Editorial: Officials misjudge public

Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 | 9:20 a.m.

As property values in the Las Vegas Valley zoomed upward in 2004, projected property taxes for homeowners zoomed in the same direction. Clark County's assessor, Mark Schofield, called for a cap on the amount taxes could increase and the 2005 Legislature will act on his proposal shortly after convening early next month.

The issue, naturally, spawned outcries from the public and other proposals were quickly forthcoming. The Department of Public Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has scheduled a seminar on this issue for Friday. About 20 members of the Legislature are expected to attend. We view the seminar as a valuable service.

One gripe, however. The public is not invited, even though the tax issue directly affects it. University officials worry that citizen participation would detract from the quality of the discussion. We hope the Department of Public Administration holds more such seminars. There are many issues that could benefit from the expertise of its staff. But the public should be welcome. Simple rules governing citizen participation could be adopted. In our view, the public's presence would only add to the quality of the discussions.