Reality of budget plan’s effect on cities

Betsy Fretwell, Las Vegas

Thursday, Feb. 10, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

The story about the governor’s budget in the Feb. 2 Las Vegas Sun needs some important explanation. The piece states Nevada’s counties will be harmed by the proposed budget plan, “leaving cities unscathed.” This is simply not the case.

The revenue the governor’s budget contemplates redirecting from the county are for countywide services — services that cities do not provide, such as care for the indigent, child services, family court, criminal justice and regional infrastructure.

Taxes are collected from all county residents, including those in the cities, and this redirection affects all citizens of the county equally, not just those in unincorporated Clark County.

Clark County levies a separate property tax on its unincorporated townships to provide municipal services to those residents. The governor’s budget does not contemplate redirecting that revenue just as it does not contemplate redirecting city property tax revenue. There is no disparate or unfair treatment of citizens in the cities versus the unincorporated counties.

Nevadans living in counties where money would be taken by the state would be affected equally by such a move. It is unfair to imply that city residents would be getting a free pass. The cities and counties have a rich history of working together to solve problems, and in this case the cities and counties are not pitted against each other while the state works to solve its budget crisis.

The writer is Las Vegas’ city manager.