Commissioners to take up sales tax Tuesday

The Board of County Commissioners are set to vote on a bill to amend Nye County code to impose a half-cent sales tax increase to fund public safety.

Nye County Bill No. 2013-07 would amend Title III of the county code, adding a new chapter that would impose “a one-half of one percent sales and use tax to support public safety services within Nye County,” according to an item on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, which is set to begin at 10 a.m. at 2100 Walt Williams Dr. on the Calvada Eye.

The meeting can also be viewed online at www.nyecounty.net

This is the second time the issue has been brought up in recent history after it was initially shot down by the BOCC in 2007, despite voters in 2006 passing the measure then with 50.8 percent of the vote.

Should the sales tax increase be implemented, it would provide additional funding to law enforcement, firefighters and EMS throughout the county.

“It was voted on by the people, just like they voted against the gas tax and we didn’t implement, they did vote for this sale tax and we should implement it,” Commissioner Dan Schinhofen said.

Sheriff Tony DeMeo said he hopes the commissioners vote to approve the item, stating it would be beneficial to the safety of residents.

“We’re hoping it goes through, it would definitely help with public safety in the county and some of the issues we have. And it’s not just for our agency but the firefighters and EMS as well,” DeMeo said. “We’re just hoping (commissioners) look at it for what it is, a way to help public safety.”

The commission is also set to take a vote to amend Nye County Code Title 17 to establish emergency abatement procedures for code compliance to take control of a property that has been deemed a public safety issue or health hazard. That issue was tabled once before and may be tabled again.

If approved, the new code would allow code compliance officers to begin the process of abating a hazardous home or structure in an emergency situation if there were no person responsible for the property, like a property owner or tenant, to make the necessary changes to the structure or if there was a responsible party that was unable or unwilling to do the work.

In order to start the process, however, code compliance officers would need to get signatures from three different groups; one from a county manager, assistant county manager or acting designee; one from the chairman of the commission or commissioner from the district where the abatement will occur; and one from the planning director, director of emergency services or director of public works.

In addition to those two items, the board will also:

• Review an action to supply bottled water to all customers served by the Manhattan public water system per the State of Nevada Division of Environmental Protection direction.

• Discuss and deliberate a request to revisit Nye County Bill No. 2013-08: a bill proposing to amend Title 5, business licenses and regulations, chapter 5.16, entitled Outdoor Festivals.

• Vote to approve a grant received to provide home-delivered meals in Goldfield, Silver Peak and Fish Lake Valley, Esmeralda County from the Tonopah Senior Center.

• And discuss a possible time and date to set a hearing on the Nye County Road Commission resolutions establishing county public roads.