Bill to raise sales tax to hire more cops proposed for 2009 session

More than 170 more bills proposed for next year’s legislative session

Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 | 4:41 p.m.

CARSON CITY – Metro Police want to raise the sales tax, Gov. Jim Gibbons is looking to limit demonstrations at funerals and Clark County taxi regulators would like to prohibited cabbies from using cell phones while hauling passengers.

Those are three of more than 170 bills requested in the past week leading up to the Monday deadline for state agencies and local government to request legislation for the 2009 session.

Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, says police in Las Vegas, want to raise the sales tax by one-quarter cent to hire more officers.

Clark County voters in 2004 approved a plan to boost the sales tax by one-half of a cent for more officers. The 2005 Legislature increased the sales tax by one quarter point and some 760 new officers will have been hired by the end of next June not only in Las Vegas but in Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite and Boulder City.

McGinness, chairman of the Senate Taxation Committee, said the police want the other half.

Lt. Tom Roberts of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the original goal was to have two officers per 1,000 population. By the end of this fiscal year, Roberts said the ratio would be 1.79 officers per 1,000 population in Clark County.

If approved by the Legislature, the tax increase must be approved by the Clark County Commission, Roberts said.

Gibbons, a former military pilot, is concerned about disturbances created by protests at funerals or burials of servicemen who are killed in action, says Ben Kieckhefer, his press secretary. The governor is “sensitive to free speech” to instances where there are protests against the war, says Kieckhefer. But Gibbons wants to place a limit on where the demonstration can take place.

The Taxicab Authority in Clark County wants to stop drivers from using their cell phones while transporting passengers.

The Nevada Association of Counties want to be able to increase the property tax above the limits now of 3 percent for homeowners and 8 percent for businesses. Jeff Fontaine, executive director of the association, said this bill doesn’t require counties to boost the property tax but allows them to get more money for vital public safety, health and welfare services. The bill would permit the counties to exceed the 3 and 8 percent limits for one year and then return to that limit.

The counties, like other governments are feeling a budget crunch but they are the “safety net” for providing such things as medical care for the poor and public safety protection, Fontaine said.

Washoe County wants the Legislature to allow the counties to tack on a fuel surcharge on moving traffic violations. The money collected from the surcharge would pay for fuel used by law enforcement agencies.

Discussion: 5 comments so far…

By UNLVStud

9/2/08 at 7:38 p.m.

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Is it April Fools day already?

The police do not need more money right now with a population that is seeing flat growth and decreasing crime.

The Nevada Association of Counties doesn't play the political game very well. They're giving fodder to Angel's Prop 13 petition by wanting to charge struggling home owners higher property taxes above the statutory caps that are currently in place.

The fuel surcharge on traffic tickets is just another way to get money into the hands of cops that don't need it. They also don't need an incentive to write more tickets.

And Gibbons coming to the funeral protest issue way late demonstrates that he doesn't really have any legitimate issues to champion.

If the Legislature has any backbone at all, they'll kill these bills early and not waste any time on them. (Except for the cabbie one.)
By neiman1

9/2/08 at 9:03 p.m.

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amazing. How many tax increases are proposed and more if Obama gets to raise all the others. When will politicians and public employees understand WE are broke.
By jfnance32

9/2/08 at 9:26 p.m.

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I did not see the "Restructuring State Government Revenue" aka "Raise Taxes on non-gaming Businesses" bill anywhere.

I guess the Dems are hiding that that bill in their secret vault.
By mikeg

9/3/08 at 12:08 a.m.

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I agree with UNLVStud, right on bro. The only good proposal here is to tell those Somalis to hang up the cellphone and drive.
By geezelouise

9/4/08 at 7:43 a.m.

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"The police do not need more money right now with a population that is seeing flat growth and decreasing crime."

This is so true. Funny thing though, even though crime is going down and population isn't rising at the same rate as before, we are still filling up the jails and prisons.

Could it be that the police are justifying their existance at the expense of the taxpayers (who I am sure are all criminals in their eyes anyway).