“Show me the numbers!” This is the community’s plea across the valley concerning the incorporation debate. Rightly so, why buy a vehicle that can’t be afforded? The public should understand it is up to us as a community to ask the State of Nevada to perform the research that will show us the numbers.

Article 266 in the Nevada Revised Statutes describes the steps the community is required to take in order to accomplish incorporation.   This article will discuss the petition for incorporation (NRS 266.018-266.026) and the day of election to incorporate (NRS 266.029-266.033).

Regardless of your stance on incorporation, the community deserves to discover whether or not it is feasible to govern ourselves and control the community’s future. Such a discovery can be made by beginning the path to incorporation found in NRS 266.

In order to initiate the incorporation process a petition to Clark County is made from the community. This petition signifies to the county that the community desires to incorporate. It does not necessarily mean that the community will incorporate. In fact, by signing the petition it only indicates the community’s interest to incorporate. The same individual that signs this initial petition will have an opportunity to vote against incorporating during the day of election that will be held at a later date.

The election comes at a later date so the research that has been done between the time of petition and the time of election will be manifest to the community. Therefore each member will have the knowledge to make an educated decision whether to incorporate or not.

This knowledge will include the fiscal effect of incorporation for this area. The research will be performed by the Nevada State’s Committee on Local Government Finance as well as the State Department of Taxation. NRS 266.023.1 says, “the Department of Taxation shall prepare a concise statement concerning the estimated fiscal effect of the incorporation on the residents of the proposed city, including an estimated tax rate and an example of that tax rate applied for 1 year to a median-priced home in the area of the proposed city compared to an example of the present tax rate in the area applied for the same period to the same home.” This is how we as a community can show ourselves if incorporation is feasible. This will also demonstrate to ourselves what the costs will be to govern ourselves and control the future of Moapa valley ourselves.

Many other factors will be considered in determining advisability of incorporation and the feasibility of the proposed city. These factors will be reviewed by the board of County Commissioners. The factors considered are listed in NRS 266.0285.

The petition to incorporate must be signed by registered voters within this community. The county will review the petition to make sure that only registered voters who signed the petition will be viable. (If you are not a registered voter and desire to have your voice count, go register to vote). It takes 1/3 of the registered voters in the community to have a valid petition to the county.

Look for future advertisements for upcoming meetings and events in the community to have the opportunity to sign the petition for incorporation.

THE INCORPORATION COMMITTEE
Rick Eide
David Grauman
Byron Mills
Ben Robison
Ryan Wheeler

This article was published in the Moapa Valley Progress on 2/11/09