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April 20, 2005
The tangled webs planning weaves
Rather than utilizing the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) system of problem solving, they invariably find the most ludicrous or onerous solution available and then act mystified by opposition to their position. A good case in point was the recent withholding of permits from anyone wanting to install a septic system, and therefore any utilities, in areas of the valley previously approved for such uses. Approved for the last 35 years, I might add. The truly telling part of this is that once again Nye County bureaucracy reacted to a situation without any regard for the hardship or effect on property owners their decision would have. It's almost as if that is the least of their concerns. In a very convoluted way, there might have been some credence to their claim had they not been instrumental in the creation of the parcels and direct beneficiaries of tax payments by owners of those parcels for a couple of generations. If a problem so profound the only solution was to deny permits to develop, then it had to exist for a long time before action was finally taken. And if not, why respond so harshly? A settlement now seems ready to be put into place, when and if all the legal eagles have the time to ensure their lairs are properly protected. But the real lesson of this incident and what every property owner needs to be concerned with is the question "what's next?" With the Public Utilities Commission now being dragged formally into the loop for approval of septic system installations within the Utilities Inc. service area, how long will it be before they're drawn into the ongoing debate on whether such systems should even be allowed? In the meantime, the cost and time necessary to obtain permits and be allowed to pay the $2,400 in fees necessary to receive plan approval so payments can begin on a wide variety of other fees will grow once again. And don't expect to receive any value for the extra money or lost time, it isn't there. Almost as a gift from heaven, my recently retired school principal cousin from California sent me an e-mail that helped to put all of this into perspective, and allowed me to laugh at the irony. An eccentric philosophy professor gave a one question final exam after a semester dealing with a broad array of topics. The class was already seated and ready to go when the professor picked up his chair, plopped it on his desk and wrote on the board "Using everything we have learned this semester, prove that this chair does not exist." Fingers flew, erasers erased, notebooks were filled in furious fashion. Some students wrote more than 30 pages in one hour attempting to refute the existence of the chair. One member of the class however, was up and finished in less than a minute. Weeks later when the grades were posted, the rest of the group wondered how he could have gotten an A when he had barely written anything at all. His answer consisted of two words: "What chair?" You gotta admire the kid. This kind of thought process and problem solving is sorely lacking at every level of government. When first presented with a problem, bureaucrats don't view it with objectivity or common sense. Instead they over evaluate every situation, question and opportunity to ensure every possible implication is covered and end up solving nothing. In the classroom situation, they would be the ones writing 30 pages of white papers followed by administrative codes and regulations to enforce the codes when, perhaps, only two words are really needed. The tragedy of it all is they are never held accountable for any of this, and are allowed to then use the exact same technique to solve the problem they just created in trying to solve the last problem they failed to correct. What we receive is an operating model of the story of the inmates running the asylum. A recent example is Nye County's acquisition of the Calvada Eye with little public input, sorely inadequate due diligence and another white elephant purchase that will continue to cost taxpayers for years to come. This story had the potential of being huge, but was overshadowed by the sale, re-purchase and re-sale of properties around McCarran airport resulting in FBI investigations of wrongdoing. For those looking for spicy tales, not to worry. We have a local group dedicated with absolute single-mindedness to eventually provide us with an airport of our own. Nye County has one agency that seems to defy the model, and that is the assessor's office. While you may not like or appreciate their function as the harbingers of soon-to-be-realized property tax increases, the fact is each and every employee has been well trained and knows their job. The new county treasurer should find competent personnel willing to go the extra step as well, but we'll hold out to see what happens. When all is said and done, I still have to wonder what grade that professor would give to governments on their technique for answering the question of how to best serve the public that employs them. My guess would be a "D." Little writes from Pahrump. His column, "The Other Side," appears here on Wednesdays. |
