Editorial: Consensus the key to city’s future

Friday, Feb. 7, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

IT'S good that local officials have taken the issue of how to adjust to community growth to the voters. A town hall meeting at UNLV this week showed considerable public interest in the subject.

The concept should be expanded. A series of similar meetings in city and county neighborhoods could do much to develop a consensus on what kind of city Las Vegas will be in the next 20 years.

Forging an agreement among the differing interests can be particularly timely as the Legislature studies what, if any, state role there should be to help finance local growth.

Local government budgets are groaning under infrastructure needs. The cost of streets, sewer and water lines and schools is outstripping the ability to pay for them.

The Legislature may consider Southern Nevada's problems to be local and limit assistance to enabling tax-hike legislation for County Commission and the City Council to enact on their own. If that occurs, local governments must reach a public consensus.

As it is now, most people want to tax the other guy. Casino executives want to increase taxes on other businesses. Many residents want to boost casino taxes and slow Strip development. Sales tax hikes are more popular than property tax increases, particularly to retirees on fixed incomes who argue that older developments should not pay for newer tracts. Higher impact fees would shift some of the burden on to new home buyers.

And there's the argument that all growth must be stopped. That ignores the enormous negative impact on the economy.

Belying this apparent standoff, however, is a record of reasonable support for worthy community projects. Clark County voters historically have backed public expansions when they were well explained by their representatives. Last fall, for example, voters endorsed expansions to the jail and justice center, Metro Police and Clark County schools.

That makes us believe voters will support a reasonable and fair mix of tax and fee hikes to pay for growth that is well planned and directed.

Local governments have an opportunity for a fair airing of the issues. This week's town hall meeting proved the public interest is there. The challenge now is how to translate that interest into a plan that everyone can live with.