If sales tax increased, assemblywoman has repeal plan

Larry Henry

Thursday, Nov. 13, 1997 | 11:01 a.m.

Assemblywoman Sandra Tiffany says she'll circulate a referendum petition allowing voters next year to repeal a sales tax increase -- if the County Commission raises the tax on Tuesday.

The commission is faced with increasing the sales tax a quarter-cent to help complete construction of a second water pipe from Lake Mead or to let voters decide on the tax in 1998.

"The commissioners are under tremendous pressure from their major campaign contributors to levy this tax without a vote of the people," said Tiffany, R-Henderson.

Her plan, unveiled at a news conference Wednesday, came under fire from a Democratic Assembly leader who said Tiffany and others calling for a public vote "lack credibility."

"They're a bunch of misfits," said Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, in an interview after appearing on a panel Wednesday at UNLV with others who support the tax hike.

The UNLV forum began about an hour after Tiffany's news conference.

Among those joining Tiffany were Assemblyman Harry Mortenson, D-Las Vegas, Clark County Republican Chairman Milton Schwartz, Nevada Seniors Coalition President Ken Mahal and former Henderson Assemblyman Phil Stout, president of the Nevada Association of Independent Businesses.

Stout said elected officials who vote for the sales tax could face a backlash from voters. Commissioners Myrna Williams, Lorraine Hunt and Erin Kenny are up for re-election next year.

A University of Nevada, Reno poll late last year indicated that only 36 percent of Southern Nevadans support a sales tax increase.

"The commissioners must be feeling a knot in their stomach," Stout said. "This is equivalent to the 300 percent pension increase."

Many state lawmakers who voted for a 300 percent pension increase during the 1989 Legislature were defeated in the next election even though the pension was repealed during a special session.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Kathryn Ferguson said Tiffany will need to collect signatures from 10 percent of residents who voted in the 1996 election to put the tax repeal on next year's ballot, or about 26,500 signatures.

Tiffany introduced an amendment at the 1997 Legislature to require a public vote, but it was defeated after intense lobbying from casino representatives, developers and other pro-growth groups.

At the UNLV forum, Perkins urged commissioners to "do the right thing" and vote to impose the tax. Perkins supported the bill in the 1997 Legislative session that enabled counties to raise sales taxes for growth needs.

Williams, who also served on the panel, said she has not decided how she'll vote on Tuesday.

One audience member who identified himself as John Q. Public argued with panel member Billy Vassiliadis, a casino industry lobbyist, over who should fund the $3 billion water and sewer project.

"Why don't the casinos and the golf courses and the large developers pay?" the man asked.

"The gaming industry does pay," said Vassiliadis, who noted that casino taxes finance nearly half of the state budget.

UNLV history major Joey Calvan asked whether textbooks will cost more if the sales tax is approved. Clark and two other counties pay the highest rate in the state, at 7 percent.

Richard Wimmer, deputy general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, said $35 worth of textbooks would cost an extra 9 cents.

About 175 people attended the forum.