Editorial: Bold steps needed on growth

Saturday, Jan. 11, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Although other Nevada communities are experiencing growing pains, the real focus will be on Clark County.

Every month, up to 6,000 people are moving to Las Vegas, the fastest-growing metro area in America. They're coming for the jobs and good weather -- and who can blame them? Most of us came here for the same reasons.

The up side to growth is that it creates a vibrant economy. Community leaders note that it's far better to live in a city where people can find work than in one where unemployment lines snake around street corners.

Growing cities encourage a sense of optimism that radiates. No metropolitan area in the country can match our luster. If you need proof, think back a couple of weeks to the worldwide spotlight that shined on Las Vegas during New Year's Eve.

At the same time, growth comes with serious down sides.

At the top of the list is smog. According to the Environment Protection Agency, Las Vegas had the second-most "unhealthful" air days between 1991 and 1995. Only Los Angeles had worse air.

Another problem is water -- or a lack of it.

Projections indicate that Southern Nevada could experience shortages by 2030 unless water is piped in from other areas, or unless Clark County negotiators are able to strike a more beneficial bargain with officials in Arizona and California over who gets how much from the Colorado River.

And there's more.

Rush-hour gridlock grinds traffic to a standstill. Homeowners are complaining about substandard construction. Even the average yearly temperature in Las Vegas is heating up by a couple of degrees.

Parents don't need to be told that the Clark County School District has a chronic problem with overcrowding.

More alarming, crime rates show no signs of slowing down. While murders have decreased nationally, they've risen in Las Vegas by 38 percent.

Recognizing these concerns, Assembly Speaker Joe Dini, D-Yerington, has taken the unusual step of creating a special committee to help get a handle on growth here and across the state.

Exactly what the 11-member committee will accomplish is anybody's guess.

The chairman, Assemblyman David Goldwater, D-Las Vegas, is urging a cautious approach.

"Growth is a good thing," he has said, "but it should continue at a pace that's not runaway."

That doesn't sound assertive enough.

Undoubtedly, the committee members are going to come under pressure from gaming lobbyists and developers who don't want their industries to pay for growth. It also may have to come up with money to repair flood damage in Northern Nevada.

Experts are predicting that Clark County alone will need $10 billion into the next century.

Already a rumbling has ensued among those who think Nevada casinos are undertaxed. Casinos here pay a top rate of 6.25 percent on gross revenues. In other states, casinos pay up to 20 percent.

That doesn't mean the committee should target casinos or seek tax hikes that aren't necessary.

What it does mean is that more than a few voters are going to be upset if someone in public office doesn't take bold steps to untie the growth-related knot threatening to snarl the Las Vegas Valley.