Gov to state execs: Unified goals, no pie-in-sky budget requests

Brendan Riley

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2000 | 5:29 a.m.

CARSON CITY - Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn told state executives Thursday he wants a unified, defensible budget plan to take to the 2001 Legislature - and that means no pie-in-the-sky agency requests.

Guinn, speaking at a public administrators' luncheon, pleaded for realistic budget proposals that will save him time when he reviews the agency plans and prepares his final budget proposal.

The process must change "so that we don't have to do all this work and come up with $800 million to $900 million in wants and then cut them all out," the GOP governor said.

Agency requests will start arriving this summer, and Guinn will finalize his proposal at the end of the year.

He said his goal is to have fewer agency bills and a state spending plan based on a handful of "superpriorities" and backed by solid data that will persuade lawmakers to endorse the plan.

With that approach in dealing with the Legislature, "you'll get everything you need from these reasonable people," he added.

The first-term governor mentioned a few specifics for the budget, including money for stepped-up training so state workers can avoid near-disasters such as the startup of a new DMV computer system last fall.

Guinn said he'll continue pushing for enhancements at the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety because it's so high-profile - even if it prevents some budget improvement in another government area.

A smooth-running DMV could help improve the image of all state workers and that, in turn, could reduce resistance to pay hikes, Guinn said. "State employees are not second-class citizens," he said. "But we have to prove to people that we're talented, that we work hard."

Guinn also said he'll press for more flexibility in agency spending, so that administrators aren't burdened by restrictions in areas, such as spending on travel to get workers to training seminars.

The governor also said he's working on a master plan for a government operations center in Carson City. He said that's a better solution than the $18 million or more spent yearly on leased office space.

Responding to questions, he agreed some existing state buildings need work. In the Nevada Capitol, where his office is located, Guinn quipped, "I get air conditioning in the winter and heat in the summer."

Guinn, who in November 1998 was elected Nevada's first Republican governor in 16 years, repeated his pledge to give the state a long-range plan to cope with rapid growth and increasing service demands.

He said little about a key element that's expected to be in that plan - a call to revamp Nevada's tourism-dependent tax structure. If the tax burden is shifted from its dependence on sales and casino levies, there could be a big public outcry, especially if property taxes are targeted.

A poll last year by state universities in Reno and Las Vegas indicated support for higher casino taxes or a new tax on corporate profits if more money is needed for government.