Editorial: State needs to keep its work force

Wednesday, March 7, 2001 | 9:03 a.m.

For far too long Nevada state government has served as a farm system for private enterprise, municipalities and counties. The state spends money to train employees, only to lose them to public- or private-sector employers who offer better wages for similar work.

State employee morale is often much lower than it should be, thanks to the salary disparities. Parole and probation officers and prison guards are examples of state jobs that have experienced rapid turnover largely because they can make higher salaries elsewhere. The turnover drains state agencies of experienced employees and makes those departments less efficient in serving the public.

Sun reporter Jace Radke wrote about one such disparity Sunday in a story about the Nevada Highway Patrol. Former patrolman Lenny Taylor left the force after only four years to join the North Las Vegas Police Department because he could make more money. It is easy to understand his logic. Starting wages for state troopers on average are $9,000 to $12,000 a year less than rookies make in North Las Vegas, Henderson and with Metro Police. We are alarmed that the untimely departures of Taylor and others have left the Las Vegas Valley with only 49 troopers, barely half of the patrol force the state believes is adequate.

Nevada lawmakers need to take a page from the federal government, which is attempting to fix pay disparities affecting the United States military. The military has served as a farm system for private enterprise, but former President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush and members of Congress have -- to their credit -- advocated beefed up salaries, housing and other benefits to keep good soldiers from trading their uniforms for civilian work.

We would like Gov. Kenny Guinn and the Nevada Legislature to increase their efforts to eliminate the farm system that state government has become. While we recognize that the state is operating under tight budget constraints, we also cannot afford to sit back and watch state agencies continue to experience a revolving door syndrome.