HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT William Kohberger has been offered the position of Pahrump town manager, subject to further negotiations. Advertisement

The Pahrump Town Board offered William A. Kohbarger the opportunity to be the new town manager, pending negotiations, during a special meeting held Saturday, May 23.

Kohbarger was peppered with questions by the board members (only Chairman Laurayne Murray and Don Rust were on the selection committee) prior to the decision being made.

Dan Sprouse wanted to know what the former Carlin city manager thought of Pahrump and where he can see the town three years from now.

"You've got a lot of potential down here," Kohbarger said. "You have a lot of land and real good base to develop businesses."

He added that areas he would like to work on include cleaning up the town's image (for example, getting rid of graffiti-ridden buildings along Highway 160), establishing more definitive zoning and helping the town to "grow, but grow smart."

Kohbarger went on to say that in four years he would like to form a solid economic development base and have Pahrump be "the cleanest city in the western United States."

Nicole Shupp asked Kohbarger why he was willing to leave the northern city of Carlin for Pahrump.

"You're growing, you're in the South, you've got a lot of potential ... and some good challenges," Kohbarger said. "It's a chance to use my full ability."

He said he has a "very open-door style management" method and was described by his former colleagues as "a good person to work for and work with."

"I'll always explain why I'm making a decision and I'll back it up with facts," Kohbarger said. "And if I'm wrong, I'll admit that I'm wrong."

During his time as Carlin's manager, Kohbarger said he had done everything from administrative work to plowing streets and helping repair sewers at three in the morning.

Vice Chairman John McDonald asked whether the manager-prospect had any experience working with the Bureau of Land Management and other government agencies. Kohbarger said he had plenty.

Some of that experience was acquired while Kohbarger helped Carlin get a 3.8-mile water extension to the University of Nevada, Reno, Fire Science Academy, which could not use its wells because they were contaminated.

The monstrous project entailed Kohberger's navigating through plenty of bureaucratic quagmires including getting a congressional appropriation, working with a number of government agencies including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and enlisting the aid of surrounding cities and counties to help get all the necessary funding for the project.

Kohbarger even wrote the environmental assessment for the project himself.

"It's tough getting the BLM to do anything," Kohbarger admitted. "You've got to have patience, documentation, and make sure you have all your ducks in a row, and usually in about seven or eight months you can get what you need."

When Murray told Kohbarger the town has several large projects of its own in the works, including the Pahrump Arts and Recreation Complex and several parks, and asked how he felt about tackling those, Kohbarger answered, "Stock up on a lot of three-ring binders."

Although Kohbarger hadn't been in town for very long, the rumor mill had already begun to churn, leading Nicole Shupp to ask about his plans for the Pahrump Valley Fire Rescue Service.

"I have no problem with a full-time fire department," Kohbarger said. "It's actually safer."

Earlier during the interview, he pointed out he'd helped Carlin's fire department to get $48,000 worth of back-owed bills paid and get it caught up on paperwork, thus helping to streamline the agency.

The motion to offer Kohbarger the job as soon as negotiations were complete passed unanimously by the board.