36 years ago this month

The Nye County Board of Equalization will meet in Tonopah to hear complaints from taxpayers on the evaluation and assessment of their property. Reviews are heard by appointment which is set up after the taxpayer files a complaint with the county clerk.

The board is made up of the three Nye County commissioners -- Bob Ruud, Andy Eason and Bob Cornel, plus a Nye school board member and a representative from Gabbs, the only incorporated city in Nye County.

Nevada state liquor tax collections for the first three quarters of 1971 averaged $503,718 per month, up 6.8 percent over 1970.

All state taxes through the first five months of the fiscal year up to Nov. 30 totaled $49.8 million, up 10 percent from the same period a year ago.

The Las Vegas City Commission approved a tax of one-third of 1 per cent of gross sales by land sales companies conducting business in the city. The Clark County Commission put in for a similar tax of 1 per cent.

30 years ago this week

The Pahrump town budget of $81,000 falls far short of the money requested for the coming year.

A small increase in local property taxes will be discussed at the next town board meeting as one way to help meet the growing needs for local services.

The library, fire department and town board revealed first draft budget figures that totaled about $113,000, or $32,000 more than is expected to be available. The town requested $74,000, which includes the town administrator salary, maintenance and operation of the Community Center and grounds, and television service, among other things.

Fire losses in Pahrump Valley were down sharply in 1977 compared to 1976.

In 1976, fire loss claims were $137,410, a figure eventually reduced by insurance companies to $122,010. In 1975 total losses reported were only $26,895.

Former fire chief Ron Perry reported that damage in 1977 include $11,050 damage to mobile homes, $23,200 to vehicles, $800 to farm products and $685 to miscellaneous structures. There were 33 fire calls during the past year.

20 years ago this week

School enrollment hit another record high in Pahrump Valley at the end of last year with the count climbing to 1,104 students. That tops the previous record of 1,058 students enrolled in the first week of school last September by 46, an increase of 4.3 percent.

The increase in Pahrump Valley is in the lower grades, making school officials think that the growth trend will continue and possibly increase.

The Pahrump Town Board voted to retain all of its existing advisory committees. They include the business license, room tax ordinance, exotic animal, animal control building, parks master plan, TV translator and repository committees. Most of the members of those committees also were retained.

The most heated argument of the meeting involved the Autumnwood subdivision. Don Brown, Pahrump town planner, made a recommendation to approve the final subdivision map; however, planning board member Bill Mankins opposed the move, stating there were water drainage problems in the area.

"Tremendous pressure" will be applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to license a high-level nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain on the Nevada Test Site, Sen. Harry Reid predicted.

Reid commented further, "I think realistically it's going to take three things to stop the dump from coming now."

The first is Yucca Mountain's proximity to the test site's underground explosions and frequent earthquakes in Southern California. Second would be the fact that underground storage is the worst way to store nuclear waste, and third, the transportation of nuclear waste from other states.

10 years ago this week

General contractor Dennis Sikma, of Healthcare Builders Inc., appeared before the Regional Planning Commission to give an update on planned construction of Pahrump's first nursing home. It will be a 44,500-square-foot, $4.7 million skilled nursing facility located on 40 acres on the northeast corner of Blagg and Nye County roads.

Pahrump officials will take some pretty heavy ammunition into court when they take legal action against the county to force reapportionment of the commission districts, including a concession from the county's district attorney that the majority of the people in Nye County reside in Pahrump.

District Attorney Bob Beckett will tell Fifth District Court Judge John Davis that Pahrump is home to more than 60 percent of the county's residents.

Pahrump Town Board members want developers to leave some room for residents' recreation in their new subdivisions. The board passed a resolution instructing the Regional Planning Commission to make it a requirement in the land division policy which the RPC is considering.

Several options are being considered.

The developer could maintain ownership of park land and be responsible for the cost of its development. Another would be for the developer to set aside a piece of land and turn ownership over to the town, with the town taking on the development of the park. The third option would be for the developer to construct the park and turn both the ownership and maintenance over to the town.

Future crime fighters can get a good start on their careers right here in Pahrump thanks to a new program that will soon be offered locally by the Community College of Southern Nevada.

The college's southern Nye County coordinator, Dan Simmons, said courses in criminal justice are among several new classes that will be offered by the school in the coming year. Also available will be several classes related to the hotel and gaming industry, a real estate licensing program and an expanded list of fine arts classes.