State Sen. Mike McGinness, R-Fallon, is finding out when Gov. Jim Gibbons means he's against raising taxes, he means it, even if a measure would allow counties to raise theirs.

McGinness-sponsored Senate Bill 146 would have allowed Lyon and Churchill counties to levy a property tax of up to 5 cents per $100 of valuation for a regional juvenile detention center. It was vetoed by the governor last Thursday.

The senator, who represents the vast Central Nevada Senatorial District, which includes Nye County, was pessimistic another bill he introduced to allow smaller counties to levy taxes to create their own county health districts may suffer the same fate.

The state Senate voted unanimously to sustain the governor's veto.

Senate Bill 278, introduced March 16, would allow counties with a population of less than 100,000 people to levy a property tax of up to 15 cents per $100 of valuation, or a one-quarter percent sales tax to pay for a county health district, if the county commission approves. The bill also allows two or more adjacent counties to form a single health district.

The board of health would include members of the county commission, a district health officer and a physician.

The board of health would prevent and control nuisances; regulate sanitation and sanitary practices in the interest of public health; provide for sanitary protection of water and food supplies; provide for mental health services; provide for services relating to the prevention and treatment of alcohol and drug abuse and coordinate with activities of any emergency management organization.

"Nye would be eligible, but they didn't ask me for it," McGinness said.

Instead he filed the bill at the request of Douglas, Carson City, Storey and Lyon counties, McGinness said.

"There's some public health nurses here that have some concerns local entities don't have funding sources," McGinness said.

Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo said a health district would be useful in Nye County but he didn't think another tax was a good idea in these tough, economic times.

When health issues arise, DeMeo said it can take a while for health inspector Erica Ryan to come out from Las Vegas, the sheriff said.

"By the time she gets out here these complaints are two weeks old," DeMeo said.

A seminar was conducted by the Nevada Division of Health in Pahrump this month after complaints were received about people cooking barbequed food at home and selling it on the street without a permit.

DeMeo said the numerous vendors on street corners selling oranges aren't selling prepared food and wouldn't be in violation.

McGinness isn't optimistic the health district bill will pass.

"My bill to allow funding for a juvenile detention facility -- the governor vetoed it saying it would be a new tax even though it would be just authorizing commissioners to levy that tax," he said.

When it comes to a bill allowing counties to levy taxes to pay for health districts, McGinness said, "We may not pursue it if the governor says he won't pursue it. No use going through the ringer."