By Selwyn Harris
The Pahrump Town Board voted unanimously to move forward with incorporating the town during their regular meeting on Tuesday.
The decision to move forward came after Pahrump Incorporation Advisory Board PIAB Chair Laurayne Murray unveiled a long-awaited report on the subject. She fielded questions from the town board.
Murray told board members that the charter for incorporation was modeled after the one used in another incorporated Nevada town.
A charter serves as a collection of laws, rules, rights, and regulations as it relates to incorporating a town.
“It was adopted from Laughlin. Based on the research and investigation that we did with many different sources, what we’ve been told is that this particular template for a charter was primarily written almost in its entirety by the legislative staff. We just modified a few things to make it applicable to Pahrump as a town,” she said.
Last week the PIAB submitted a letter of recommendation to the town board urging them to proceed with the next step of the process, which consists of forming an incorporation commission.
The commission will include community business owners; as well as legal, financial, and economic development advisors.
Representatives from local, state, and federal agencies will round out the commission, which will then pursue the work needed to present the charter to the Nevada legislature for approval.
In a letter to the town board, the PIAB stated that the charter was based on the 2011 Nevada legislature’s Senate Bill 262 and endorsed the budget from the 2010 incorporation study with some adjustments to address a $219,643 shortfall.
The letter went on to say that the charter outlined the need for a fiscal study by the committee on local government finance, which will be presented to the Legislative Committee and Nye County for review.
It outlined the process to place the charter on the ballot for residents to vote on.
Town Board Chair Vicky Parker spoke about previous budgets in years past.
“Just for the record this is the third budget that’s been created. There was one previously done three or four years ago by the Incorporation Advisory Board and we commissioned one from out of state. All three of the budgets, although they didn’t use the same numbers, showed that it was economically viable for Pahrump to support itself,” she said.
PIAB’s vice chairman, Bobby Hartman, said he supports the budget prepared by Economic and Planning Systems back in January 2010.
“The 2010 report that was commissioned by this board is the one we still recommend to go with. It has to be changed to meet the current financial situations, but that one was the most extensive and it was done by a professional group who knew what they were doing. Budgetwise I think it’s very feasible,” he said.
Former town board member Bill Dolan, who attended the meeting made his feelings known by suggesting that local residents should decide whether they want to incorporate.
“As I’ve stated in the past, it’s the voters who need to have the right to decide their future. My biggest issue with those on the town board is let the voters decide. That’s all we want, to let the voters decide. I think they took the right step last night moving toward that to allow you and I and everybody else in this valley to say yes or no,” he said.
There does seem to be a divide on public opinion when the issue of incorporation is discussed.
Previous attempts to incorporate the town of Pahrump have failed.
The first time was in 1991, when 61 percent of voters gave it a thumbs down.
In 1995, 63 percent of voters rejected incorporation. The last attempt was 12 years ago, when 60 percent of voters rejected the measure.
Dolan pointed to the population of Nye County when incorporation was explored back in 2000, when the population had nearly 25,000 residents.
“If you look at the dates of when the issues were actually on the ballot and voted on, if I’m not mistaken, I believe the last vote was in 2000, starting in early 2000, there was a massive explosion in Nye County as far as residents. Demographics have changed. When I was appointed to the board back then, the people came and said we want you guys to look at this. Again, my whole stance has been let the voters decide,” he said.
An Incorporation Feasibility Analysis IFA prepared in 2010 provides a snapshot of what an incorporated city budget would look like for Pahrump.
The report stated that revenues collected for the town in 2010 totaled $4,942,360 compared to $17,666,019 if Pahrump were incorporated. As a city, if done correctly, Pahrump could earn a much larger share of the state taxes that the city would collect each year, said Town Manager Bill Kohbarger. Today, Pahrump receives about $30 per person from the state to offset the costs of maintaining government services. As a city, Pahrump could collect between $350 and $450 per person from the state, for a difference of about $13 million a year in new revenue.
Of course, becoming a city also means additional costs. Expenditures for the town in 2010 equaled its revenues at $4,942,360, while expenditures for an imaginary incorporated city would total $17,885,652, a bit more than what the imaginary town would receive in revenues. Kohbarger was quick to point out that the difference does not mean a huge tax increase is inevitable, which many incorporation opponents cite as their reason for not supporting the idea.
One former town board member said he believes now is not the time for incorporation. Frank Maurizio noted that the town of Fernley, which was incorporated in 2001, is still enduring budget problems as a result of the action.
Fernley has a population of more than 18,000 residents.
“They have been in the red and struggling since they incorporated and that’s the same thing that’s going to happen here because we don’t have a tax base. We need industry and business here to support incorporation. I’m against it now because we don’t have the tax base. They want to kill these people here altogether. We have to get business here that will support it. That is what we have to do first,” he said.
Local business owner Julie Hargis, who is also running for the Nye County District 3 Commission seat, said she would prefer to wait until voters have to say before she makes her decision.
Hargis was on the Incorporation Advisory Board last year.
She noted that she will support whatever the voters decide.
“When I was on the board I wanted to see it go back to the people to decide. I’m not pro or con, I am for letting the people decide what happens. I’m going to stay consistent with that and I still think that’s the answer and that is the answer to a lot of things,” she said.
The town board will now move to create an incorporation commission to move forward on the matter.
Incorporation will cause taxes to go up for a couple of reasons, one the Pahrump will still have to support most county services, the gain in money is not a real number, tell me how much more of my money the county will need to offset the money that they lose. Secondly one constant in life, the more layers of governemnt the more taxes.
Not only will taxes go up, they are going to connect our wells to the main city lines and sewers and charge us for that. Basically folks, they will control the water and if they control the water, they will have complete control over us. Why would anyone want that – including the myopic members of the board?
Here we go again.
Incorporation voted out 3 times by the people.
Isn’t the Town Board listening to the people??? Laughlin was incorporated in better times. Now is not the time to ADD to the town budget, Now is NOT the time to increase taxes. Incorporation equals higher taxes, there is NO WAY it won’t. If you think the state is going to bail Pahrump out, think again, the state is BROKE. This town board needs to balance the budge, take pay cuts and quit looking for a easy way out. Incorporation is NOT the answer. Paying out much needed dollars on studies has to stop.
No, they are not listening to the people because they have a nice incentive being dangled in front of them. Too, they think we’re a bunch of hick ignoramuses.
I can think of a number of negatives that will incur, the chief being that anytime you have a change like this, the newly elected government will believe they have a mandate to run around spending money on changes we don’t need nor have asked for. And of course taxes will go up. Once divorced from the county, the county commissioners will turn their attention away from what has always been the elephant in the closet in need of servicing..Pahrump, and and to the remaining towns and villages.And there will be nothing to prevent the county from increasing to the taxpayers of Pahrump the services such as police that the county now provides.
As yourself this Mr. and Mrs. Pahrump resident. What is so horribly wrong with how things are now handled, that we need another inefficient governing body?
If a city is formed, mark my word, those now sitting on the town board, former board members, and the rest of the clowns that screw things up here, will be first in line to run for the new offices created. And the city council which will replace the town board will want to receive wages for what is now a volunteer position.
The local control issue is blown way out of proportion. We already have it. The county commissioners for the most part already live in Pahrump and so do the town board members. How is that not local control?
Laughlin isn’t incorporated.
I dont understand how anyone could be for this. Right in the study documents it says property taxes will go up.
You can also bet that the town board and town manager will all be trying to shove their way into positions of power once this goes through.
Its bad enough with Kolhbarger as town manager now, imagine him as Mayor.
Yet another dumb costly idea that will hurt our town and turn it into a ghetto AKA City.
I truly suspect this is an effort to price out people and turn this into some kind of yuppie suburb,
The board has been bribed. They don’t care about ethics or the future . They lack down to earth values and are scrupleless. They’ve been bought and the incentive that’s been dangled in front of their faces is big money by the high rollers in town and Vegas!
We need to vote them out!!!!
Plain and Simple;
WARNING: YOUR US AND NV CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS WILL BE VIOLATED SOON! IN THE CITY LIMITS OF PADUMPVILLE. NO MORE FREE DUMPS. NO WIDE OPEN SPACES, MORE NO TRESPASSING AND NO FIRE ARMS AND CRIME WILL RISE I WILL BET YOUR LIFE ON IT!
LET THE FEDS IN AND YOUR STATE RIGHTS COME TO AN END!
INC. AND WE WILL PAY HIGH TAXES THE % WILL GO UP ON THE PUMP, LOOK TO CALIF FOR IDEAS IN Inc.CORRUPTION AND TRUE LIES, EXAMPLE OF DEMOCRATIC MOB RULE AND INSANITY LOOK TO SAN FRANSISCO, NO LIE LOOK WHO IS LT GOVENOR AND GOV MOON BEAM PROP 8 AND SO ON ALL ON THE TAX PAYERS DIME.
I OWE YOU NOTHING, I OWE YOU NO JOB WILL YOU REALLY SERVE OR WILL IT MEAN DICATORSHIP. CALIF POLITICS F LAUGHLIN AND LAS VEGAS. I DO NOT CARE WHAT
STUDYS YOU COME UP WITH WHAT WE CAN’T SEE WONT HURT US ?
REGULATIONS WILL COME, TOO MANY FFL DEALERS SOME ONE WILL GO. FIRE WORKS BUISNESS IS NOT NEEDED ILEAGAL TO FIRE OFF OR USE, ILLEGAL SO GET OUT.
THAT MEANS MY FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT AS A DROPSHIP DISTB SELLING WHOLE SALE HUNTING AND FIRE ARMS GEAR ENDS AND SELLING ON LINE WILL BE TAXED ON MY OUT OF STATE AND IN STATE SALES WITH BIG DISCOUNTS WILL END. LOOK AT AMAZON HAS HAD IT WITH CALIF.
I CAN SHOW INC CITY AFTER iNC CITY IN,CALIF RING A BELL PILFERING TAX MONEY SERVING THEM SELVS.
HARLEY IS AN EXAMPLE OF DEMOCRACY IN ACTION A DICATATOR IN SHEEP IN WOLVES CLOTHING! <<< AS IT IS POSTED A WOLF IN SHEEPS CLOTHING.
What needs to happen is all of us that are against it, need to attend the next meeting and swarm this issue once and for all.
Anything Maurizio is against, I’m for… let’s vote!
The best comment on here-is attend the meetings, listen and debate when you can-but if this gets into a free for all & people start just yelling at each other-those aposed will be locked out-be smart people-if you are really against this get your neighbors, etc to attend every open meeting, learn the real facts-not just what you’re being told -do your own research & vote your conscience!
Comparing Pahrump to Laughlin is apples to oranges, the only thing they have in common is they are both in Nevada. Laughlin has a population of about 7500, they have over 11,000 hotel rooms, a row of Casinos, about 7 miles of recreational river frontage and a national park providing revenue. In Pahrump, all we have is each other and to think that the county is going to be willing to contract services at cost is just plain stupid. Laughlin has 35 police officers contracted with las vegas metro, they plan on reducing that to 12 to 14 or 2 or 3 on duty at a time and save a bunch of the cost. The also average about 107 arrests per year compared to however many Pahrump has. The town budget for Laughlin is about 9 million per year, they expect that to rise to over 10 million and the costs to remain about the same. They are in for a rude awakening. Their proposed budget calls for benefit payments to police of 59% of actual salary and 51% for fire protection, and they will have to borrow start up money to fund operations until revenue starts to come in. Is that the model that Pahrump wants to follow? If and when you get the chance to vote, cut it off at the head, then get rid of any town board member who even talks about incorporation in his sleep.
“Their proposed budget calls for benefit payments to police of 59% of actual salary and 51% for fire protection, and they will have to borrow start up money to fund operations until revenue starts to come in.”
All public servants are in for a rude awakening.
THAT WHICH CANNOT BE PAID WILL NOT BE PAID
Rise up
and rise up again
until lambs become lions
I concur popatop! It is stupid. But again, they think we are asleep and stupid and that’s why they are going to try to pull this over us. Somebody is getting paid under the table and that’s why they’re pushing it – hoping to catch us asleep. As stated in the article by the board member, “NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO INCORPORATE”. We risk losing so much and our water!
The tax base will increase as soon as the theme park opens
Do not believe that by adding another layer of government that we will not have to pay. Someone will have to foot the bill. Do not believe by getting more state money we will have more control of our town.
I beleive Kohlbarger is a strong reason this incorporation is going forth. He feels comfortable enough to proceed on incorporation now that he received a three year contract from the Town Board. He also seems to have conviced the Town Board that incorporation is a good idea.
Kohlbarger appears to me to be looking for money. A few months ago he stated in this paper that our town should charge for use town facilities that are currently used without payment. He said other communities do and the town is losing money because of this. Do you really think he wants to use the extra money for our citizens.
Kohlbarger also says the county receives $30 per citizen from the state and that by incoporating Pahrump would recieve $300 or more. This would give the state more control over our town. Look to the west and see how much money the California state government is cutting from it’s cities’ budgets. Do we want to become more dependent upon the state than we already are.
Kohlbarger is working behind the scenes to build his empire now that he feels secure in his position. I do not know if he plans on increasing his renumeration from the town or intends to use this as a stepping stone to move to a larger location. Time will tell.
I for one, like our rural town and the freedom we have. I moved her because of this. That is why I am against incorporation.
Yup, agree 100% with you.
It started up full blast once Kohlbarger knew he was safe for 3 more years.
I suggest we start looking into how to recall him or force others to vote him out NOW before this becomes reality.
Kohlbarger knows full well its easy to manipulate opinion, and he plans on using his helpers around town to carry this out.
Starting the push for incorporation most likely was agreed upon by the board among themselves before Kohbarger was given the new contract. Unless the town recalls the town board, we are stuck with him for the duration without some sort of buyout. The only way to cut the damage is to replace the board, that’s who he works for, not us. Dump the board and go with an appointed advisory board until a new board can be elected. I will vote for anyone who goes on record as against incorporation regardless of party affiliation.
With regard to the pahrump town board, The Purpose of Government . . .
. . . is for those who run it to plunder those who do not.
THAT WHICH CANNOT BE PAID WILL NOT BE PAID
Rise up
and rise up again
until lambs become lions
The only recourse the residents have is to RECALL THE TOWN BOARD. The people were outright snookered with this town board.
Follow the money…1. what are now volunteer positions will be paid jobs if those same folks are elected officials, 2. our taxes WILL go up 3. services that are now free (dumping) may later be charged and 4. community services (police and fire) now paid by the county will have to be covered by the new city. A simple Pro/Con spreadsheet will state the obvious. Why incorporate?
Follow the water… which option keeps Las Vegas from getting our water?
Follow new business…which option (or new board) will attract new business (and not focus on one–theme park).