LETTER: Clark County has a spending problem, not a revenue problem
On the surface there can be some understanding of the need for more revenue to support county services as the area grows (“Clark County makes pitch for more stable formula,” Monday Review-Journal). With a little bit of analysis however it appears there is more of a spending problem than a revenue problem.
A quick visit to www.transparentnevada.com reveals that in Clark County more than 600 employees received salary and benefits of more than $200,000 a year during 2015. I’m sure there were more in 2016. Additionally, the new county manager, Yolanda King, who is spearheading the issue, received $315,000 in pay and benefits while Don Burnette, her predecessor, received $436,000.
Prior to the recession government spending wasn’t on anyone’s radar because the revenue stream just kept growing and employees could be well compensated out of the spotlight. Together with the generous pensions paid through the PERS system, it is wasteful and ill-conceived government spending that needs to be addressed before we push to milk more money from taxpayers.
It is time for people to become aware of what is really going on and demand a more efficient system.