Drawing the line: Proposal upsets rural residents

Adrienne Packer

Friday, April 27, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

Oscar Fick is relatively new to Clark County, and he readily admits he doesn't "have a grasp on the powers that be" when it comes to Southern Nevada politics.

But Fick knows enough to find it fishy that he and eight of his neighbors at Rogers Estates near Pahrump are about to be evicted from Clark County and lassoed into Nye County.

He is also disturbed that his neighborhood never received word of the proposed boundary shift outlined in Senate Bill 395. Neither Nye nor Clark county officials notified residents; Fick read about it in the newspaper.

"It's like we don't exist out here at all," Fick said.

Fick and his neighbors don't want to go. They said Nye County's property taxes are considerably higher, and it has lax zoning regulations. They can't help but wonder what will be built next door to their custom homes when they are no longer protected by Clark County's strict zoning laws.

Proponents of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, said the primary reason the border could be moved two miles toward Clark County is to improve emergency service access to homes just outside Pahrump.

The winding road through the Mt. Potosi pass makes for lengthy response times for Clark County emergency personnel. Pahrump is within view of Fick's nine-home neighborhood.

Fick scoffed at the argument. After all, when he moved into the desert far from Las Vegas he was well aware of Clark County's services, or lack thereof.

Residents use wells, and there is no septic system. It takes awhile for police or medical personnel to reach them. And, Fick said, their homes will burn to the ground if they catch fire because no matter which county's firefighters respond, they can't haul enough water to the neighborhood.

Though Clark County collects taxes from Fick and his neighbors, it is Pahrump's emergency crews who first respond to the area.

Just two miles from Fick's home, flames burst from a motor home that limped to the shoulder of Highway 160 on Thursday. Twenty minutes after thick black smoke could be seen bellowing from the horizon, the first fire engine arrived from Pahrump.

A Nevada Highway Patrol trooper, the first officer who truly belonged in the jurisdiction, pulled up 20 minutes later. Volunteers from Clark County's closest station, near the summit, never showed.

The response to the fire was typical for the stretch between the mountain range and Pahrump, said outgoing Pahrump Fire Chief Vern Long.

"Dispatchers first call (Clark County)," Long said. "They'll bring any equipment they can muster up. We're here first, which makes sense because we're closest to it."

Long agrees with the bill proposal. After all, he says, if Pahrump provides the services it should receive homeowners' tax dollars.

Fick and his neighbor, Sandra Mischo, don't buy the emergency services argument. They believe Nye County officials are bending over backward to help Tim Hafen, a developer and former assemblyman who has land in Clark County near the border.

Hafen danced around questions about whether he wants his 40 acres in Nye County because of the lack of zoning laws, but he said he was involved with discussions about the shift. He echoed other supporters, saying utilities and services are from Pahrump, and therefore the area should be annexed.

"This bill is for the benefit of both counties," Hafen said. "It relieves the problem Clark County has of trying to provide services."

McGinness said he was reluctant to introduce the bill but convinced himself it would ultimately help Nye County and the affected residents. Homeowners will be able to better communicate with elected officials because they are closer, and Nye County benefits from an increased tax base.

"Concerns of those residents weren't exactly ignored, but we felt in the long run it would be a positive step," McGinness said.

Residents are also furious they have been left out of all discussions about the shift. Mischo vented her frustrations to the Assembly members, who asked that the process be reviewed.

Residents reached out to their Clark County commissioner, Erin Kenny, for help but repeated phone calls went unanswered until after the measure moved out of the Senate. She then said she supported the bill.

Mischo said if they are pushed into Nye County she and her neighbors could very well be staring out their front doors and looking at a high-density neighborhood. They are also concerned that because Thousandaire Boulevard -- home to casinos and brothels -- is in line with their neighborhood and could eventually be extended up the hill.

McGinness dismissed those concerns.

"Nye County does have a planning commission, so it's not like they just issue permits without regard," he said.