MINUTES OF MEETING
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS
Sixty-seventh Session
February 25, 1993
The Assembly Committee on Government Affairs was called to order by Chairman Val Z. Garner at 8:31 a.m., Thursday, February 25, 1993, in Room 330 of the Legislative Building, Carson City, Nevada. Exhibit A is the Meeting Agenda. Exhibit B is the Attendance Roster.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT:
Mr. Val Z. Garner, Chairman
Mr. Rick C. Bennett, Vice Chairman
Mrs. Kathy M. Augustine
Mr. Douglas A. Bache
Mrs. Marcia de Braga
Mrs. Vivian L. Freeman
Mr. Lynn Hettrick
Mrs. Erin Kenny
Mrs. Joan A. Lambert
Mr. James W. McGaughey
Mr. Roy Neighbors
Mrs. Gene W. Segerblom
COMMITTEE MEMBERS ABSENT:
Mr. Wendell P. Williams (Excused)
GUEST LEGISLATORS PRESENT:
None
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT:
Marla McDade, Research Assistant
OTHERS PRESENT:
Ray H. Williams, Chairman, Lander County Commission; Zane Miles, District Attorney, Lander County; Max W. Bunch, Justice of the Peace, Argenta; Michelle Bero, Program Assistant, Nevada Association of Counties.
ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 30 - Increases annual salaries of elected county officers in Lander County.
Ray H. Williams, Chairman, Lander County Commission, Zane Miles, District Attorney, Lander County, and Max W. Bunch, Justice of the Peace, Argenta, introduced themselves to the committee. Mr. Williams, as spokesman, said the bill involved a classification change from a class 4 to a class 3 county. He referenced Exhibit C, a letter and attachments, in support of AB 30, citing population growth and increased work load as the reason for requesting the change.
Zane Miles informed the committee how much work was involved in Lander County for the various elected officials in proportion to pay. He strongly advocated better compensating the elected officials for the work which they were doing.
Max Bunch explained he was recently appointed, then elected, to the position of Argenta Justice of the Peace. As a former law enforcement officer, he was witnessing a significant increase in the crime rate in Lander County affecting caseload, which he said in his case was quite heavy. Although he would not be affected by the legislation in AB 30, he supported its passage wholeheartedly.
Mrs. Lambert mentioned the SCCRT and said Lander County had been hurt fiscally. She then questioned if paying the raises would be a problem for the county. Mr. Williams replied Lander wanted to become a guaranteed county making it easier to plan the budget. The problem with the fair share bill was there had been a lot of ups and downs in the county, but Lander County wanted to be treated as other rural counties. He did not foresee a problem with the pay raise.
Mr. McGaughey wanted to know what the annual budget was. Mr. Williams replied $4 million. A discussion followed regarding pay raises. Mr. Miles seemed to think the majority of the taxpayers of the county were in favor of the increases as the work load of the officials had increased proportionately. The committee then discussed the population of various counties and the methodology which caused them to change classifications.
In response to a question from Mrs. Segerblom regarding his salary, Mr. Bunch said it was set under Nevada Revised Statute, Chapter 4, by the county commissioners.
Mrs. Freeman asked if Lander County had a lot of mining which had developed during the last 20 years as the assessed value had increased dramatically. Mr. Williams responded it was the primary reason as minerals had always been Lander County's second industry. A discussion ensued regarding which mines were in the county, then Mr. Miles explained the evaluation figures.
In conclusion Mr. Miles reassured the committee it was highly unlikely Lander County would be back before the legislature to ask for a downward change in classification. He explained the economic picture was solid for the next 15 or 20 years.
When asked by Mr. Neighbors about a public hearing with little turnout, Mr. Williams said the hearing was held with full disclosure in July and there had been no opposition.
Mr. Bennett requested more information to compare Lander County's figures to other Class 3 counties before acting on AB 30. Mr. Miles said he would get the information back to the committee within a week. In addition, Mr. McGaughey asked Mr. Miles to define the work load of the District Attorney and Sheriff, to specify how many duties the county commissioners had, and to state how many meetings they were required to attend each month.
Mrs. de Braga questioned if it was true Lander County had no incorporated cities and if the commissioners performed the duties city councilmen usually performed in addition to their own duties. Mr. Williams replied it was true. The commissioners sat on boards for the town of Austin and Battle Mountain. However, the town of Kingston had been established under a different statute, therefore, 2 commission members served on the board with 3 citizens from the community.
Mrs. Lambert wanted to know if the property tax rates for Lander County were at the cap. Mr. Williams responded no, Mr. Miles said there was a $.13 margin. When asked if property taxes would have to be raised to fund AB 30, the answer was no, the cost would not be passed on to taxpayers, it would be funded by 2 enlargement improvements in the county. When Mr. Williams mentioned a bond issue for a jail which had been turned down by the voters, Mrs. Lambert said voter rejection of increased taxes was the reason for her concern, and the bill put the legislature in an uncomfortable position.
Mr. Neighbors disagreed saying he did not find the salaries for rural areas bad at all if the funding was available.
Mr. Garner expressed his concern. To process AB 30, although deserved, would open the door to others who would make similar claims. He said the bill presented a dilemma for the legislature because tax increases were not anticipated this session. Mr. McGaughey added legislators had not had an increase in salary for some time because the people wanted legislators to be mindful of expenses, particularly in a tight economic climate. A discussion followed between Mr. Miles and Mr. McGaughey regarding increasing the classes within Class 3 counties and paying qualified people adequately in order to retain them.
Michelle Bero, Program Assistant, Nevada Association of Counties (NACO), testified a bill to increase all the counties' elected officials had been brought before the legislature in 1989. She said they had worked with all the county officials to come up with a fair and equitable system for putting the counties into the right classes, but it had not been clear cut according to population, assessments or work loads. She suggested it might now be an opportune time for NACO to work with the counties to review all of the classifications and the activity which had since taken place in order to present an overview to the committee. She added it might help the counties by introducing an additional class for the middle counties.
Chairman Garner expressed a desire to meet with NACO and suggested reviewing the entire schedule presented by Lander County. Mr. Neighbors asked if Lincoln County could be included, Mr. Garner replied yes.
The hearing on AB 30 was closed with no action taken.
ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 198 -Revises procedure for refunding surplus money from local improvement districts.
Due to a mix up in the schedule, there was no one in the audience to present AB 198. Chairman Garner stated he would reschedule the bill at a later date.
The hearing on AB 198 was closed.
There being no further business to come before committee, the meeting was adjourned at 9:26 a.m.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED:
BETTY WILLS
Committee Secretary
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Assembly Committee on Government Affairs
February 25, 1993
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