Water panel puts emphasis on residents

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 1998 | 10:49 a.m.

Las Vegas Valley tourists, who are responsible for the unprecedented growth of Southern Nevada, were almost deleted from goals being developed by the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority after complaints from two prominent local leaders.

At a Monday meeting, Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates took issue with the wording of such goals as to "provide parks and recreation facilities sufficient to meet the needs of Southern Nevada residents and visitors."

The word "visitors," used in several other goals being developed by the panel, rankled the two politicos.

"Our goal should be to provide for the people who live here," said Gates.

Jones agreed.

"I'm not sure local government is responsible for visitors," Jones said, emphasizing that tourists are not the main issue of concern in planning for services in Southern Nevada.

Commissioner Lorraine Hunt, however, took issue with that point of view.

"We're a unique community," she said. "There are 1.2 million of us who live here and 30-plus million tourists who drive our roads. Especially in Southern Nevada, the visitor is extremely important."

An effort was made to delete the word "visitors" from goals, but authority members decided that rather than cut the visitors reference out, they would simply reword the goal to place more emphasis on "residents."

When the panel turned its attention from goals for parks and recreation, it addressed the issue of water supply and quality.

"Visitors are welcome to drink, bathe and flush," quipped authority member Pat Shalmy.

The water supply and distribution control goal is to "provide a reliable, cost-effective water supply to Southern Nevada businesses, residents and visitors."

Other broad goals discuss by the authority included public safety and flood control.

Jones stayed at the meeting long enough to express her continued discontent with the objectives of the authority.

"This board has the opportunity to either be a rubber stamp or to really take a look at the options available," Jones said.

An opinion poll was conducted among various elected representatives in communities across the valley in an apparent attempt to find out what residents thought the issues were.

Jones, however, characterized the poll as doing nothing but supporting existing beliefs.

"No real attempt has been made to go out and see how the public really feels about the issues," she said.

She cautioned the authority about becoming a rubber stamp and not "taking a hard look at the problems" facing Southern Nevada.

"How seriously do we want to take our responsibilities?" she asked.

Neal Siniakin, an authority member from Boulder City, had even harsher words, claiming the panel is stacked with representatives of special-interest groups.

Panelist Robert Ferraro, who is mayor of Boulder City, went so far as to question the need for the authority, which was established by the 1997 Legislature to develop regional planning.

"If it isn't broke, don't fix it," Ferraro chided, noting that his city has no problem living with the different jurisdictions that now exist. "It's working very well. We don't have a problem."