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In business taxes Local governments spend $3 million to lobby for tax increases By Andrew Doughman staff writer The party's over, and now the bills come due. Local governments in Nevada spent more than $3 million this year lobbying the state Legislature, according to reports filed with the Department of Taxation at the conclusion of each 120day legislative session. Some spent top dollar retaining expensive contract lobbying firms while others sent their own employees up to Carson City. The $3 million tab is the collective cost for local governments to buy a seat at the legislative table. Many local governments cheered their victories — the reauthorization of a redevelopment authority, for example — as justification for the costs. The $3 million largely covered transportation, lodging and salaries for the representatives of Southern Nevada's various cities and districts who trek north to Carson City to plead their cases. "Clark County is (more than) 70 percent of the state's population, and yet they have to go hat in hand up to Carson City to make their case," said Eric Herzik, a UNR political science professor, who explained that under state law, the Legislature gets to make many decisions for local governments in Nevada. The Legislature makes many decisions for local governments. That's because Nevada governs by Dillon's Rule, which basically says local governments don't have much power. The alternative is Home Rule, which, as the name implies, allows local governments to make more decisions. Some of the high-profile victories championed by local government lobbyists include: n Metro Police spent $154,101, and it paid off. The police trucked a trophy back to Clark County: a bill giving the Clark County Commission the power to raise the sales tax by 0.15 percent for the police department. Now five out of seven county commissioners have to vote to approve that sales tax hike. n The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada spent $42,372 and supported a coalition of groups that helped pass a gas tax hike proposal that also now requires five of seven county commissioners to approve the tax increase. Las Vegas racked up the largest tab at $393,495, or about $3,280 per day for the 120-day legislative session. Clark County and the City of North Las Vegas came in second and third with $375,839 ($3,132 per day) and $332,998 ($2,775 per day), respectively. In an ironic twist, much of the $3 million in tax dollars was spent so lobbyists could persuade state lawmakers to allow for a tax increase. Some cities, like North Las Vegas and Las Vegas, hire contract lobbyists. Clark County does not, so most of its costs equate to salaries for full-time staff who would be paid regardless of whether the Legislature is in session. The $3 million price tag represents only a peek at the million-dollar lobbying industry that pops up in Carson City every two years when the Legislature is in session. Local governments must report their lobbying costs to the state, but private businesses and groups that spend millions of dollars on lobbying do not. Sometimes those private interests are at odds with the goals of local governments, meaning local governments ignore the Legislature at their own peril. Local governments also say they play a lot of defense, noting when bills could hurt a city or county, but much of the work goes under the radar. Without declaring objectives outright, there's no evidence of an underwhelming legislative session for certain local governments. Still, the cost of local government lobbying has ballooned during the past dozen years with spending outstripping the inflation rate and leading to a kind of arms race in which no local government wants to be without effective — and sometimes expensive — representation. In 2001, Nevada's local governments spent $1.17 million lobbying the Legislature. A D R A G O N B O AT F E S T I VA L To Benefit Breast Cancer Services at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals 5th Annual Rose Regatta Dragon Boat Festival Saturday, October �, ����, Lake Las Vegas It's time for the 2013 Top Tech Exec Awards nominations. Nominate today at vegasinc.com Join us as our community's collective paddle power raises funds for St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and our WomensCare Centers of Excellence breast health services, including medical care and psychosocial support for uninsured women and men facing breast cancer. Vegas INC's Top Tech Exec Awards recognizes the most outstanding Information Technology executives who work in Southern Nevada, as nominated by their peers. Nominees who meet the criteria decided by an independent panel of judges, will be recognized at the Third Annual Top Tech Exec Awards on October 24th at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. For information and to register for this year's race, visit www.roseregatta.org. ©2013 CoxCom, LLC., d/b/a Cox Communications Las Vegas, Inc. All rights reserved. 10 20130812_VI10_F.indd 10 | 12 AUGUST 2013 | 8/8/13 2:16:37 PM