Local municipalities up the ante in D.C.

Thursday, March 10, 2005 | 9:36 a.m.

As President Bush proposes to cut programs in his 2006 budget, Clark County, Las Vegas and its surrounding cities are spending more than $1 million a year on lobbying in Washington, D.C.

Last week, North Las Vegas extended a contract with a lobbying firm to help obtain federal funds and assist with negotiations over future land auctions with the Bureau of Land Management. The Las Vegas-based firm, Lionel, Sawyer & Collins will be paid $12,500 a month, plus up to $5,000 a month for phone, mail and other expenses.

That could cost North Las Vegas as much as $210,000 a year.

That's comparable to what's spent in Henderson where the city has a contract with the Campbell Co. that pays the firm $120,000 a year. Henderson also has an $80,000 a year contract with Barbara McCall & Associates.

Las Vegas has a two-year contract worth $153,000 a year with Ball Janik. That deal expires in December along with a one-year contract worth $90,000 with Lionel, Sawyer & Collins.

On Feb. 22, Boulder City renewed a contract with Cassidy & Associates that pays the company $60,000 a year. The city also pays $36,000 a year plus expenses to Lionel, Sawyer & Collins for securing additional funding for the Boulder City bypass.

Clark County expenses run $330,000 a year. The county has a contract with lobbyist Marcus G. Faust for $96,000 this year. It's airport department spends another $96,000 a year with Faust, while the Clark County Water Reclamation District spends $48,000 a year. The county-run University Medical Center contracts with The Skancke Co. for $90,000 a year to help with health care legislation.

Among other agencies, the Regional Transportation Commission spends $64,800 a year for its federal lobbyist. The state of Nevada, meanwhile, has its own federal lobbying office with a budget of $260,000.

Despite the expense, cities and adamant about having a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon said it helped his city obtain $5 million in federal funds last year. The city received $3.1 million for transportation projects, $800,000 for police and public safety and $800,000 for parks, including money to help the city purchase the Craig Ranch Golf Course and turn it into a regional park.

The city couldn't get all that money on its own, Montandon said.

"There is no way we can run our city and know the ropes in Washington at the same time," Montandon said. "It is hard to track appropriations' bills and know who is introducing what and the opportunities that are out there for the city."

Henderson City Manager Phil Speight said his city received $8 million in federal funds last year, including community development grants that are distributed by formula.

Henderson officials said the city recently obtained $3.3 million for widening Lake Mead Parkway and an overpass for Lake Las Vegas Parkway. On Wednesday, the House Transportation Committee authorized another $3 million for the project. That same committee also authorized $20 million for interchanges along Interstate 15 that will benefit Henderson motorists. The Senate has not acted.

Speight said the investment the city makes is worth the return. He said it would require a significant amount of time and effort for the city to duplicate what a lobbyist does. He said talks of federal budget cuts are nothing new, but there are still plenty of available funds allocated by Congress.

"It takes time to go into an office and spend time with the appropriations' staff for you to complete to get any type of federal funds," Speight said.

Former Gov. and Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., is a partner with Lionel, Sawyer and Collins, which works for Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Boulder City. Bryan contends he and his firm's familiarity with the legislative process and contacts is a valuable asset for his clients.

"I think they would be at a considerable disadvantage because everybody is competing for those revenues, and other jurisdictions have people in there representing them," Bryan said. "We make sure the staff of the appropriations' committee is made aware of what the requests are from cities. That is a significant undertaking, particularly in the environment we are in today when a lot of legislation is held over from one session to another."

Despite what Bryan and other officials said, not everyone supports the cities' and county's expenditures on lobbyists.

Joel Hansen, a board member for the anti-tax group Nevadans for Sound Government, said local governments should rely on their members of Congress if they need assistance. He called cities just another special interest group seeking tax dollars, again demonstrating Americans are overtaxed.

"They should stop trying, getting from Washington all their pet projects," Hansen said. "It (having lobbyists) doesn't pay for itself. It just raises federal taxes. They see it as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

The district of Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., includes Henderson, but Speight said members of Congress don't represent a city as people may think. They have to consider the priorities of the entire district and state, he said.

Bryan agreed. As senator for 12 years he said he welcomed working with consultants that represented cities because they provided information about and justification for projects. He said members of Congress have limited staffs that are busy with several issues.

David Cherry, the communications director for Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said the lobbyists serve a purpose because they keep her well informed about federal programs and money local governments rely on to meet their needs.

"The competition for these limited resources is fierce and the legislative process is often time consuming and highly complex and can require time spent on the ground," Cherry said. "That may be why you see many municipalities across the country choosing to hire professionals to help them navigate the process."

Both Berkley and Porter serve on the transportation panel that backed more than $200 million for Nevada transportation projects.

Boulder City didn't have a lobbyist until 2001, but it has reaped the benefits, said city spokeswoman Rose Ann Miele.

Cassidy & Associates, whose chief executive officer is former Illinois Congressman Marty Russo, helped Boulder City obtain $6.5 million for improvements to its waste water treatment system, $2 million for park improvements at Bootleg Canyon, $200,000 to allow wireless computer use in city buildings and $205,000 for an public advisory radio system that will serve motorists on the Boulder City bypass, Miele said.

The city got good news Wednesday when the House committee authorized $10 million for the Hoover Dam bypass bridge.

"Yes, it is worth it," Miele said of the lobbying expense. "Look at what we are spending, and look at what we are getting in return."

Boulder City has asked the lobbying firm for help in obtaining more funds for its waste water system, water and power building renovations, Central Park and an airport security system.

Las Vegas has benefitted by obtaining $1.8 million in funding last year for such projects as the restoration of the downtown post office and purchase of alternative-fuel buses, said deputy city manager Betsy Fretwell. That's in addition to the other millions of federal dollars the city receives, she said.

"We have found it is very valuable," Fretwell said.

North Las Vegas City Manager Gregory Rose said the city increased its contract with Lionel, Sawyer & Collins because the fast-growing community has more needs than when it hired the firm two years ago. The city is working with the BLM to auction 2,900 acres in August as part of a strategy to deal with rare plants and fossils that held up a sale in February.

"I think they have done an excellent job of providing us with guidance on a number of issues, including the BLM land auctions," Rose said. "Their knowledge of the process has benefitted us, especially related to ensuring we talk to the right people on the environmental issues."

With the help of its lobbyist, Rose said the city is seeking federal funds for the widening of I-15 from U.S. 95 to the Speedway interchange, money to construct a new library, funds to redevelop blighted areas of the city, regional trails, waste water treatment facilities and a senior center.

archive