While the governor and a majority of legislators are patting themselves on the back for the way Monday's special session went, we're concerned for the future of Nevada's rural counties.
That's because our rural lawmakers were essentially run over by the overwhelmingly urban and somewhat southern majority.
That doesn't bode well for the financial well-being of the rural counties when we may need the most help.
In the early 1990s, when all the counties were vying for a shrinking tax pool, an effort to redistribute the state's sales taxes based on where they were generated gained steam.
In the end, Washoe County ended up losing some of its tax revenue to Clark, and the rural counties we're reminded that their finances were very much dependent on the larger tax sources.
Those counties that make the most in sales tax continue to subsidize Douglas and other rural counties' governments.
Since then, Douglas County has worked to increase its sales tax revenues in an effort to prepare for the day when Clark, Washoe, Carson and other sales tax generating counties decide it's time to keep what they earn.
That's one of the reasons why finding ways to generate sales tax has been so popular over the past decade.
Back in the early 1990s, the rural counties had much stronger representation in the Legislature.
If Monday's session is any indication of how the session is going to go in 2009, we may find ourselves in deeper hot water during the coming year.
