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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.

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.

Legislative leaders emerged from a closed-door meeting with Gov. Jim Gibbons on Wednesday to insist that nothing more can be cut from the state budget, though a shortfall of $2.4 billion could prompt them to increase taxes when the Legislature next goes into session in 2011.

CARSON CITY -- There is a chess game going on between the Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons. It could end in a constitutional crisis, or it could lead to the first on-time legislative session in a decade. Share & Save Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites What is this? Most Popular Stories # OFFICER KILLED: Driver: No lights or sirens # Police arrest 28-year-old in Caesars slaying # Body of slain man found near Caesars Palace # NORM: Allergic reaction halts performance # FALLEN POLICE OFFICER REMEMBERED # NORM: Duke goes all-in against Rivers # Woman found stabbed to death # Driver in fatal crash says police cars didn't have lights, sirens on # NORM: Dion's husband OK after heart work # CAESARS PALACE DEATH: Man held in slaying of waiter Lawmakers are desperate to avoid the former, but time is rapidly running out, and any delay at this point could lead to a battle too ugly to contemplate.

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 - 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.

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 -- Although the amount of money the Nevada Department of Transportation spends in Clark County is increasing, the state's most populated county still receives much less in transportation spending than its citizens pay in fuel taxes. During the past five years, the department has spent an annual average of $325 million on Clark County construction, maintenance and other types of highway projects. Share & Save Newsvine Digg Fark Technorati reddit StumbleUpon del.icio.us Slashdot Propeller Mixx Furl Twitter MySpace Facebook Google Bookmarks Yahoo! Bookmarks Windows Live Favorites Ask MyStuff myAOL Favorites What is this? Most Popular Stories # POLITICAL NOTEBOOK: Freedom's Watch effort winding down # THE FACES OF HARD TIMES: 'We put our trust in people' # NORM: Olympic medalist shows other skills # NORM: Gans closes out tonight at Mirage # NORM: New restaurant serves up Sinatra # NORM: Make room for new, bigger clubs # NORM: Britney-LV buzz hard to nail down # Beltway interchange opens # LV police find body, suspect homicide # 'Straw' buyers land loans That is 61 percent of the statewide average annual spending of $530 million. Nearly 73 percent of the state's 2.8 million residents are from Clark County. They contribute 70 percent of the state's motor fuel taxes.

RENO, Nev. (AP) -- A new report predicts "disastrous" economic consequences unless Nevada invests more in higher education to train skilled workers and attract new businesses and industries. The report released this month by the Institute for Higher Education Policy said that in 2006, only 28 percent of Nevadans between the ages of 18 and 24 were enrolled in college, compared with 41 percent in top states.

Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, and Assembly Speaker Barbara Buckley chided Sparks city officials today for the Legends redevelopment project that they say has cost the state tax revenue.

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.

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.

Worried about a growing number of changes, miscalculations and a worsening economic forecast, Democratic lawmakers want Gov. Jim Gibbons to tell them how he plans to address the ever expanding budget deficit that has opened since he submitted his proposed budget.

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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.

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.