local government

History shows time and time again our greatest accomplishments at Lake Tahoe are achieved when people work together. In the past, Tahoe was known as a place where unproductive interactions between stakeholders led to a stunning decay in our environment and our economic vitality, creating a region that seemed frozen in time.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Thursday voiced its strong support for legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act that has been introduced in Congress by Tahoe’s Senate delegation.

Sponsored by U.S. Senator Dean Heller, R-Nevada, along with Harry Reid, D-Nevada, Dianne Feinstein D-California, and Barbara Boxer, D-California, the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would authorize up to $415 million in federal funding over 10 years to help continue critical environmental restoration work at Lake Tahoe.

Here's the report from the credit rating service, Moody's, in reaction to the Cark County schools deconsolidation bill signing:
Local Government Clark County School District, NV Reorganization Poses Uncertainty, a Credit Negative...

The state’s Employee-Management Relations Board said Friday it has posted on its website more than 200 collective bargaining agreements between local government agencies and employee unions in Nevada....

Western Nevada College is making it easier to work toward a college degree and career skills. This summer, the college offers a variety of courses on campus and online, beginning Monday, June 8, through Saturday, Aug. 1.

A wide range of subjects will be available to students on the Carson City campus, including computer science, advanced mathematics, geology, biology, sign language, music, accounting, auto collision and composition, and more.

Citizen input has been a central theme and priority for Carson City Ward 4 Supervisor Jim Shirk. "One of the basic threads of conversation is listening," said Shirk. "My goals are to: Improve communication between city government and citizens; and Help to solve the real problems that citizens are frustrated about."

Meeting members of the community on their terms will help build community confidence, said Shirk, noting that he is personally available 6 days a week (excluding Sunday’s), to meet at his office, or at a convenient location.

Last week, Assistant Controller Geoffrey Lawrence and I presented to the Legislature the state budget we developed with some Assembly members, professionals and business people as an alternative to the Governor’s proposal.

Las Vegas left-wing pundit Steve Sebelius trashed it and us. No surprise because he’s an aggressive tax-spend-regulate statist PC liberal, while our proposals are the antidote to such maladies. What was surprising is the ignorance, laziness, carelessness and possible malice and dishonesty in his attacks. They demonstrate the sorry state of much journalism today.

One of the basic threads of conversation is listening. And that's why Carson City Supervisor Jim Shirk is seeking feedback from his constituents.

“My goal: Improve communication between city government and citizens. Meeting members of the community on their terms will help to build community awareness. We need to find ways to broaden and deepen the community access to local government, and the first step: ease of accessibility.”

Shirk says he is available six days a week, excluding Sunday, to meet at his office or at a convenient location.

While first responders on a fire, accident or crime scene are deputies, ambulance and fire department personnel, it is 911 dispatch who are the lifeline between the victim and responding agencies. Tucked in a high-tech facility all their own, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office Communications 911 Center responds 24-hours a day, seven days a week, day or night to crisis phone calls.

This week, emergency dispatchers are being recognized nationwide as part of National Public-Safety Telecommunications Week. For the team of 19 emergency dispatchers who work at the Carson City communications center, their work is essential to saving lives and property.

The Nevada Senate on Friday approved a bill designed to increase transparency in local government collective bargaining agreements.SB158 requires collective bargaining agreements be posted publicly for all to see for ...

A bill that would allow incorporated cities to form their own school systems by carving out a piece of a larger district using existing local government boundaries had a hearing Monday in the Assembly Education Committee....

In what unions are slamming as an Armageddon for workers, legislative Republicans today vetted a bill that would weaken collective bargaining for police, firefighters, teachers and other local government employees. A panel of state lawmakers ......

Below is my article that was published in Nevada Appeal (3/22/2014), although it is titled: Become educated, involved in local government.

For this column I will state personal views on a few topics: education, city employees, the Sheriff Department, the Board of Supervisors, ending with a little insight about Jim Shirk.

CARSON CITY - Local government union representatives said Friday they have no issue with the public posting of details of collective bargaining agreements before approval by elected officials, but they asked for the same level of transparency for other contract matters as well....

Sen. Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, Monday introduced legislation that would require any local government collective bargaining agreement be made public before getting final approval.He said under Senate Bill 158, “they c...

Sen. Pete Goicoechea, R-Eureka, Monday introduced legislation that would require any local government collective bargaining agreement be made public before getting final approval.He said under Senate Bill...

Local government officials said while they’ve weathered the economic downturn by cutting budgets and services, they don’t expect their biggest revenue source to return to peak performance for a decade or two....

The University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Business has named Mehmet Tosun, associate professor and chair of the Economics Department, the Barbara Smith Campbell Distinguished Professor of Nevada Tax Policy. The four-year professorship is designed to assist in tax policy research at the state and local level, with a primary focus in Nevada.

As both an undergraduate and graduate instructor and researcher, Tosun believes the professorship is another way to bring tax policy research into the classroom.

The City of Yerington and Lyon County are pleased to announce that Friday, the U.S. Senate passed the Congressional legislation to transfer 10,400 acres of land from the federal government to the City of Yerington.

The same bill passed the House of Representatives on Dec. 2014. Section 3009, the “Land Conveyance to Yerington, Nevada” was included in the National Defense Authorization Act and will now go to President Obama for signing before year-end.

In Plain Sight Marketing founder Renee Taylor Plain and Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell each made $100 donations Monday to Holiday with a Hero. They are asking small business owners, those in local government and community members to give what they can.

Today is the end of the negative ads,
You know those that make you so mad!

The government you get is the government you deserve,
So get out today and make your voice heard!

The Division of Public and Behavioral Health on Monday notified medical marijuana establishment applicants of the results of the Division’s rigorous evaluation process to determine provisional certification to operate a medical marijuana cultivation, dispensary, laboratory, or production establishment.

In Carson City, two dispensaries, Nevada Organix LLC and one not named, received provisional license approval. See the full list here. Go here for provisional licenses for marijuana cultivation facilities, where there are seven in Carson City. Four Carson City applicants received license approvals for production facilities. There were no applicants in Carson City for independent testing laboratories.

Jim Nichols has accepted the position of Douglas County Manager. After discussion at the board of County Commissioners meeting on Sept. 4, county commissioners decided to extend an offer of $172,000 and Mr. Nichols is expected to begin Sept. 29, 2014.

Douglas County Commissioners and Douglas County Emergency Management’s decision not to file a disaster declaration has come under question, been criticized, and created opportunities for much public comment and debate. The recent flash flood event in north eastern portion of the Johnson Lane, Central Johnson Lane, and Fish Springs areas of the county was a significant event that many would think would warrant a disaster declaration.

Nevada's state and local government employees are retiring at a much later age than just a decade ago, a trend that will have ramifications for the financial health of the $33.5 billion public pension plan.

Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei had added several new faces to his office staff including Bernie Curtis, who recently retired as chief of the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation.

Curtis, of Gardnerville, will serve as field representative in Amodei’s Reno office. He brings more than 36 years of experience from across Northern Nevada in law enforcement, local government and the private sector, including serving as Douglas County Commissioner.

Nevada’s only official primary election results reporting website, www.SilverStateElection.com, launched Friday in preparation for Tuesday's 2014 primary election. The comprehensive reporting website allows the public to easily monitor the official results as reported by election officials statewide throughout the evening of the election.

For the local Carson City election, results can be found on the Carson City Election Office website here and on CarsonNow.org. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Carson City Community Center, 851 East William Street. Election results will begin to filter in after 7 p.m. first with the results from early voting.

I received an e-mail that asked why the non-profit Greenhouse Project (TGP) could sell mushrooms to Adele's Cafe (Adele's Facebook posting March 22nd). Supervisor Abowd is founder and president of TGP and co-owner with her husband Charlie of Adele's Cafe. The e-mail question and response follow.

Have you heard about the water and natural resource based programs and projects happening in the Carson River Watershed? Please join the Carson River Coalition and the Carson Water Subconservancy District for the 2014 Carson River Watershed Forum on Thursday, April 3, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The forum will feature speakers from several disciplines presenting projects, programs, studies, and educational outreach activities that occurred throughout the Carson River Watershed in 2013.

Have you heard about the water and natural resource based programs and projects happening in the Carson River Watershed? Please join the Carson River Coalition and the Carson Water Subconservancy District for the 2014 Carson River Watershed Forum on Thursday, April 3, 2014 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The forum will feature speakers from several disciplines presenting projects, programs, studies, and educational outreach activities that occurred throughout the Carson River Watershed in 2013.