Gibson calls for review of services in annual address

Dan Kulin

Friday, Feb. 21, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson is calling for a complete review of work done by local governments and state agencies in Southern Nevada to see if taxpayers' money could be saved by transferring work among the various arms of government.

During his State of the City Address on Thursday, Gibson said perhaps Clark County or local city governments could cut the grass at local schools for less than it costs the school system.

Or perhaps there should be some changes within the school system police force because anytime there is a major incident at a school the city police are called in anyway, he said.

Or perhaps the various library districts in the county should run school libraries, he said.

Gibson said he doesn't yet know if these or any other changes would save taxpayers' money.

"But I would regret not doing this," Gibson said about a comprehensive review of area governments' and agencies' operations.

Gibson said he will ask for the governor's help and possibly request state legislation to "direct all public agencies and entities working in Southern Nevada to come together and review delivery of public services."

Such a review could take up to two years, and would likely bring together elected officials and top government administrators from various government entities in Southern Nevada, he said.

Gibson's call was met with open arms by many.

D.J. Allen, president of Imagine Marketing of Nevada and one of about 400 who attended Gibson's speech at the Hyatt Regency at Lake Las Vegas, said the business community and residents want such a review.

"We want to know our government is being run efficiently," Allen said.

Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid said consolidating government services where it would save money makes sense.

"It seems like something worth talking about at least," Reid said.

Sheila Moulton, president of the Clark County School Board, said school officials have looked into privatizing food service and transportation services in recent years to see if money could be saved, and she is interested in discussing other possible ways to save money with Gibson.

"I think there's a lot to talk about. When times get tough maybe that pushes us into creativity," Moulton said.

Gov. Kenny Guinn's spokesman Greg Bortolin said that while the governor hasn't seen any specific proposal from Gibson, in general the governor would support such an initiative.

"Anything that consolidates government and makes government run more efficiently is going to be met with approval by the governor," Bortolin said, adding that Guinn ordered a review of all state government operations after he took office.

Gibson's proposed search for savings comes as the state is wrestling with a budget crisis that could end up costing local governments some of the tax dollars they receive through the state.

Guinn's $1 billion tax plan does not call for taking any money from local governments. But some legislative leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, have said the state should hold on to more of the property tax money that traditionally goes to local governments.

Gibson said that while he was in Carson City on Wednesday he didn't get a sense of whether local governments' share of taxes would be cut.

But he said any discussion of taking money from local governments to balance the state budget is a "cause of great alarm."

Because of this we "need to work cooperatively to find a solution," Gibson said. "It's time we fundamentally review the way government delivers services."

Gibson said he is not advocating the privatization of government services, but instead wants to find out which government agency can best and least expensively provide a service.

The school system is just an example of where savings could be realized, he said, adding that more money is not the answer to the state's education problems.

Some examples of the city providing school-related services already exist, he said. For example, the city provides the school crossing guards for schools in Henderson and runs some after-school programs, and the schools use public pools for their sports activities, he said.

Maybe there is more the city could do to free up the school system to focus entirely on teaching children, he said.

"We already have in place finance, human resources, information technology, purchasing and other support departments that with some expansion could easily provide these administrative services," he said.

"We can't afford redundancies," Gibson said. "It's time to start looking for better ways to do things ... At the end of the day we all serve the same citizenry."

Gibson also used his speech to announce several of the events planned for the city's 50th anniversary celebration in the coming months.

The city will coordinate 50 days of celebration from March 22 to May 11 including a downtown parade on April 26, he said.