Budget alarm sounded

The financial body shots that left Clark County reeling are spurring one commissioner to create a task force to deflect future budgetary blows.

The group would generate ideas, insights and suggestions for how the county can weather next year's budget crunch, which officials expect to be as bad or worse than the current one.

Commissioner Rory Reid wants to form a 15-person citizens' panel to meet with county staff, focus groups and the public to amass a slew of ideas for handling budget ills brought on by slimmer tax revenues and a legislative money grab.

One tactic might be to slash some programs and jobs, he said. Another would be to pursue federal stimulus money to help pay the county's bills.

"We have to listen to what people believe are our priorities," Reid said.

The county pulled in $113 million less in tax revenue this year to cover operating costs. Legislative actions also cost the county $180.5 million over the next two years.

County leaders anticipate a comparable slide in tax revenue in 2010 as commercial property values deteriorate.

Social services stand to lose $9.3 million, including $2.4 million for elderly care. Thirty-six departments and University Medical Center have submitted plans to the county manager for cutting their costs by 5 percent.

Reid hopes his fellow commissioners will agree to form the task force at the Aug. 4 meeting. The panel would present a report to commissioners early next year.

Reid insists this would not be a hollow governmental drill but a series of forums that will let people say which services they want to keep whole and which are more expendable.

The commission has given a lot of weight to reports drafted by citizens' panels, Reid said.

Several years ago, the county adopted policies recommended by a task force on sustainable growth, such as new rules for developing the Strip, he said.

"I think this could be a good idea. It couldn't hurt," Commissioner Steve Sisolak said. "I would put a lot of credence into what they have to say."

Sisolak cautioned that it's important for the commission to appoint knowledgeable people to the task force.

Commissioners would each pick a citizen with a background in finance for the panel. They would collectively choose the other eight members -- a law enforcement officer, a health care employee, a social service worker, a business leader, a taxpayer advocate, a gaming representative and two union officials.

The panel would then host public forums that would each examine a part of the county's budget. Committee members would learn about the various departments, their budgets, costs and services offered.

For instance, a forum on public safety would delve into police, courts, juvenile justice, business licensing and the county's legal staff.

Commissioner Susan Brager said she agreed with this "global" approach, whether or not it resolves the county's budget problems.

"It does bring people together from all walks of life," Brager said. "It's making sure we in the county are all on the same page."

Commissioner Larry Brown said he liked the diverse makeup of the committee and the fact that the panel will glean myriad opinions from the public in the coming year.

The report that will come from these talks will be the compass that guides the county's budget priorities in the next decade, Brown said. "It's not possible for us to be all things to all people."

The forums won't fix the county's immediate woes, Brown said, adding that hard decisions lie ahead in the next few months.

Reid, however, said the commission is free to apply the panel's ideas to this year's budget.

"This is about the future, but it's also about the short-term as well," Reid said.

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.