Public safety, other highlights in governor’s budget,HFR,302

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005 | 2:01 a.m.

Highlights of general fund spending for public safety and other programs in Gov. Kenny Guinn's budget proposal:

-INMATES: The governor's budget assumes growth in prison inmate numbers to 11,800 by fiscal 2007. Because of the growth, the state would stop taking inmates from the states of Washington and Wyoming - which now account for more than 360 of the prisoners.

-PRISON CONSTRUCTION: The governor's state construction program includes $58.6 million for three housing units at High Desert State Prison in southern Nevada.

-PRISON OPENING: The budget proposes $20 million over the next two fiscal years to cover costs of opening the Southern Nevada Correctional Center.

-HOUSE ARREST: Guinn proposes that $1 million, more than half of that state funds, be used to expand a house-arrest program. He said that will result in a caseload improvement for the state Division of Parole and Probation.

-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: The governor proposes $9 million in new grants to the Nevada Development Authority and the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada. Another $1 million in grants would go to promote economic development and tourism in rural Nevada.

-INFRASTRUCTURE: Guinn wants to invest nearly $1 billion for transportation improvements that include widening U.S. 95, building an interchange at Interstate 215 and Interstate 515 in Henderson, creating a bypass bridge at Hoover Dam and completing the Interstate 580 freeway extension between Reno and Carson City.

-TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT: The budget calls for $3.5 million to help create a freeway and arterial management system to help traffic flow and provide better incident-response capabilities.

-PAY RAISES: While state workers, teachers and professors generally would be in line for 2 percent pay raises each year of the coming biennium, special adjustments would go to law enforcement and other difficult-to-recruit positions. The overall pay package cost is more than $200 million.