Dayton could be newest city

DAYTON -- One of Nevada's oldest communities may become its newest city, if Dayton's latest attempt at incorporation is successful.

Carl Swain, representing the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, said this will be the third try in a decade for the town 14 miles east of Carson City.

Swain said the form Dayton may take is still uncertain. Stagecoach residents seem interested in the effort, he said, and only one member of the Mound House Advisory Council seemed opposed on Tuesday.

"We are going out and trying to get the feeling about incorporation from the community," he said.

Most of the initial discussions of Dayton's incorporation have been informal, but proponents are beginning to discuss the issue at community board meetings.

"Everywhere I go we get the same questions," he said. "What is it going to cost and why should we do it?"

Swain said the answer to the first question is still up in the air. The second is to give Dayton Valley residents more control over their community.

"It is going to cost for home rule," Swain said. "We've got the assessment figures, but the Department of Taxation won't talk about it until we organize."

If successful, Dayton would be the second Lyon County community to incorporate this decade.

Voters in Fernley, Nevada's 19th city, approved incorporation in 2000. Fernley required three tries to become a city.

The first step to becoming a city is to form a committee of at least five citizens and write up a charter.

Swain said he hopes to have the committee formed by August. Fernley required eight months to complete its charter work. Once the charter is done, a notice to incorporate must be filed with the county clerk. Proponents then have at least 90 days to gather the signatures of the voters in the area up for incorporation, according to Nevada law.

Once signatures are gathered and confirmed, the issue is placed on the ballot and residents get a chance to vote.