School District seeks cash control

Monday, May 9, 2005 | 10:53 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Clark County School District says it can save $500,000 a year by managing its mammoth construction program rather than relying on the state.

Rose McKinney James, lobbyist for the district, told the Senate Finance Committee this morning that the district has its own independent construction department that can perform the same duties that the state Public Works Board and the state Fire Marshal's office currently handle in relation to the district's construction.

James urged passage of Senate Bill 274 to eliminate the requirement the school district go through the two state agencies.

Dan O'Brien, manager of the state Public Works Board, said the state farms out the work of checking the construction plans, so "there is no downside" to the bill.

But the bill, if it became law, could hurt the office of state fire marshal, reducing its budget by as much as 41 percent because the state fire marshal's office is supported in part by fees it collects from local governments for inspections and other work it performs. A lot of its money comes from work it does for the Clark County School District.

David Bowman, assistant state fire marshal, told the committee he was not opposed to the bill but it would have a "severe impact" on the agency. The agency's two-year budget is $3.7 million a year.

But, Bowman also said, the school district is quite capable of doing it on their own."

Bowman said the loss of revenue could crimp the work by the fire marshal to examine and inspect the school projects in rural Nevada.

Bowman said the agency developed a new business plan and is "undertaking new missions" and the loss of that revenue would hurt.

But state Budget Director Perry Comeaux told the committee that "it strikes me that if these services are not required, the scope of operation can be reduced to match the duties."

Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, echoed the comments of Comeaux that the agency would have to cut back on its operations.

Sen. Bill Raggio, R-Reno, chairman of the finance committee, gave Bowman, Comeaux and others 48 hours to work out a solution. He said the fire marshal serves an important function.