Lawmaker questions new programs in light of deficit

Erin Neff

Friday, Jan. 10, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

Assemblyman Bob Beers wanted more discussion in the tax debate about whether Nevada can continue to afford new programs created after 1997.

As a self-employed computer consultant, Beers, R-Las Vegas, began dabbling with data culled from two sessions worth of Ways and Means budget discussions and created a spreadsheet identifying about $530 million in "enhancements."

Budget hearings in Carson City follow the minutiae of individual line items designated with M's for maintenance or E's for enhancements. Beers' theory is that Nevada adds too many enhancements that become maintenance items in future budgets.

Maintenance covers growth and inflation, while enhancements are for new positions, new equipment. Enhancements also cover new programs such as the 2001 creation of the Nevada State College at Henderson, or expanding the caseload served by existing programs such as Nevada Check Up.

"In the case where some of this might be in areas that taxpayers don't want to pay, maybe we should ask them if these are the kinds of programs they want to continue to fund," Beers said earlier this week in an interview with the Sun.

As one example, Beers cited a $500,000 state grant to cover homeless services. Given Clark County's resounding defeat of a homeless tax initiative last November, Beers suggests voters might not want to have state government cover that expense.

Asked if all of the enhancements that he was earmarking could combine to erase the state's $704 million deficit, Beers said he just wanted to add his information to the mix. Marybel Batjer, chief of staff for Gov. Kenny Guinn, said the suggestions by Beers were received late Thursday night.

"We're going to take a serious look at them," she said and hopes to complete the process "expediously."

She said it appears Beers took the figures from 1997, which "was a very strong revenue year," and then listed the enhancements since then -- either new programs or expanded programs. The governor has not seen the Beers' figures, but she said the administration appreciated the suggestions.

Beers said he started his analysis at 1997, not to pin expanded programs on Guinn, who took office in 1998, but to provide a glimpse of how much state government has grown.

"Kenny Guinn has created new programs only at about one third of the rate of the (Democrat Bob) Miller administration," Beers suggested.

Beers presented his analysis Thursday to the 19-member Assembly GOP caucus, which met to discuss taxes.

Democrats have been arguing that the cost not to continue certain programs would be far greater.

"If you don't continue to fund government at its existing level, you're going to end up with a bigger bill for everything from health care on down," Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said.

Sun reporter

Cy Ryan contributed to this story.