Moapa Valley residents have been talking about Incorporation for over thirty years now. A variety of opinions exist out there. The subject is a point of sharp debate in many circles. But despite all of this talk, relatively little has actually been done about it up to now.

Some people have been strongly in favor of the Moapa Valley becoming an incorporated city. They cite a long list of grievances against Clark County centering around the impossibility of maintaining a rural ideal while being governed by a densely urban-oriented bureaucracy. These folks feel that, whatever the cost, the community would be better off to break ties with Clark County.

Other people are just as strongly decided against incorporation. These people feel that the perks of being part of the state’s largest local government far outweigh the downsides. They fear that incorporation would mean a decrease in community services that they have grown to love as well as a sharp increase in their property taxes.

A majority of the people are probably somewhere in the middle. Yes, they are attracted to the idea of decisions about local matters being made here locally and by local-minded people. But they also don’t want to jump from the skillet into the fire. They are concerned about the possibility of being left in an even worse situation. So they want to see the numbers. They want to go over some real facts and figures and be able to make an informed decision.

That is the way the incorporation landscape has looked in the community for nearly a generation. There has been a lot of talking; muttering to each other at the library, at the gas station or in the grocery store. When folks disagree, the rhetoric can sometimes become heated. Nevertheless it has, for the most part, just been rhetoric, nothing more…a decades-long continuously circling stalemate.

But now, finally, this week we have seen some real action. On Monday, the Moapa Valley Committee on Incorporation stepped out of the box and filed a Notice to Incorporate with the County Clerk’s office. In so doing, this ad-hoc group of five Moapa Valley residents has set the agenda for the community to deal with the Incorporation issue once and for all.

Of course, the Committee doesn’t have any real authority to speak for the community in this matter or any other. Nor do they claim such authority. Rather, they have merely begun a process of solid information-gathering and community discussion that could bring the matter to an official head.

By Monday’s filing, this process has begun. The five Committee members have expressed an interest to obtain the facts. But in order to continue the process, a substantial number of Moapa Valley residents must express a similar wish. At least a third of the registered voters must now sign a petition that sends just that message.

It is important to note that signing this petition is not a vote for, or against, Incorporation. Like any other petition, it is rather expressing a desire for the matter to have a proper hearing; a desire to obtain and investigate the facts of the issue; and thus be better equipped to make a real decision.

Eventually, the matter may actually come to a final vote. Before that, though, there will be a chance for the community to engage in a great debate; a debate on all the pros and the cons of the Moapa Valley becoming an incorporated city. Only after that long public process, when all the information is laid out on the table and everyone has a chance to comment on it, will it be a time for the voters to decide. But this petition is far from that point.

The Petition on Incorporation is now available for the community to review and to sign. Volunteers will be manning a booth at the Clark County Fair in the commercial vendor tent. We encourage residents of the lower Moapa Valley to locate this booth and take the opportunity to sign this petition. With Incorporation being such an all-encompassing community issue, every resident should be fully involved in this process.

No one should fear signing. If you find yourself in one of the groups that are either strongly in favor or strongly opposed, there should be no hesitation. If you believe in your firmly held position, learning the truth should only strengthen your views.

If you are among those of us who feel we need to know more before deciding, this process promises to bring more of the facts we crave to light.

In brief, the matter currently before us is very simple. If you seek the truth about whether Moapa Valley Incorporation is feasible, sign the petition this week at the Fair. If you are afraid to know the truth, then don’t!

Published in the Moapa Valley Progress on April 7th, 2010