‘Vision’ committee targeting quality of life in Nevada

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009 | 2:44 p.m.

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CARSON CITY – The 2009 Legislature authorized a so-called “vision” committee to chart a course to improve Nevada’s quality of life in such areas as health, education, commerce and public safety in the next 20 years.

But one state senator says the committee must develop a plan the state can afford. Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, said the plan for the future can’t be a “Disneyland” or a “pipe dream” but something that the citizens will be willing to pay for.

A legislative subcommittee, holding its first meeting, decided that the Nevada Vision Stakeholder Group should be limited to 19 members. And already 75 people have been nominated to represent the various categories.

Assemblyman Marcus Conklin, D-Las Vegas, the chairman of the subcommittee, said he received inquiries about serving on the stakeholder group as late as 9:30 p.m. Monday night. So the subcommittee will continue to accept nominations.

This vision group will be working with a consultant to forge the plan by July 1 next year. And the consultant will also be working with legislators on examining Nevada’s tax structure to see what changes and what increases might be recommended to the 2011 Legislature.

It will be a labor of love for members of the group. There’s no money set aside for these members for either salary or expenses, such as travel and meals. And Conklin said they will be expected to put in at least 20 hours a month developing the quality of life issues.

Another legislative subcommittee will meet Oct. 28 to choose a consultant to help with the tax study. A preliminary vote showed the eight members favored Moody’s Analytics of West Chester, Pa., which submitted a bid of $253,000.

The resolution passed by the 2009 Legislature says the vision committee will “develop strategies to advance Nevada’s national standing in critical qualify of life areas.” This vision group will develop goals for five, 10 and 20 years for improving the quality of life in such things as “business, education, health care, human services, economic development, transit and energy…”

Conklin proposed and his subcommittee agreed to create study groups for commerce and industry, education, infrastructure, health and human services and public safety. It agreed to put two members on public safety, three members each on education, infrastructure and health and human services and six on commerce and industry. There will be two people appointed as roving members.

There was also some initial disagreement on whether elected officials should be named to this vision committee. Townsend said, “We want to keep this as apolitical as we can” and don’t want members using it as a form for election.

But Assemblyman Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, said that prohibition “takes some quality names off the list” especially in rural Nevada.

There was no agreement on this issue.

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By lvice

Oct. 20, 2009

3:23 p.m.

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So why is it that the people we elect are wussing out and hiring consultants to do their jobs? Dont we elect people based on what we think that they can do to make our state what we want? Why do we have the legislature if they are just going to hire other people to tell them what to think?
Lets just go straight to the Czars and skip the whole election thing....All the money that we dump into campaigns and running the elections could pay for all the "visions" they are going to have anyway.
By nednougat

Oct. 20, 2009

3:53 p.m.

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An admirable undertaking doomed to failure. This state is controlled by mining, casinos, and public and construction unions filled with overpaid loafers. All of whom could care less about the future of this state. The mines strip our resources, and then leave vast amounts of pollution as they sneak off to another state. The casinos sole goal is to employ $8.00/hr dropout dumbbells begging for tips. The unions, of course, want to do as little as possible for 100K a year.

Our schools are a joke, our healthcare is atrocious, we're overrun with "newly arrived" immigrants, we have no industry and never will. You could study this state into the next decade, but little will change. Have fun....
By improveLV

Oct. 20, 2009

4:03 p.m.

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Great question, lvice. It does sound ridiculous...maybe we should elect the "consultants". Probably just another way to use taxpayer dollars to pay some of the buddies of elected officials.

Regardless, I truly hope that they come up with something worthwhile. In my opinion, the absolute TOP priority should be education. I mean, the majority of their time should be dedicated to finding a way to increase our ranking/quality instead of coming up with excuses (population growth, illegals, etc.). Our graduation rate is horrendous. And even if there are slight imperfections in the different studies, the one thing they all have in common is that NV is at the bottom of the lists. Really embarrassing. Now that we're in a recession, they're asking us to be "realistic" with our requests. Shoot, when the state was generating tons of tax revenue, the education system still ranked dead last. In my opinion, they need to step it up ASAP so that we can start to diversify the economy. I suppose they could divert some of the funds set aside to repave roads every year, but maybe it's more difficult to steal from the schools than it is from the DOT and Public Works, but I'm sure they can still find a way.
By afveteran

Oct. 20, 2009

4:40 p.m.

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I know there isn't a snowball's chance of evading hell that we will not be able to avoid paying somebody for this type of study.
Since we don't have any "vision" type of experts in this state, the hiring committee should find a firm out there in the other 49 states that has done a successful job for that state and produced and submitted quality ideas to go for, so that whatever ideas they submit forth, can be implemented in this state. You can't argue with success.
But, yes, something has to be done and quick, before the casino and mining industries wake up and push their "visionaries".
By jlb101

Oct. 20, 2009

6:40 p.m.

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We don't need a vision. All they will do is to recommend more taxes to dump into the government rathole. Leave the citizens the hell alone. We do not need the stupid class (politicians) deciding what we should do. I moved here because the housing and taxes were low. I care little about anything else. I do not need a bunch of government "services" beyond a little police and some adequate fire protection. Leave us alone. Let us be free.