Goodman taking budget case to state leaders, floats tax hike

By Dave Toplikar

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 2:11 p.m.

Don't dip into the near-empty pockets of cities to pay the bills of state government.

That's the message Mayor Oscar Goodman and other Nevada mayors will take to state government leaders Friday.

And a tax increase — possibly a property tax increase — to help the state get out of its budget crisis should considered, Goodman told reporters Thursday at his weekly budget meeting.

"I prefer not to raise any tax. Who wants to have taxes raise?" Goodman said. "But sometimes you don't have a choice. The money has to come from somewhere ... I don't know where it comes from but from the people."

Goodman said he and five other mayors will travel Friday to Carson City to present their case to new Gov. Brian Sandoval and Nevada legislators.

He said they want to tell state leaders how cities have the responsibility of being the "first responders" to the public.

The other intent of the the trip is listening to the new governor and finding out what Sandoval's intentions are toward using revenues from cities to balance the state budget.

"Hopefully, at the end of the day, the story will have a wonderful ending," Goodman told reporters Thursday at his weekly news conference.

Goodman said he hoped Sandoval wouldn't be dipping into city coffers to help prop up the state's budget.

"We're the first responders," he said. "And to take our money so we can't provide for his constituents, as well as ours, without a great deal of thought and without a discussion I think would be inappropriate."

Goodman said he has known Sandoval in his past roles as a federal judge and as the state's attorney general.

"As they said in 'The Godfather,' I think he's a reasonable man," Goodman said. "Tomorrow we'll find out."

Goodman pointed out that local governments are creatures of the state and have no home rule power to raise their own taxes.

"The state could say to us, 'We're not going to send you your portion of the consolidated tax," Goodman said.

"I guess at that point in time, I would really be advocating secession," the mayor said. "Because the truth is we really do a pretty good job down here in Southern Nevada taking care of our own problems. And to rob us, which I hope is not going to take place, to pay Paul, I don't think is appropriate."

Asked if he thought lawmakers should consider a tax increase, Goodman said "I definitely think that has to be part of the discussion."

Goodman said he didn't agree with elected officials who took a no-new-taxes stand during their campaigns.

"I'm not being critical of the governor. He ran on a platform and he's a man of his word," Goodman said. "But I never understood, in the last administration, how you get out of a corner once you paint yourself in, unless you say 'I made a mistake.' That's pretty hard for politicians to do."