By:  Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President

Over the past couple of days the take home message (at least the one that I’ve been taking home with me) is that everything Nevada Government funds is “essential” and that those in the “outside” world may not understand just how bad things really are. 

I would suggest that those within the Nevada Legislative Building to consider that those outside of this center of the universe might know far better those who think they are all-knowing.

The business enterprises which have had to lay off workers or worse, close their doors (and there are lots of closed doors, increasing all the time)…might have a pretty good idea on just how bad things might be.

On the other hand, the references made by legislators on “how bad things are” were directed at the state of affairs from a government perspective.  This is oriented on keeping all of the funding flowing, at the “required” increased levels, for everything that’s essential governmental services.  As I indicated earlier, “everything” is essential (or, if that’s not the case…there wasn’t anything that was mentioned as not being “essential”).

As members of the joint Financial Committee of the Assembly and Senate included their comments, for the record, on how valuable they see public employees, retired employees, teachers and everyone else who draws a paycheck or retirement benefit from a publicly-funded budget.  This was followed by a steady stream of representatives of these public employees or retired employees, extolling how grateful they all are for how hard the legislators are working to keep these current or past employees in their money.

The day after the joint Financial Committee meeting, the Department of Motor Vehicle came before a Senate Committee who were working on a proposed piece of legislation to establish a system for registration and licensing of off-highway vehicles.  They presented a fiscal note on what they felt would be required to establish and operate the system for registration.  You could never accuse these public servants as being bashful when it comes to calculating the costs for doing something that they evidently aren’t hoping they will have to do.  Some of the details included fairly pricey executive furniture and other similar “essentials” in the set-up costs figured into the price tag.

Unless amendments can be worked out to resolve the agency funding issues on SB 394 the measure will likely not be accepted because this might be something we actually won’t be able to afford.  It won’t be the merits of the proposed bill that brings this legislation to its demise – it will be the weight of government costs that will be the anchor to prevent it from going anywhere.

Worthy of special note in regard to SB 394, is that not having the registration process in place is costing the Nevada general fund by providing out-of-state OHV purchasers the ability to possibly not pay a use tax, since there is no collection “leverage” which would come about when these vehicles would be registered.

Nevada legislators are pressing hard the theme that Nevada taxpayers should “step up” and take responsibility for paying for all the “essential” government services we are supposed to blindly accept as a given. 

The message of how the private sector needs to take more responsibility for support of Nevada Government rings rather hollow when you see examples of performance (or lack thereof) by agencies such as the DMV.