County seeks repreive in state mandate to form planning commission

In 2020, the decennial census took place and the populations of towns, cities and counties all across the country were updated. It’s a process that often results in major changes to those entities and for Nye County, the local jump in residency is leaving officials facing a whole host of new laws by which the county must abide.

One such law, Nevada Revised Statute 278.030(1), requires all counties in Nevada with populations of more than 45,000 to establish a countywide planning commission. Following the 2020 census, the county had grown to 51,591 residents, triggering the need for a new planning commission.

As it stands today, the only town in Nye County subject to a planning commission is Pahrump, which is regulated by the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission. Members of the Nye County Commission, which are responsible for appointing the planning board members, were frustrated when they learned of the new, unfunded mandate that the county was being forced to address.

Laws are laws, however, so the county is currently moving forward with forming the countywide planning commission. But at the same time, officials are still seeking a work-around that will relieve the county of the burden of operating a countywide planning commission.

During the county commission’s Wednesday, Sept. 7 meeting, commissioner Debra Strickland gave an update on the situation, telling her fellow board members that the Nevada Association of Counties would be undertaking an effort to assist Nye County with its wish to avoid the countywide planning commission.

“Yes, they are carrying a Bill Draft Request for a population cap (adjustment) at our request. So that is going to happen,” Strickland explained. “We reached a population cap of greater than 45,000 and there are unfunded mandates that come with those Nevada Revised Statutes. And so our legislative body will meet next year and our representative from the Nevada Association of Counties will take a BDR to that session and ask for that cap to be raised.”

Strickland noted that this was a direct result of the requirement of creating a Nye County Regional Planning Commission. “No one likes it, we don’t want to do it and we think the population cap is unfair due to the density of our population, because we have huge landmasses and a little amount of people, unlike other counties in Nevada. So we are hoping they will hear us and reset the population cap,” she remarked.

The precise number that the cap will be proposed to be raised to is an unknown at this point, with Strickland adding that the Nevada Association of Counties would be working out those details in the coming months.

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com