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Monday, May 24, 2010 | 12:33 p.m.
Sun Archives
- Governor, Legislature seek to keep $62 million for state budget (3-18-10)
- Gibbons signs budget bill; state draws M Resort lawsuit (3-12-10)
- Clean Water Coalition will sue state to keep $62 million targeted by lawmakers (3-11-10)
- Will a gamer sue the state over part of special session budget plan? (3-2-10)
Sun Coverage
CARSON CITY – The city of Reno, fearing it could be a target in the future, is jumping into the legal fray to help Southern Nevada governments in their battle against the state in a $62 million case.
Reno has filed a “Friend of the Court” brief asking the Nevada Supreme Court to “strongly reject” the attempt by the Nevada Legislature to take $62 million collected in Southern Nevada for sewer projects.
The Clean Water Coalition is composed of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson and the Clark County Water Reclamation District and it is looking at programs to dispose of treated effluent.
The Legislature, facing a major deficit, voted during its special session earlier this year to take $62 million from the water coalition, which it termed as “surplus.” The coalition denies it is a surplus and has refused to turn over the money. The state and Legislature have filed suit in the Supreme Court to get the money.
The Reno brief, written by Deputy City Attorney Randal Munn, says if the state law is allowed to stand it “may cause the Clean Water Coalition to become insolvent” and terminate the agency.
The initial project of the water coalition called for building a pipeline to transport effluent from the local treatment plants to Lake Mead and to generate hydroelectric power from the effluent carried in the pipeline.
The coalition decided to suspend work on the project until 2012 due to the economic decline, lack of growth and current effluent treatment standards.
Reno says taxes imposed for the benefit of the state must be “general in nature.” And the Legislature, if this law is upheld, could convert local fees into state taxes.
In his brief on the impact of the law on local governments, Munn says there is a Truckee Meadows Water Authority formed of local governments in the Reno area to purchase the water system of Sierra Pacific Resources. And the Legislature could hit on that agency.
The state says, however, there is a “clear and present legal duty on the Clean Water Coalition to make the transfer.” It said the coalition can't ignore the state law.
The law, according to the state brief written by Senior Principal Deputy Legislative Counsel Kevin Powers, is “a valid exercise of state sovereign authority over political subdivisions.”
The state has a constitutional obligation to balance its budget and the refusal to transfer the $62 million "impairs the state’s access to financial resources necessary to provide vital services to the public," the state argues.
The battle between the state and local governments is expected to be set for oral arguments sometime this summer.
This is total BS. The state has no right to grab money from the clean water coalition. State Government is out of control. Gibbons needs to be held accountable.
This is the theft of tax dollars from the cities and counties. The Socialist Democrat Party controls both houses of the Nevada State Legislature. Any and all criticism of taxes and theft of money should be directed to Senator Horsford and Speaker Buckley!
That "$62 Million" was EXTORTED from the Clark County water users, for a double wammy from SNWA & its agencies!
In short, SNWA has created a monopoly on effluent & potable water.
No individual citizen can purchace effluent for agriculture from SNWA agencies! Conspiracy? Only corporations controled from SNWA are allowed!
Water Reclamation? NO. That is racketeered from SNWA & its Water Engineer PUPPIT.
Permits? ONLY their monopoly on development.
CWC, give back that $Millions you EXTORTED on falsified information. Brown, resign before you are indicted. Woodbury, you will be punished by the Federal civil & criminal courts of law & equity!
Who am I???
State government is out of control? How? Why are you more interested in bankrupting your state?
Answer - Clark County has bankrupted its State of NV, by its antitrust, monopolies & its corporate syndicated enterprises!
Remember it's the Democratic controlled legislature that took the money. You can't blame Gibbons on this one, but most of you morons will still blame Bush.
Well, if you want to fix the problems in Nevada, you can either vote for me or Rory Reid if you are a democrat ... and it is for certain that RoryBOY will make things worse.
Fred Conquest
Democratic Candidate for Governor
www.fredconquest.com
You want government services like clean water and sewage treatment plants? But you don't believe in being taxed to actually pay for them?
You voted the "No taxes" group in power. You like the idea of NO TAXES. So shut up now.
Stan, did it ever occur to you that the government could do more with the money it has? That it might not be spending its money in the most innovative or efficient way?
More taxes aren't always the answer...unless of course your question is how to employ as many government workers as possible without a care for the results or cost.
I'm partially siding with Patrick Gibbons on this. Everyone seems to be on the "No taxes" side or the we can't talk about taxes because of "those people" side. The right side is to evaluate taxes, and governments, with an eye to efficiency and accountability. Our economic debacle caused "no taxes" Gibbons to mandate the legislature to raise no taxes. In Gibbons defense many of our state departments aren't efficient but mandating no taxes isn't the total answer to the problem either. We get what we pay for. The reality of our economy is that our state tax system is broken. In the future we will suffer a lack of services (people will complain a LOT) or the wealthier corporations (non gaming) will be taxed. We don't get to choose "no taxes" and effective services. The right solution would have been a small tax increase AND a strong mandate for accountability. So far we've only gotten the mandate.