As the Appeal reported again this week, Carson City is the only local entity involved with the V&T Railway project that's paying its fair share. The others are thumbing their noses at the law creating the project that dictates, broadly, that each entity should contribute according to how much benefit it will receive.
But the reality is that just doesn't matter. It was originally thought that, in the spirit of cooperation, everyone would ante up and gleefully portion out the winnings later. That spirit is strong in a boom economy, but it left town long ago.
The real problem, let's face it, is Washoe County, which stands to benefit most from the project but has given a paltry $250,000, compared to Carson City's $21 million and Storey County's $2 million.
So what's to be done? The V&T Commission could try sending a bill to Reno, but everyone already knows it would be a waste of postage. There is no enforcement mechanism to fix the problem created by the lack of foresight used in creating the V&T Commission.
Carson City Mayor Marv Teixeira's proposal to give $10 million more in sales tax in exchange for 5 percent of the profits of the operation is an attempt to retrofit an arrangement that's more equitable for Carson City, if not downright profitable. And it may well be a good solution, but that's ultimately going to be decided by voters in November.
One thing for certain is that it will be an interesting outcome. The mayor makes a point in saying that the eighth-of-a-cent sales tax will not be a great hardship, amounting to about $12 per year for an average resident. But the same ill economic winds that blew away the spirit of cooperation are now hurricane strength, and his plan will be a tough sell.
Before the start of early voting on Oct. 18, the Appeal will provide in-depth analysis of the V&T sales tax proposal, as well as commentary from both sides. And remember, the close of voter registration is Oct. 4, although if you miss that mail-in deadline you can register in person until Oct. 14 at the Clerk's Office. In Carson City, that's on the first floor of the Carson City Courthouse, 885 East Musser Street, Suite 1025.