More work needed for Incline countyhood

INCLINE VILLAGE - Much more work is needed before Incline Village can consider countyhood.

Representatives of Washoe County and the Independent Incline Committee, the nonprofit corporation formed to seek independence from Washoe, agreed to this at a meeting before the county commission.

"More work is needed to determine if it's financially feasible for the creation of a new county," said Darin Conforti, acting budget manager for Washoe County.

Both sides agreed that several parts of the plan are based on assumptions and can only be decided in the Nevada Legislature.

"We think the report is reasonable, and we know there's a lot more information required and that this will be a long process," said Jim Clark, president of Independent Incline.

The report - prepared by Candace Evart of Meridian Business Advisors and paid for by Washoe County and the Incline Village General Improvement District - relied on assumptions in the areas of debts to the Washoe County School District, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Bureau, adult and juvenile detention centers and district court facilities.

"These are aspects of the plan that we have addressed, whether it's a contract deal with Carson City or Douglas County, or maybe the construction of a facility jointly shared by the new county, Douglas and other portions of the lake," Clark said.

Another area involved the new county assuming at no cost existing fixed assets in Incline Village, assets valued at $8.6 million.

As for the debt question, all agree that will have to be decided by the Legislature.

"The formation of a new county from an old county has never been done in Nevada, as far as we know," said Washoe County spokesman Mike Wolterbeek.

"We really don't have a road map or guide to know the process, but we are willing to work with Incline so they and we can make a more informed decision," said Wolterbeek.

Clark believes a guide could be Assembly Bill 332, a bill that was presented back in 1995, when Incline looked to form Ponderosa County. The bill was eventually defeated in the Senate.

"Most of the answers are there, and if the county decides to look at it, they will see that it's a good model to work from," said Clark.