Sheriff Ron Pierini is asking voters to approve a 1Ú2 cent sales tax to help support the county's law enforcement and judicial system.
That tax will raise about $5 million a year which will go to hire deputies and equip them, expand the jail and help fund other law enforcement activities, such as the courts and the District Attorney's Office.
Funding for the sheriff's office has lagged far behind that required to support activities of Douglas County's primary law enforcement agency.
The sheriff's office deals with 93,000 calls a year for service spread over 750 square miles, equivalent to the size of the state of Rhode Island.
Those calls come from Topaz, the Pine Nuts, Carson Valley, Indian Hills and Lake Tahoe, each of which presents different challenges for law enforcement officers.
On any given evening a half-dozen deputies are going from one call to the next, not really patrolling as much as trying to stay on top of emergencies.
Commission chairman Jim Baushke points out that Douglas County has been struggling for nine years to keep the tax rates low.
We agree with Baushke that the time has come to make a down payment on our future.
The proposed increase in the sales tax will lift Douglas County's total sales tax to 7.25 percent. That's 1Ú8 of a percent higher than Carson City's present sales tax, but below the sales tax for Washoe County, which is presently at 7.375 percent.
At present, Douglas County fire and ambulance services have a dedicated funding source from property tax, but there is no dedicated funding source for law enforcement.
There is no question that law enforcement should be a priority for Douglas County. The alternative is to disintegrate into spiraling chaos, making our communities unsafe.
That's why we wholeheartedly support Douglas County Ballot Question 1.
