The Clark County council has a triathlon of a public hearings scheduled Tuesday, considering policy updates in three controversial areas: the county’s 2015-2016 budget; its fee-waiver program; and its 20-year growth plan.
The councilors will kick off the trio of public hearings with its mid-biennium budget update. Republican Councilor David Madore has proposed a 2 percent cut to the county’s property tax levy, for an overall budget reduction of $1.2 million.
But those hoping for details on what parts of the county budget could be affected by such a cut may be disappointed. Though the budget proposal details a list of recommended purchases and new revenues, the 2 percent cut is not included.
Budget Director Adriana Prata said Madore’s request came too late for budget staff to propose possible cuts in an “ethical way,” such as going to all department heads and asking them to prepare their own cost-saving measures.
The council could still adopt a tax reduction, Prata says. Details just won’t be available on potential cuts until the spring supplemental budget in April.
“If they want to make further changes they can definitely do that … during the public hearing,” Prata said.
As a part of that budget, the council will also consider a much-needed upgrade to the county’s phone and document-imaging systems and internal financial management software. Those upgrades, which Prata said are “very needed,” could cost the county about $4.3 million.
Changes to the county’s fee-waiver program are also on the docket. A proposed amendment to the program, first introduced by Republican Councilor Tom Mielke, would add a 250-day window for commercial developers to continue to take advantage of the program if it is ever terminated.
“It’s just to be fair to the developers out here,” Acting County Manager Mark McCauley said.
The county’s fee-waiver program was approved in 2013. It waives permit application and traffic impact fees for nonresidential projects, such as retail stores or restaurants. Supporters claim it has created thousands of jobs in Clark County. However, a 2014 county audit determined the program may be financially unsustainable and that at the time only 115 jobs had been added by businesses receiving the fee waiver.
The council will round out its evening meeting with a discussion of what’s next for the Clark County Comprehensive Growth Management Plan update, continuing last week’s marathon public hearing.
The council will discuss the implementation of policies adopted last week that include granting the council the authority to select a new consultant to produce a final environmental impact statement; requiring that all materials supplied for that environmental report be “wholly consistent” and “fully supportive” of the board’s policies; and prohibiting documents not published by the county council or county staff from being posted as reports on the growth plan on the county website.
The council also needs to determine its deadline for completion of the final environmental impact statement.
By a 2-1 vote, the council adopted its preferred alternative to the 20-year growth plan at last week’s meeting, establishing zoning policies through unincorporated Clark County, more than a month after it was originally scheduled to do so. Madore and Mielke voted in favor of a preferred alternative that included all of Madore’s Alternative 4, which shrinks the minimum allowed parcel size of some rural, forest and agriculture lots across Clark County. Councilor Jeanne Stewart voted against including that alternative.
“We’ve lost a bunch of time because of the Alt. 4 delay and we have this looming deadline,” McCauley said. “Agreeing on the path forward from here is pretty important.”
