Senate vote upholds 2007 veto of tax hike

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Jim Gibbons got his wish Thursday when state senators unanimously upheld his veto of a bill passed in 2007 that would have allowed rural counties to raise property taxes to construct juvenile detention facilities.

Senate Taxation Chairman Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, said the vote on Senate Bill 146 does not mean that legislators agree with Gibbons.

He said other bills will be submitted this session on the same matter for rural counties.

"In a republic, we depend on the reliability of elected officials," Coffin said. "We ought to weigh decisions on their side."

In his veto message, Gibbons said he could not support the bill -- introduced by Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, and backed by most Republicans -- because the property tax increase might be imposed by county commissions without a vote of the people.

Gibbons has maintained a pledge not to support any tax increase without support of the affected businesses or the people.

Because the Nevada Legislature meets in its regular session every other year, senators had to vote on the Gibbons veto in the opening portion of the 2009 session.