his dues, it's not easy
to say "No" to the
fine organizations
that approach the
commissioners. Senior centers, libraries,
museums, hospitals, abuse hot-lines, etc.
It's not easy to send these folks packing home with nothing. Unfortu-
nately there is no water to sprinkle the money tree with this year. The
tree isn't going to bloom.
The bottom line is that the commissioners have taken irresponsible
actions in the past and it is coming back to bite them in the hind-quarters
this year. A lot of us could see that coming and I certainly can't think of
how many times I have stated so on this page. The real sign of trouble was
when they started dipping into PETT money that hasn't even been
received yet.
I know, I know. Hindsight is easy. But, dog-gone it, many have seen
this coming for a long time. Except perhaps our own commissioners.
I predict a very shaky future and one in which the taxpayers in this
county will have very little say. Precedent is already being set.
And it started with the great flood in Reno. Yes, the flood of the
Truckee River. (Have I confused you? Read on.)
The state was caught with its pants down when the Truckee over-
I flowed its banks and inundated Reno with of the floods it has
one
greatest
ever experienced. Washoe County officials are now scrambling to see to
it that they're never caught in such a fix again.
The result is a variety of bills hitting the Legislature to allow Washoe
County to raise the sales tax a quarter-cent. That will raise about $11
million a year. The county can also immediately borrow 10 times that
much in the form of bonds against this tax.
Clark County also has gone after this approach and it has been
recently approved for commissioners there to raise the tax.
Here's the kicker though. The county officials want to get this tax
without the approval of the taxpayer. They consider the situation an
emergency and want the money regardless of how the taxpayer feels
about it. They say that they don't want it on the next ballot because it
maybe too late. "We could have a flood
'rlf so, that's condescending to the public. If the
counties can make a strong case, that's fine. But if
the public doesn't want it after government has
explained the need, that's the way it is."
Tom Cargil, UNR Economist
(quoted from Reno Gazette.Journal)
or natural disaster between now and
then," said Washoe County Commis- ..
sioner Grant Sims. ' |
Reno has three "top priority"
projects that it wants to apply these
infrastructure monies to. One of these
is a big police and fire training facility.
Huh? What's that got to do with flood
control? What's that got to do with
infrastructure? Feel the shaft coming folks?
Don't think for a minute that Nye County commissioners aren't
keeping a keen eye on what happens here. I predict that before long
they will be lobbying the legislature for an emergency tax increase,
without public input.
You and I know darn well that if it's put to a vote, the voter is going
to send a very loud message back to the commissioners. "You got us in
this mess and nearly everyone, except yourselves, saw it coming. Guess
where you can go."
I predict that all of this is going to happen. Mark my words.
There's a bad spin-off to all of this. Many f'me organizations, if they
don't start looking elsewhere, are going to fold up shop. They had
better start looking for other ways to raise money because the county.
coffers are drying up fast. If you're a member of an organization that
has relied on money from the county in the past, if you're a sharp
manager, you'll start!ooking around and get your group together.
Whether it's special fund-raising events, state help, federal grants,
etc., you'd better get started now. The early bird will catch the worm.
If your organization just sits around and does nothing, it's going to fail.
Get to work now and you may save the future.
Military justice is to
justice what militao, music
is to mttsic.
Target
by Joe Richards
from the
Kingdom of Nye
Whether you
hate him or love
him, he won't let
you ignore him!
