The Public Safety Initiative, CC2, was placed on the General Election ballot to allow voters the decision to determine appropriate levels of public safety services in Carson City. Throughout the past 10 years, our national, state, and community economies have both prospered and suffered. During the same period, paid and volunteer public consultants, along with chief law enforcement and fire officials have attested that service levels are falling below new and changing demands. Today, many of our public safety services are routinely supported by assistance from our neighboring agencies and counties.
CC2 does not address all, but instead only the most critical public safety services. Specifically, the measure enhances the emergency 9-1-1 operations center, wildfire prevention and response, emergency medical services, gang suppression and detention services. For years, all of these services have been experiencing the stress and strain of keeping up with growth in the community. CC2 provides the funding of 12.6 cents per $100 of assessed property values in Carson City to reduce the strain. Each property owner can determine how much CC2 will cost per parcel by visiting the Web site www.carsoncitysheriff.org and following the link at the bottom of the page that says "How much will it cost?"
Voters are being asked to determine an appropriate level of essential public safety services to be available in this community, regardless of the economic forecast. With passage, CC2 will provide for consistent reliable funding to ensure essential service availability, not to a luxury, but instead to an affordable level today. Most importantly, you know exactly where your dollars are going and how they will benefit you.
The greatest public debate for and against the Public Safety Initiative has centered at the core of the economy and our ability to afford the property tax override. Opposing that argument, can we afford not to ensure those services are readily available?
Remarkably, there remains little argument for the need. Simply put, there is never a "best time" to consider an adequate or sufficient funding level for the taxpayer.
Many of our residents have seen the beauty of Carson City grow from a small town atmosphere to one reaching the borders. Other, newer residents have looked into the soul of the community and found a home where they could move into, raise a family or retire in safety and comfort. Together, the life-long residents and welcome newcomers have all found a home in Carson.
Public Safety is an essential government service, yet does not stand alone as the measure of a community's quality of life. Our libraries, parks, streets, and schools are but a few examples of other essential services that cannot be ignored. These services are integral to the concept of a whole and healthy community. Without the essential collateral services that these general fund agencies provide, the overall quality of life in Carson will surely diminish. With a diminished quality of life comes an increasing demand on public safety agencies. In this brief example, you can see that public safety cannot grow at the expense of other general government service without adversely affecting the community.
CC2 provides the residents of Carson City with the self determination to provide specific funding for specific public safety resources by adding 12.6 cents per $100 of assessed property value in Carson. The funding is reliable and applies to all residents and businesses, not just a select class. It is fair to all and reasonable to the critical foundation of public safety and the quality of life we all enjoy.