End-of-session votes seen on school, tax bills

Wednesday, June 4, 1997 | 10:33 a.m.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said she has asked her members to "sit tight" on approval of any tax bills until they also adopt her bill to place a ring around the Las Vegas Valley beyond which growth cannot occur.

Her "ring-around-the-valley" proposal, AB490, is in the Assembly Infrastructure Committee. Once approved there, it faces a vote on the Assembly floor and further hearings in the Senate.

"We shouldn't deal with taxes until we deal with future growth," Titus said Tuesday. "It's not fair to the residents. If we are going to increase their taxes because of growth, we also should do something about growth."

Titus also favors waiting for the adoption of a bill that sets up procedures for regional planning in Clark County before the tax measures are approved.

Both Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, and Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, have sponsored planning bills.

The Legislature isn't likely to adjourn before the July 4 weekend.

Despite Titus' stance, Senate Taxation Chairman Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, said he wants his committee to vote on the sales tax bill Thursday or next Tuesday.

"I don't want to Christmas tree this bill," McGinness said. "Let's vote it up or down. This is the biggest issue of this session."

McGinness' committee held its third hearing Tuesday on AB291, a proposal already approved by the Assembly to let county commissions impose quarter-cent sales tax increases to pay for infrastructure.

Clark County would levy the tax to pay for part of $2.9 billion in water and sewer system improvements sought by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.

While he has power to move the bill out of his committee, McGinness acknowledged that Titus might be able to hold it from a final vote on the Senate floor.

Porter also wants a delay in the final vote on the sales tax bill until the last vote on a school construction bill.

Giunchigliani wants to place in AB353 proposals to increase the room tax by 2 percentage points and to double the real estate transfer tax. The money, about $30 million a year, then would be used to finance school construction and maintenance.