Douglas County Commission Update

Compiled by Commissioner Lee Bonner

The second meeting in April was a shorter than in the past with a few items.  The meeting lasted just over 2 hours.  Here is a snapshot of the meeting and outcomes:
Nothing was pulled off consent.  The consent calendar is a part of the agenda where items are approved all at one time.  This is usually for items where it has previously been approved in the budget or items that are routine.  Commissioners or citizens can ask for items to be removed from the consent calendar for discussion and that can happen prior to the motion.  If an item is to be pulled they can ask a commissioner or the county manager.
The Sheriff’s Department along with Capt. Duffy went over the security of the jail which is required by NRS.  Douglas County is the only Jail in NV that has the national certification for how they run the jail. This keeps our liability low and our issues minimal with the inmates.  One surprise to me was that some inmates make their own illegal alcohol, so when they conduct searches they are looking for all contraband including this alcohol they make in their cell.  I asked how they did it and that was shared with me.  I won’t share details here, but if you are interested please send me a private message.

We discussed the rerouting of Burke Creek as it crosses Hwy 50, which will lower our TMDL which is the runoff into Lake Tahoe.   This is a good plan.  TMDL is Tahoe Maximum Daily Load which is the silt and runoff into the lake.  We have an obligation to reduce our TMDL by 10%.   Currently Douglas County has 18.2% of the lake shoreline and only 3% of the runoff.

UNR President Johnson came to discuss the combining of the Dept. of Agriculture and Cooperative Extension, which the board had previously taken a position against.  In the interim time I had time to study this and while I see some value in making this change, the board decision has been made with little doubt it will be changed.  The board was appreciative of his time in the commission meeting.  He has visited 16 of the 17 counties with no county coming out in support of this issue.  (side note:  NACO [Nevada Association of County Officials] took up this issue once again in the board meeting on Friday morning and were adamant against this combined effort.)

Discussion was taken up on the County Strategic Plan which I had pulled off the agenda at the last meeting.  I had pulled in off consent at the last meeting because we had not had time to fully discuss this issue.  “In my opinion”, the county strategic priorities are the single most important thing we do as a commissioner.  As we implement a priority based budgeting system, those priorities are the building block for how we rank all 702 county programs.  By not having a full discussion ahead of the budget cycle we are short changing the system.  Since the actual strategic priorities were not included in the agenda packet, the board was once again not able to discuss the priorities and the board decided to wait for this discussion in June.   This was disappointing to me, but we have to continue to move forward. 

Lee’s opinion: 

I would like to see the county adopt a few new strategic priorities.  One priority is the sign ordinance.  We make it difficult for businesses here to be successful by limitations on our sign ordinance.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want our view scape cluttered with signs, but I do want to see us find ways to help those that have made an investment in our community.
The other issue is that we need to focus on ways to get government grants to help county.  While the government is slowing running out of money, there are funds available for water wastewater projects and broadband as well as other issues.  I met with 2 lobbyists in DC on the last trip who are successful in helping counties get needed funds for infrastructure projects.  One helped a county in South Carolina receive millions for roads, bridges and public works.  We need to have a strategy to help get this done.
Next update will be after the May meeting – thanks for reading.

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URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT - Five Minutes and an Email Could Ensure Nevada's Colleges Are Not Safe Zones for Violence

Will you give 5 minutes to help your legislators restore your right of self defense in Nevada? A broad effort is underway to encourage the legislature to revisit AB143 under existing rules. A large amount of feedback from The People is the only thing that will make this work. EVERY email counts and you are an important part of this effort.

Has politics ever made you wonder if your input makes a difference? Have you ever told yourself you'd get involved if you knew it would matter? NOW is that time. Many people are putting in a lot of hours to work this effort and we need your help. Please read this alert and make a real difference.

Assembly Bill 143 (AB143), a conservative approach to ensuring the right of self defense extends onto Nevada college campuses, was summarily killed by Assembly Judiciary Chairman Jason Frierson as he arrogantly stated, “It's the purview of the chair.”

Reliable sources have verified that if a vote were held, that AB143 would pass out of committee. While technically dead for this legislative session, there may be a way to bring the bill back to life.

When Amanda Collins was raped in 2007 at the University of Nevada Reno, it was 300 yards from a campus police station. No campus alerting system, nor the inadequate campus police response time could have saved Ms. Collins, nor will it save your daughter, sister, or wife from being violently attacked in the future.

Nevada statistics clearly show a significant number of sex offenders in our state. You can join us to insist that our elected officials stop providing safe zones for these violent predators to commit their horrific acts. It is immoral to prevent law abiding, properly trained and licensed citizens, from exercising their rights to avoid being victims of violence.

It is obvious that Assemblyman Frierson had no intention of letting the elected representatives of Nevadans exercise the right of the People to be represented by conducting an actual vote. He ensured that Nevada higher education campuses will remain safe hunting grounds for violent offenders. In the 2011 Legislative Session, Assemblyman Horne pulled the exact same arrogant move to kill a similar bill when he was chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

The very core of our federal and state governmental systems are designed to ensure that all people are fairly represented. AB143 had the votes to pass out of committee and Assemblyman Frierson made a personal choice to kill it. More clearly stated, Assemblyman Frierson killed your right to be fairly represented.

We think we have a way to fix this if you'll help us now.

ACTION REQUEST: It is important that we be respectful in pursuing this issue. We're told that Assembly Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick may support AB143 and if anyone can bring it back to life, she can. It is her call. Confident, polite, and respectful persuasion should be our approach.

1) Email and/or call Speaker Kirkpatrick's office directly at: mkirkpatrick@asm.state.nv.us or 775-684-8509. Briefly write that you feel AB143 deserves a vote and that you have read that there may be a way to do that. Let her know that you are familiar with this important bill and that you followed the testimony. Ask her to ensure that the representatives of The People are allowed to represent The People with a vote. Use your own words. Near identical emails are disregarded by many legislators as being computer auto-generated.

2) Forward this email to anyone you know that would support AB143 and consider posting it on appropriate online forums and blogs.

3) Email again a day or two later and call if you haven't called already. Research shows that sometimes, it becomes a numbers game to busy legislators. So, don't be afraid to email again with different comments supporting the issue and encourage your friends and relatives to email Speaker Kirkpatrick.

Amanda Collins continues to have the courage to come forward and publicly tell her story of being violently attacked while unable to defend herself due to Nevada laws. To honor her bravery, can we join her, contact Assembly Speaker Kirkpatrick, and encourage her to bring AB143 to a vote? Let's make Nevada a safer place for our mothers, sisters, and daughters.

Please see “ACTION REQUEST” above and take action now and forward this email to your friends!

Copy of Bill as killed: https://nelis.leg.state.nv.us/77th2013/App#/77th2013/Bill/Text/AB143

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New Team of Conservative Leaders Elected by County's Grassroots Republicans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MINDEN, NV – March 15, 2013 – Last Evening, Marco Caldana of Gardnerville, NV assumed the chairmanship of the Douglas County Republican Central Committee in an election held at the Committee's Minden Headquarters. The following officers, all longtime party members, were also elected: Valley Vice Chair: Mary Porter, Recording Secretary: Elizabeth Tuoto, Corresponding Secretary: Sue Kyle, Treasurer: Carl Schnock.

Caldana takes the reins from Maggie Benz who served as chair from 2006-2012.

Beyond the elections, Caldana said the Committee has begun working to cultivate more involvement by younger residents of Douglas County and will establish subcommittees to focus on specific goals.

“Douglas County is a vibrant community built on the values of self-reliance and hard work, where every person can pursue their life’s ambitions. These are the same freedom-based values that the Douglas County Republicans represent, and we are proud to continue to bring that positive message to Douglas,” said Caldana. The ultimate goal is to make sure we cultivate qualified candidates for election, do positive things for the community and provide new ideas,” he said.

All new officers agreed there is a large pool of talent in Douglas County with Conservative values simply waiting to help with the effort. Each confirmed that while campaigning, the feedback ran from “why haven't I been asked before” to “when do we get started.” new Vice Chair Mary Porter said, “I'm sure our leadership team will ensure the Committee guides all volunteers effectively to get Republicans elected.”

Jim DeGraffenreid, Secretary of The Nevada Republican Party and member of the Douglas committee declared, “the Douglas committee has always supported the Nevada Republican Party along with the demanding work they do right here at home. I am confident we will lead further development of The Party by recruiting young members to stir debate and prepare the next generation of elected leaders.”

"We deeply appreciate the trust that has been placed in us, and now we will work to honor it," said new Recording Secretary Elizabeth Tuoto. She continued, "The Republican Party is full of passionate individuals who love their country, states, and communities. We look forward to working with them to support our candidates and promote the Republican platform and the values it represents."

Caldana asks residents of Douglas County to consider his appeal, “Our party relies almost entirely on dedicated volunteers who donate their time, treasure and energy. Their continuing efforts are recognized and are greatly appreciated.” When asked why citizens should give their valuable time to the Committee, Caldana offered a quote from Ronald Reagan, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.”

The committee is the official Republican Party organization for Douglas County and was created by state law. To learn more about the Douglas County Republicans, and how you can help shape politics and laws in Douglas County and Nevada, visit: www.douglasgop.org or contact Chairman Marco Caldana at: 775-782-6535 or email: mcaldana@charter.net.

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October 2012 Newsletter

Please use magnifying button below to enlarge newsletter.

DCRCC Oct 2012 Newsletter

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September 2012 Newsletter

DCRCC September 2012 Newsletter

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Origins of the Second Amendment

I don't care which candidate you support in this primary campaign for president.  The Americans of the 1770's stood for freedom and one of those most important to them was the right to keep and bear arms.  That right is universal among those who aspire to our country's highest office.  But the story told in this video as to how the Second Amendment came to be is probably one you have not heard before.  And I think it is important that all who have access to this website know just how closely we came to not becoming a republic, but for the right to firearms.  So, I ask that you take the 26 minutes it takes to view this video so as to make you more aware of what it is that we have been bequeathed by those who fought for it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbGbKbGZsGY&feature=share

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Petition To Return to Primary Elections

As all of you know, the Presidential Preference Poll and Precinct meeting date, February 4 is upon us.  This the only opportunity we will have to express our choice for the candidate who will represent the Party and run for the office of President of the United States.  

While it does provide us with the chance to exercise our right to vote, it does not allow for everyone in the Party to do so given the restrictive hours of the caucus. Situations like absence on the day of the vote or deployed military just don't fit with the caucus process.

Further, the cost of the caucus is born by the counties with little or no monetary return from those in the race.

Therefore we are petitioning the Nevada Republican Party to take action to return Nevada to a presidential primary election process.  We ask our members and anyone who reads this post to print this petition and get signatures.  When you have a sheet filled in, return it to the Douglas County Republican Central Committee Headquarters.  The location and the address can be found on the home page of the DCRCC website.

Click here to print the petition.

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