Effort to extend parks and recreation tax advances in Henderson

The Henderson City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to advance a proposed ballot question about the tax funding parks and recreation facilities.

The ballot question will essentially renew the city’s existing 12-cent property tax dedicated to supporting parks and recreation, Henderson spokeswoman Madeleine Skains said in an email. Voters in 1997 approved the existing tax rate, which Skains said is scheduled to sunset July 1, 2027, and is anticipated to bring in roughly $21 million for fiscal year 2026.

If the tax is not renewed, several public amenities could see reduced funding, Skains said, including the city’s senior centers, park and trail maintenance, sports field preparation, recreation centers and preschool programs, among others.

During Tuesday’s 5-0 vote, the City Council appointed residents Stephanie Clark, Ted Olivas and Eldon Thomson to the “For” Committee and Tim Brooks to the “Against” Committee. Members of the committees are not paid.

State law requires local governments approving ballot questions and voter referenda to assemble two committees, one that supports and one that opposes the proposal, and at least one person must be assigned to each committee.

The council on Aug. 5 approved a resolution to begin the process of introducing the tax extension to be placed on the city’s June 9, 2026, primary election ballot. The measure, if approved, would maintain the $0.12 per $100 rate of an assessed valuation over a 30-year period to support the Henderson Parks and Recreation Department.

Tax rates will not increase if the question is approved, according to the Aug. 5 resolution.

Arguments and rebuttals prepared by the committees that are accepted by the clerk’s office will be provided to the Clark County Registrar of Voters’ Office to be placed on the city of Henderson’s sample ballots for the June 9 primary.

“Residents would not see a decrease in their taxes if this was rejected, rather the 12-cents would be given to Clark County,” Skains said in the email.

Skains added that the tax funds about 36 percent of the department’s total budget, and services would be directly impacted if the proposal is struck down.

At a future meeting, the City Council will consider a new resolution adopting all the final ballot materials for the ballot question. Skains said the city has not yet chosen a date for when that subsequent resolution will be introduced.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.