Nevada State Prison would stay open under lawmakers plan

Key lawmakers in a Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee said Wednesday they're likely to go against Gov. Jim Gibbons' recommendation and keep the old Nevada State Prison open for the next two years.

Closure of the prison in Carson City was among several cost-cutting plans questioned by subcommittee members as they set budget priorities for the next two fiscal years. Panel members have not yet identified the source of funds needed if the cuts aren't made.

The panel members also said they will likely vote to keep open the state Department of Corrections' Tonopah prison camp, which houses inmates who help fight wildfires throughout Nevada.

Subcommittee members also said money could be saved by postponing construction of a new "Prison 8" in Southern Nevada and expanding the Warm Springs Correctional Center and Three Lakes Valley Conservation Camp since the prison population is projected to decline during the next few years.

State Corrections Director Howard Skolnik generally supported the plans, but was wary about stopping the expansions, saying, "It takes us four to five years from start to finish to build something, and if we wait until we're full to start, I think we're toast."

"We just don't have any money," Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie, D-Reno, replied. "We're going to be cutting it close on every single item."

Sen. Bob Coffin, D-Las Vegas, echoed Skolnik's concerns, as did Assemblywoman Kathy McClain, D-Las Vegas, the subcommittee chairwoman.

"Wouldn't you think that in a bad economy crime would go up?" McClain said.

To keep NSP and the Tonopah camp open would cost the state an additional $17 million, which is not included in the governor's budget. Gibbons' proposal to close the prison and camp would have saved the state about $33 million.

Asked where the $17 million would come from, McClain, who also chairs the Assembly Taxation Committee, said the Legislature's plan would avoid mass layoffs and would save the state money in the long run. But she offered no specifics for finding the additional money.

"We want to know what the (budget) hole is first," McClain said. "And then, you have got to be real careful in this economy about where do you get it. That's going to be a long discussion, I assume, in the next couple of weeks."

Panel members also said they would scrap the governor's proposal to merge the Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission with the Department of Public Safety.

"You have every sheriff and chief in the state telling us this is a bad idea," Leslie said. "When you look at the general fund, we would save $33,000 a year. Are you kidding me? So absolutely I won't support this."