State labor commissioner begins

Nevada Labor Commissioner Michael Tanchek has begun collecting information to establish the prevailing wage rates that are required on public works construction projects in Nevada costing more than $100,000.

As a cost-saving measure, the labor commissioner's office no longer mails survey packets to licensed contractors. Instead, survey participants can go online, print out the forms, and mail them to the state agency.

The state agency receives between 600 and 700 responses annually to its request for wage data, Tanchek said last week. The number hasn't changed much since the labor commissioner moved to posting the survey online instead of mailing it.

The surveys, which are online at www.laborcommissioner.com, are due July 15. The new prevailing wage rates will be posted Oct. 1.

Once contractors have reported wages they paid on jobs in Nevada within the past 12 months, the labor commissioner's office calculates the prevailing wage on a county-by-county, craft-by-craft basis.

While construction activity has slowed statewide, the labor commissioner said the level of activity has been sufficient that state officials are confident about their ability to gather good information in the wage survey.

Tanchek said officials particularly need wage information on work in rural counties no matter if the contract was for a small amount.

If no rates are reported for a rural county, state officials post a prevailing wage that's based on a nearby community. That can lead to a requirement for contractors to pay Las Vegas-level wages on public works jobs in rural counties.