But if the past is prologue, here in Nevada, expect the bulk of our anticipated $521 million surplus to not be used for significant cash infusions into the umpteen areas the state lags in—education, teen health, smoking cessation, suicide prevention, health care. Two years ago Gov. Kenny Guinn used $300 million (of a $600 million surplus) for vehicle rebates. For each vehicle registered, owners received $50 to $300.
Which is why it's not surprising that in a May Reno Gazette-Journal poll of 600 likely voters, 36 percent said they preferred using next year's surplus for tax refunds and not for education, transportation and other areas of need, and 15 percent want the money to be used to lower taxes to prevent future surpluses. Extrapolated for the state, that means more than half of us would rather get a few hundred bucks than pump millions into improving our quality of life.
Sorry, but that's foolish. Nevada has pressing needs. So in the interest of saving us from ourselves and not giving the next governor any smart ideas (frontrunner Jim Gibbons supported Guinn's vehicle rebate program; challenger Dina Titus won an amendment to place unclaimed checks in a property disaster fund), here's a start of the list of places our surplus should go.
Education: All-day kindergarten and teacher raises are super costly. We'll settle for $500 stipends for teachers to buy classroom supplies and reduce the cost of summer school. For many students, it's the only way they can catch up academically.
Social services: Controversial as the $150 million Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital is—residents near Oakey and Jones decried putting a 109-bed psychiatric hospital in their backyards—this Valley needs another one. Psychiatric-care patients take up nearly 70 beds in area hospitals; health officials expect that number to grow with the population.
Affordable Housing: The federal government helped build affordable homes during the Clinton administration, so why can't we? The need is dire statewide. The median home price in Clark County is nearly $290,000. It's $310,000 in Carson City, $376,000 in Washoe County and $582,000 in Douglas County.