County likely to get $15 million in security funds

Jace Radke

Thursday, May 13, 2004 | 10:57 a.m.

The $26.5 million in homeland security funds allocated to Nevada for fiscal year 2004 could be divided based on population if a subcommitee recommendation is approved by the Nevada Homeland Security Committee. About $4.5 million of the funds are for state use, $21.2 million for the 17 counties and about $800,000 will go toward state costs of administering the grants. The following breakdown was computed based on the subcommittee recommendation, on dividing the entire $26.5 million.

*Carson City's share is allocated through the state's $4.5 million.

** The Elko Band Council, Pyramid Lake Tribe and Walker River Tribe to share the amount.

Source: Nevada Department of Emergency Management.

Clark County will receive almost $15 million in federal homeland security funds if the Nevada Homeland Security Commission follows its finance subcommittee's recommendation to divide the state's 2004 funds based on population.

The commission had previously decided to divide some of the approximately $26.5 in federal funds based on population and some based on need. But at Wednesday's subcommittee meeting, Sheriff Bill Young successfully argued that with the June 19 deadline for fund allocation rapidly approaching, there wasn't time to properly ascertain which counties' needs should take precedence, so this round of funding should be dispersed based on population.

Jim Lopey, Washoe County assistant sheriff, voted against the population-based formula saying that it could hurt smaller counties.

"Some counties may not have as big of a population, but may have more of a need," said Lopey, who advocated looking at each application and assigning a score to each request based on feasibility and eligibility.

Young said he thought that Clark County not only has the biggest population in the state, about 1.5 million, but also the most need for the funds.

"Until there is a threat assessment or some other piece of information that someone can show me that says we have a target somewhere else, the epicenter is in our tourist corridor on the Las Vegas Strip," Young said. "We have to look at the real threat not the perceived threat.

"I didn't see anyone else getting knocks on their door over the holidays," Young said referring to the increased security presence and threats against Las Vegas over New Year's. "If we want to go by need I can make a pretty strong case that Clark County should get all the money."

Young said that he favored hard looks at applications in the future, but said there just wasn't time for this funding cycle.

Frank Siracusa, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, said that the commission has to decide how it wants to distribute funds in the future.

"We don't have the time this year, and next year we won't have the time either," Siracusa said. "The commission needs to develop a criteria."

Siracusa must have a list of approved funding to give back to the federal Department of Homeland Security by June 19. The commission is tentatively scheduled to meet May 20 to vote on the finance committee's recommendation. The commission was originally scheduled to meet today.

"We'll meet prior to the deadline," commission Chairman Jerry Bussell said. "We need some time to put this recommendation together to present to the commission."

Bussell also said that some agenda items could be added to the next commission meeting, but would not say what they were.

In all, Nevada has been allocated about $36 million in homeland security funds this year. Along with the $26.5 million that the commission is charged with allocating, Clark County has been awarded a $10.5 million grant as part of the federal Urban Area Security Initiative designed to help major cities that could be possible terrorist targets.