Ron Trunk, chief executive officer of Citizens for Affordable Homes Inc., described what he thought was a critical situation regarding affordable housing in Nye County.

When he heard a woman say she spent $770 per month for a one-bedroom, single-wide trailer, Trunk said it helped illustrate the problem.

The market research firm RealFacts reported the average rents in 12 major western markets rose 4.5 percent in 2006. The average rent in Las Vegas was $862, up 4.6 percent, the company reported.

Senior housing in Pahrump is currently limited to a few complexes on Wilson and Big Five Road, on Blagg Road near Rosemary Clarke Middle School and on Pahrump Valley Boulevard and Calvada Boulevard.

But Nye County Commission Vice Chairman Joni Eastley last week told Trunk affordable housing was more of an issue for Pahrump's town board to address. She questioned why the town board didn't follow up on Trunk's Oct. 10, 2006, presentation and schedule community forums to build interest in the program.

Citizens for Affordable Homes is a nonprofit corporation that builds homes for low-income families. But when Trunk talked about using affordable housing as an incentive to attract teachers, firemen and policemen, Pahrump Town Board Vice Chairman Ron Johnson took offense.

Trunk told the commission it's really more of a county-wide issue. He referred to possible mining startups like the Equatorial Tonopah mine at the old Anaconda mine site 20 miles north of Tonopah.

Trunk said his company has almost completed four homes in Pahrump, and another five homes are under construction. Five families are pre-qualified for another group of homes to be under construction starting in March, Trunk said he's looking for two more families to qualify for those, for an initial total of 16 homes in Pahrump.

The families provide 65 percent of the labor, or 1,500 hours, during the construction. The smallest 1,109-square-foot homes sell for $143,000, including land and permits. The largest, four-bedroom homes, sell for $163,000. On the regular market, Trunk estimated those homes would sell for $250,000 to $300,000.

Trunk said for-profit developers could be offered lower lot sizes as a trade-off for building low-income housing. Lower lot sizes, however, may be a touchy subject in Pahrump after the uproar over the variance granted the Focus Group project.

Nye County could provide county-owned land to his non-profit corporation for affordable housing, Trunk said. Carson City leased his company land at $1 per year for 99 years, he said. Citizens of Affordable Homes Inc. completed 47 senior apartments there, which it rents for $326 per month, which includes $60 for utilities.

"With your demographics in Pahrump, there is a critical need at this time," Trunk said. He said half the population of Pahrump is over 55 years old, which will create a demand for senior housing in the near future.

Commissioner Butch Borasky was amenable to Trunk's request for a community forum but Eastley wondered, "If this is a critical issue in Pahrump, why isn't the Pahrump Town Board sponsoring it?"

Later in the week, Trunk said Pahrump Town Manager Dave Richards asked him to put together a budget for a series of community forums.