ELKO –Assemblyman John Ellison, R-Elko, said the bill trying to pass to increase fuel taxes is a matter of urban Nevada against rural Nevada.
Two representatives to the assembly, Paul Anderson, R-Clark County, and Marilyn Kirkpatrick, D-Clark County, sponsored the Assembly Bill 191’s. The co-sponsors were state Sens. Scott Hammond, R-Clark and Michael Roberson, R-Clark.
“This all came down several years ago when they were talking about subsidizing rural Nevada,” Ellison told commissioners. “Well, they’ve got to realize this is a state, not them and us. They feel they were subsidizing the roads in the state of Nevada, and that’s where this fight’s come from for many years.”
“AB 191 is a bill asking for voter approval to basically index gas tax as per inflation, and it goes up to, I believe it’s a maximum of 7 percent annually,” said Assistant County Manager Cash Minor. “I think the projection that’s in the packet is a 3 percent increase over the next 10 years.”
Since the Legislature passed the bill last session, it forces every county with the exception of Clark and Washoe, to ask voters if they want to increase fuel taxes every year for 10 years. Clark County must have a ballot question if it wants to continue fuel revenue indexing, and Washoe County approved motor vehicle fuel indexing in 2003.
The money will be held by the state and will be used in the county that generates it, if it passes, says Mr. Minor. But he added that the money is not for County or City roads. The money would only be used on state highways.
“I think part of the reason for some of the confusion is that this is 40 pages of gobbledygook(unintelligible by excessive use of abstruse technical terms)” said County Manager Rob Stokes. “The legislation is very difficult to understand. We’re still trying to figure out all of the details, the specific details. What we do know, though, is that the state is requiring the county to put this question on the ballot.”
Ellison told the commissioners he voted against the bill because it’s “a bad deal.”
“They’re picking winners and losers, and this was setup to make the rural counties fail.”
Ellison continues: “The bill was started because Nevada Department of Transportation has a shortfall of funds, and the state should have looked at “a solid number across the state.”
Both Ellison and the commissioners fear that the state may punish all counties that don’t pass the bill by not funding their roads.
The County approved developing new committees, with the help of the Clerk and District Attorney offices, to write all the pros and cons statements regarding the measure.