Taxation Committee passes measure on police tax

Wednesday, May 11, 2005 | 9:51 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Clark County Sheriff Bill Young is one step closer to being able to hire more Metro Police officers.

By a 5-2 vote, the Senate Taxation Committee Tuesday approved a bill to allow the Clark County Commission to increase the sales tax by one-fourth of a percent starting in October to fund the hiring of more officers.

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, said six months ago he would have opposed the bill. He said he felt the property tax was the correct method to fund the police force, but then the Legislature limited the property tax.

Because the limits on property tax would mean a shortage of funds for additional officers, Coffin said, he now supports the sales tax plan he once opposed.

Voting against Assembly Bill 418 were Sens. Terry Care, D-Las Vegas, and Sandra Tiffany, R-Henderson.

The bill was amended at the request of the state Taxation Department to delay the effective date of the tax increase to October. Tax officials told the committee they could not be ready by the proposed date of July 1.

AB418 goes to the floor of the Senate. If approved it returns to the Assembly for agreement on the date change amendment.

Once signed by the governor, it would be up to the Clark County Commission to enact -- or not -- the one-fourth of a percent sales tax. Under the bill Clark County would return to the 2009 Legislature to ask for another one-quarter of a percent increase in the sales tax.

At the hearing before the taxation committee May 4, police officials said the department planned to hire 150 to 200 officers after the tax is first levied.

The bill was also backed by police officials from Henderson, North Las Vegas and Mesquite. Under the agreement, Metro would get 1,278 officers in the next ten years, North Las Vegas would receive money for 151 officers, Henderson would get 227 new officers and Mesquite would have money for 14 officers.

Young promised the committee the new cops would be on the street and not in desk jobs.