Dini says time tight to complete reapportionment

YERINGTON - The next session of the Legislature may find 120 days may not be time enough to finish their work.

Speaking last week to the Lyon County Commission, State Assemblyman Joe Dini said the combined burden of dealing with proposed tax initiatives and reapportionment could slow the legislative process down and cause problems.

"We are going to have a big fight at the beginning with the tax initiatives. They must be handled in the first 40 days and that is our busiest time," Dini said during his review of county related legislative concerns. "You throw reapportionment into the mixture with all of our regular business and I don't know if you can do it in 120 days. It may take a special session."

According to Dini, the reapportionment issue will center on whether or not to increase the number of state representatives.

"If we do not increase the numbers, the districts will get pretty big and you will lose some districts because a couple Assembly districts and a Senate district will have to move to Clark County," he explained.

Dini said he felt the perfect number of representatives would be 23 senators and 47 members of the Assembly.

There are presently 21 senators and 42 members of the Assembly.

"That is an accommodating figure that brings it down a little bit and allows us to maintain some representation."

Speaking to the controversial Senate Bill 323 "open zoning" Manufactured Housing Bill, Dini said the upcoming session would offer counties the opportunity to take a look at correcting concerns.

"We tried in the Assembly to make it more workable, but I don't know if we accomplished that. When you make a radical move like that, there are always complications," he said.

"Local governments actually did not have their act together if you want to know the truth. They drafted amendments and the amendments went into the bill and it still didn't come out right, so I think this will be an opportunity to look at it."

Dini expressed concern with how proposed changes in state funding formulas, particularly the Fuel Tax Formula, will hurt rural counties.

"I understand they want to make population a larger percentage on how that money is distributed," Dini said of the formula that is currently based on each county's square miles, annual vehicle miles, road miles and population.

"What we are seeing in all of this is a gradual shifting of monies that were built into formulas for 30 to 40 years into a new formulas pushed more toward population. That can only hurt a lot of little counties."

Dini said details of the Governor's Fundamental Review of government are still a mystery, but if rumors of possible changes come to reality there could be some interesting budget hearings.

"Things I hear they want to transfer to locals may be pretty complicated in budgeting next time we get into the budget. Some things maybe should be at the local level, but in any fair formula, if you are going to cram these things on the county you better bring the money with it," he said.

Dini noted the $150,000 was allocated by the 1999 State Legislature to be used to conduct feasibility studies for the construction of hghi-tech centers in Yerington, Fernley and Douglas County.

"My idea was to build two small ones to accommodate the smaller communities instead of one larger one like the new one in Carson City. I thought if we build two for $2 million apiece it would be a good shot in the arm for us and we can give our kids a good chance to get on top of this technology," he said.

Dini represents District 38, which includes Lyon County, Storey County and a portion of Carson City.