County may add $1.5 mil. to fight Yucca

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, April 9, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

Clark County Commission Chairman Dario Herrera tried to make a motion to designate $1.5 million toward the Yucca Mountain fight -- even though he could not legally do so because the item was not on the agenda at a county budget workshop Monday.

But after fielding commissioners' cost-cutting recommendations -- including housing family court judges in portable trailers and putting a temporary courthouse in the Jean airport -- County Manager Thom Reilly agreed to find the $1.5 million.

If the board approves the funding today, the money will go toward a legal fund and an anti-nuclear waste dump campaign led by Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev.

"If (the campaign) is as successful as we expect, maybe we'll consider adding additional allocations in the future," Herrera said.

Herrera said Monday's workshop was an ideal setting to discuss Yucca Mountain because it also fell on the day Gov. Kenny Guinn vetoed President Bush's recommendation to store nuclear waste in Nevada. The workshop was originally designed to prioritize the county's policy and service objectives.

"This is a historic moment that will gain national attention," Herrera said. "This is a one-time opportunity. The governor needs our outreach more than ever during the next 90 days."

The redirection of Monday's planned brainstorming session left workshop facilitator Craig Holt sidelined and administrators scouring a tight $800 million general fund budget for spare cash.

The county's entire budget is about $3 billion.

Herrera initially asked that $3 million be taken from $6 million designated for a countywide update of antiquated computer systems. But according to Assistant County Manager Mike Alastuey, holding off on new computers could cause serious problems.

"Delaying half (the computer replacements) would place the county in a position of not functioning properly," Alastuey said. "We would suffer severe function problems."

Scanning the county's major projects scheduled for fiscal year 2002-03, Commissioner Erin Kenny suggested delaying a $1 million courthouse in Goodsprings and placing a temporary facility at the Jean airport.

Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates tossed out the idea of postponing the reconfiguration of Family and Youth Services courthouses and instead housing judges in portable trailers.

"If portables are good enough for our kids to learn in, they're good enough for our judges," Atkinson Gates said.

Although County Finance Director George Stevens said he hasn't been able to find spare money "rattling around in the budget," he and Reilly agreed to take the money from a source that would not threaten public safety.

Stevens said the budget picture is not as grim as it was expected to be after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The attacks and tourists' subsequent fear of traveling primarily affected sales tax revenues.

"We're already seeing the economy come back," Stevens said, "although we're nowhere near where we were a year ago."

Commissioners, looking for ways to beef up the county's general fund coffers, considered raising the countywide operating tax by six-tenths of a cent. Because the tax increase would be offset by retired bond debts, homeowners would not pay more money, they simply wouldn't receive a tax break related to the expired bonds.

The increase -- which amounts to about $3.50 a year for owners of homes with an assessed valuation of $100,000 -- would add about $2.5 million a year to the county's general fund, Stevens said.

Reilly said the county has worked to save money by enacting a hiring freeze. Since Sept. 11, an average of 225 positions have remained vacant, saving the county $4 million in salaries and benefits.

Although the budget won't be finalized until late May, commissioners are considering requests for 132 new positions amounting to nearly $8 million in salaries. The bulk of the new jobs requested are related to the Regional Justice Center and new fire stations.

Most of the $54 million designated for major projects will be used to cover some $30 million in overrun costs at the Regional Justice Center and detention center expansion.

The county also plans to begin renovating its Clark Place building downtown, build a new courthouse in Goodsprings, reconfigure the courtrooms at Family and Youth Services and update antiquated computers.

The facilitator on Monday asked commissioners to prioritize the county's upcoming projects given their budget.

Board members, who ultimately decided that air quality should top the county's list, pushed issues they have personally adopted over the past year.

Commissioner Bruce Woodbury, a member of the Regional Transportation Commission, advocated a better transportation system. Atkinson Gates pushed health care.

Kenny, who pleaded for residents to vote for a children's hospital bond in 2000, continued her campaign for more parks and hospitals.

"It doesn't do any good to have good roads and clean air if everyone leaves because we don't have hospitals or places to play," she said.