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Last year, Las Vegas gaming revenue fell to 2005 levels. No industry wants to go backward. But considering the stock market has plunged to 1997 levels and homes may take decades to return to their peak values of a couple of years ago, three years of gaming growth seems like a small hit in this economy.

The Sun reported last week on growing doubts among state and local politicians about the need for another quarter-cent sales tax increase sought by Metro Police to pay for more officers.

State Sen. Terry Care believes running Clark County is no longer part-time work.\n\nThe region's growth has brought a bigger bureaucracy to oversee and issues too complex to be dealt with by a part-time County Commission, Care says.\n\nThe Las Vegas Democrat will introduce a pair of bills during the 2009 legislative session to make commission seats in Nevada's most populous counties full-time positions and to give commissioners more say over taxes.

Carson City - The federal stimulus package includes $38.8 million to weatherize 6,500 homes in Nevada, but legislators are fighting over whether only union members will be eligible for the jobs. As part of his "green" initiative, Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, is pushing a bill that would require the prevailing union wage be paid to these workers and that the contractor provide insurance for the workers and their families.

Democrats worry he will abuse broad authority to spend taxpayer money By David McGrath Schwartz (contact) Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 2 a.m. Click to enlarge photo Gov. Jim Gibbons Related Documents (.pdf) * Attorney general's opinion on stimulus funds * Gibbons' letter to the attorney general's office * Controller Kim Wallin's letter to the Legislative Counsel Bureau Sun Archives * Lawmakers OK Gibbons' stimulus czar (8-24-2009) * Gibbons bypasses lawmakers, names stimulus director (8-18-2009) * Governor, Democrats on brink of showdown over stimulus funds (8-16-2009) * Gibbons skirts legislators in action to oversee stimulus (8-14-2009) * Governor balks at shift of stimulus authority (8-12-2009) * Gibbons ready to tear at legislative patch (8-9-2009) * Legislature reins in Gibbons; Democrats cite incompetence (8-5-2009) * Committee vote delays $10M in stimulus money (8-3-2009) * Democrats reject Gibbons' 'stimulus czar' proposal (8-3-2009) Sun Coverage * Archive of Sun politics stories CARSON CITY - The governor's office gained authority Monday to swiftly and unilaterally spend federal stimulus money without legislative approval, causing some lawmakers to worry that Gov. Jim Gibbons and his successors can now wield unchecked power over taxpayer dollars.

Democrats worry he will abuse broad authority to spend taxpayer money By David McGrath Schwartz (contact) Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 | 2 a.m. CARSON CITY - The governor's office gained authority Monday to swiftly and unilaterally spend federal stimulus money without legislative approval, causing some lawmakers to worry that Gov. Jim Gibbons and his successors can now wield unchecked power over taxpayer dollars.

Carson City - Legislators have embarked on an ambitious endeavor - find someone who can figure out how to save Nevada. Lawmakers have issued a request for a consultant who will analyze the state's tax structure, measure the public's willingness to accept a broader tax base and examine the balance between local and state revenue. It's an exercise state leaders repeat every couple of decades and one that has rarely resulted in radical change in how Nevada raises tax revenue. But legislators insist this study will be different because the mission will go beyond the state's finances and include finding ways to improve Nevada's dismal rankings in quality-of-life measures such as health care, education, public safety and job creation.

Draw no conclusions, we're told, over this coincidence: St. Patrick's Day is also unofficially "Vice Tax" day at the Legislature. The Assembly Taxation Committee is scheduled to hear proposals that would dramatically raise taxes on alcohol and tobacco. Members of the media - including the Sun - have pointed out the Democratic leadership's refusal to acknowledge taxes will have to be raised to balance the state budget. But these sin taxes are considered the most politically palatable - the low hanging fruit.

At first, Nevada expected little revenue from gaming. Here's how that changed over time. When Nevada legalized gaming in 1931, it was almost an afterthought. The modest levies on card games and slots would be the garnish. The main course through tough economic times, state leaders believed, would be looser divorce laws adopted during the same legislative session to lure unhappy spouses to spend time - and money - in Nevada. The gaming bill's author, freshman legislator Phil Tobin, couldn't know that 78 years later the quality of Nevada's schools, public safety and services to the poor would depend on how much tourists drop in the slot machines and bet at the tables.

CARSON CITY - Active and retired state workers will see a 5 percent increase in the cost of their health insurance. The state Public Employees Benefit Board decided Wednesday to save $23 million over the next fiscal year by reducing the state subsidy to health insurance premiums.

Legislative leaders and administration officials just finished a conference call and agreed on a "tentative framework" for cutting $331 million to $400 million from the state's budget, Speaker Barbara Buckley said Tuesday evening.

Carson City - So long, balanced budget. Hello, deficit spending. Legislators and Gov. Jim Gibbons announced on Tuesday a tentative agreement to bridge the state's $300 million budget shortfall by making $150 million in cuts and - to spare agencies even deeper cuts - borrowing $150 million from a local government investment account. If the plan is approved by the Legislature during a special session set for Dec. 8, it would be the first time since at least the Great Depression that Nevada has balanced its budget by borrowing money, according to state government observers.

Assembly bill would tax renewable energy exported from Nevada.

State Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford will propose a sweeping overhaul of Nevada's education system this week, with reforms that offer a sharp critique of the state's education establishment.

Carson City - Nevada has handed out tax incentives worth an estimated $45 million to lure solar and geothermal projects to Nevada over the past four years. So far, the state has received in return promises that the projects' developers will create 89 permanent jobs. It's a number so small that some lawmakers are questioning whether taxpayers are getting a good return on their investment in the incentives.

Washington - Years from now, when Nevadans wonder why their state and others abandoned coal plants in favor of renewable energy, they are likely to remember these days. Washington is moving aggressively if sometimes in unseen ways to remake the nation's energy landscape. Intricate pieces of legislation are unfolding on Capitol Hill that would radically alter the nation's energy policy, one bill at a time. The big-ticket items are well known: cap-and trade legislation, for example, which would put a price tag on carbon emissions; a bill requiring that more of the nation's energy come from renewable sources, as President Barack Obama promises.

The Nevada Department of Transportation's board of directors will hold a special meeting March 12 to discuss economic stimulus projects, according to Gov. Jim Gibbons' spokesman. Includes story on higher education stimulus funding.

The appointment on Rep. Dina Titus' calendar last Saturday didn't appear controversial at first glance. Yet Titus soon realized that she was wading into a political firestorm.

Carson City - Nevada businesses are facing a possible doubling of the unemployment tax they pay the state to keep benefits flowing to laid-off workers. The tax increase on employers would help Nevada avoid paying a hefty interest rate on a $1 billion loan the state plans to ask from Washington to fund the unemployment benefits pool, which is being drained in the recession because of record unemployment in Nevada. The alternative: keep the unemployment tax rate low because businesses are struggling in the recession, hope the economy turns around and fewer people look for unemployment benefits, and pay the federal loan back with interest when the state can better afford it.

Rooftops covered in solar panels. Miles of mirrors in the desert. Renewable energy boosters evoke both images while touting the coming green economy. But current market forces appear to favor the latter - large-scale utility plants.