CHRISTINA EICHELKRAUT / PVT The town's incorporation advisory board enjoys its inaugural meeting. Advertisement

The Pahrump Incorporation Advisory Board met for the first time Monday, Sept. 10, in the town annex, getting under way the first incorporation effort with official backing from the Pahrump Town Board.

Town Board Chairman Laurayne Murray gave the group a warm welcome.

"I appreciate your stepping forward and taking this voluntary role that's going to be so important for the town," Murray told the board. "We depend heavily on all of our advisory boards, you do such important work for us."

First things first, the advisory board appointed Charlie Gronda as chairman and Bob Irving as vice chairman.

Next, the new board came up with its mission statement, which emphasized the fact that the incorporation committee was formed with the intent of gathering information on the advantages and disadvantages of incorporating, with no bias in either direction.

"It's not the responsibility of this board to recommend incorporation. It's not the responsibility of this board to recommend we stay a town," board member Allan Parker said. "It's the responsibility of this board to prepare a report of findings and to consider the implications of remaining a town versus becoming incorporated and the implication from every venue, financing, infrastructure, what have you."

One issue that came up repeatedly during the course of the meeting was the importance of public feedback.

The incorporation advisory board's meetings are all open to the public and will be held the second Monday of each month.

Town Board Clerk Don Rust, the advisory board's liaison to the executive panel, handed out a general list of the many tasks the board will have to address in the coming months.

The list includes the legal requirements of applying for incorporation, the town's official boundaries, infrastructure requirements that will have to be addressed, educational entities, taxation, and public safety requirements.

Town Board Vice Chairman John McDonald also gave the incorporation investigators a handout, generally explaining the NRS requirements and process.

One thing remained certain at the meeting's end, however: the board has a lot of work to do in the coming months.

In fact, a special meeting has already been scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, at 7 p.m. at the Town Annex, so the board can appoint a public relations officer and get some other preliminary bureaucracy out of the way.