Thursday, June 16, 2011 | 10:09 a.m.
CARSON CITY – State Treasurer Kate Marshall isn't jumping to the demand of the Clark County District Attorney’s Office to return $102.5 million that was diverted to the state during two fiscal years.
Marshall said there is “not a definitive decision” on whether the state is obligated to refund the disputed tax money to local governments.
“It’s not my office to make a decision,” said Marshall, who turned the dispute over to the office of Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto.
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled in May that the state in 2009 illegally grabbed $62 million from the Clean Water Coalition in Clark County. There were suggestions the state might owe $656.2 million to local governments for the money it diverted to balance the state’s budget.
Gov. Brian Sandoval asked the attorney general to request a clarification from the Supreme Court on whether the state owed that additional money, but Masto said there were no grounds to request a re-hearing.
The Clark County Commission on June 7 directed its staff to seek the refund.
Clark County Counsel Mary-Ann Miller said in a letter Wednesday the bill in the 2009 Legislature diverting money from the county violated the Nevada Constitution and deprived Clark County citizens of its intended use.
Miller said $54.5 million was diverted in local property tax from Clark County in fiscal year 2010 and so far this year, $48 million has been siphoned off by the state.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy