Clark County Commission to take up More Cops tax — again

The More Cops tax is back.

Clark County commissioners are scheduled to reintroduce the oft-derided sales tax proposal on Tuesday.

The controversial tax pitch could go up for a vote as early as December, a month after voters re-elected nearly half of the county’s board of commissioners.

All but one of those county leaders put off a vote on the proposed 0.15-percentage-point sales tax hike this time last year.

State lawmakers first authorized the county to raise its existing quarter-cent sales tax from 8.1 percent to 8.25 percent in October 2013.

If approved, officials expect the tax to generate $50.9 million in countywide revenue and up to $37.4 million to help fund the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

Tax proceeds had been expected to help fill Metro budget shortfalls and allow for the hiring of new officers, if not provide for more officers.

County leaders have estimated the tax would help fund about 100 new police officers, around the same number the department loses through retirement and attrition each year.

Longtime More Cops supporter Tom Collins — the only county leader who opposed putting off a vote on the tax last November — has seen the proposal revised and rejected several times over the past few years. He’s bringing it up for his colleagues’ consideration again.

He did not immediately return requests for comment.

Chairman Steve Sisolak joined Chris Giunchigliani and Susan Brager — two of the county’s recently re-elected leaders — to help defeat a version of the tax measure put up for a vote in January.

Sisolak said he didn’t know why Collins chose to revive More Cops now, explaining that 10 months and a successful campaign bid wasn’t likely to change the pair’s mind about the proposal.

“I can only guess why it’s coming back: Commissioner Collins wants to hear this stuff one more time,” he said Friday. “Unless the proposal has changed, I don’t think one election is going to make a difference to my colleagues.”

Sisolak added that he would like to see Sheriff-elect Joe Lombardo settle into the job before hearing Collins’ latest pitch to increase taxes.

Lombardo, who has said he wouldn’t return to county leaders seeking More Cops funding, did not immediately return requests for comment.

Outgoing Sheriff Doug Gillespie, who has brought the tax increase to the commission multiple times and been defeated, also declined to speculate on why Collins decided to resuscitate the effort just months ahead of his departure.

Gillespie said he heard a few weeks ago that More Cops might soon resurface on a county agenda, but said he had not discussed the matter with commissioners ahead of the proposal’s scheduled appearance on Tuesday.

“I still support it,” Gillespie said. “I’d be very happy to participate in the discussion, as I have in the past.”

Contact James DeHaven at jdehaven@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3839. Follow him on Twitter:@JamesDeHaven.