Census: State spent big on protection

RENO -- U.S. Census Bureau figures show Nevada spent big on police protection and small on social services during this decade's economic boom years.

According to the figures, Nevada's tax revenue more than doubled between 2002 and 2007.

During that span, state and local governments ranked second to last in the percentage of spending for public welfare and first in the percentage devoted to police protection.

Although spending on education increased by about 4 percent from 2002 to 2007, Nevada still ranked 36th in the nation for the amount of revenue spent on education.

The figures are from a time when revenue was plentiful amid a growing population. Since the economy crashed, lawmakers have cut $1 billion in spending and raised taxes by about $1 billion.

Now, conservatives believe the money wasn't handled properly and the state now is having difficulty recovering.

"Like many states, Nevada is in this perpetual tax-and-spend cycle," said Geoff Lawrence, a fiscal analyst for the conservative think tank Nevada Policy Research Institute.

"If lawmakers are unable to exercise restraint in instituting new programs during the boom years, then they're always going to face this type of fiscal crisis when a recession does occur."

Social advocates say it isn't that simple.

Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, said it was difficult not to use the extra in a state that spends little on its social programs.

"Why wouldn't you want to improve on what you believe is negligence in some cases?" she asked.

She also said the tax revenue was available because the state was undergoing a tremendous period of growth, not because the state was over-taxing.

"You have to look at the environment and how different things were during those years, in an extreme sort of way," she said. "When you're paying less than $100 a night now for a top hotel in Las Vegas, that changes everything."