EDITORIAL: Metro funding

Clark County commissioners want lawmakers to force the city of Las Vegas to cough up more money for local police protection. Not surprisingly, members of the Las Vegas City Council aren’t happy about it.

The County Commission on Tuesday unveiled its list of bill drafts proposals for the 2017 Legislature. Among them is a provision to have legislators commission a study on the formula currently in place to fund Metro police.

The move is a not-so-subtle hint that county officials hope to shift some law enforcement costs to the city. Councilman Steve Ross called the county’s decision “antagonistic.”

Right now, the county provides about 63 percent of Metro’s more than $500 million budget, with the city kicking in about 37 percent. When the city and county consolidated their police departments back in 1973, the split was closer to even, with the county covering about 52.5 percent.

“We’re subsidizing the city’s lower crime rates at the expense of our Strip corridor and, more importantly, our unincorporated county residents,” complained Commissioner Larry Brown.

But the 63-37 split roughly reflects the relative population of the two jurisdictions. And Mr. Brown fails to account for the casino industry’s private security apparatus, a significant law enforcement presence on the Strip.

More noteworthy, the county’s legislative request amounts to a needless provocation toward the city that can only inflame petty turf wars. Yes, such battles have raged for decades. And in recent months, the two sides have squabbled over the sheriff’s request for additional dollars to attack the region’s rising crime rate.

But there is simply no reason that representatives of the two entities can’t hold civil discussions to reach consensus on matters of importance to the community without dragging lawmakers into the picture. “We shouldn’t be at odds with one another,” said City Councilman Bob Beers.

He’s right. Valley residents — whether in unincorporated Clark County or within the Las Vegas city limits — deserve as much.