Reno says no to future billboards

Thursday, Nov. 9, 2000 | 11:06 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Residents in Reno have banned construction of future billboards, while voters in White Pine County have approved using money to fight efforts by Las Vegas to pump water from rural Nevada.

And for the third time, voters in Pahrump have rejected an effort toward city incorporation.

While the focus in Tuesday's election was on the presidential contest, voters in at least nine rural counties and in Washoe County decided local issues.

There were votes on increasing taxes for open spaces, creating new cities and financing school construction.

In a 57 percent to 43 percent vote, residents in Reno decided to stop the city from issuing further permits for building outdoor advertising displays or billboards. Doug Smith, who led an organization to fight new billboards, called it a "great moral victory for a small group of dedicated individuals." But Ed Lawson, a spokesman for the billboard industry's group said, "I'm sad that my industry can be put out of business by this."

At the same time, Washoe County voters approved a $38.3 million bond issue for parks, trails, open spaces and library facilities. It means an additional $8.24 a year in property taxes on a $100,000 home.

A measure passed in White Pine County permits money received from approval of a 1994 tax override issue to protest applications by the Las Vegas Valley Water District to draw underground water from three rural counties.

The water district filed hundreds of applications but hasn't pursued approval yet from the state engineer's office. People in rural Nevada see their untapped underground water as one asset for economic development. The vote to approve the use of the money was 1,703 in favor to 1,330 against.

But White Pine County, which is hurting economically due in part to the decline of mining, couldn't convince its residents to raise taxes. The voters defeated a plan for a 40-cent override on the property tax to finance county government and avoid layoffs and consolidation of services.

White Pine is presently at the limit $3.64 per $100 of assessed valuation on the property tax. It can only raise the tax rate if it receives voter approval. That was voted down 2,555 to 498.

Also defeated by big margins were ballot questions to impose a 5-cent per gallon county fuel tax and a one-eighth of a percent increase in the sales tax to promote tourism in White Pine County.

The thriving community of Pahrump in southern Nye County rejected an advisory question on the ballot to form a city. The vote was 5,586 to 3,695 against the move toward incorporation.

The small town of Fernley, about 30 miles east of Reno, decided it wanted to become a full-fledged city. The vote to incorporate in Fernley was 55 percent to 44 percent.