Bill to kill Nevada tax roll publishing requirements advances to Senate

CARSON CITY — Nevada counties would no longer have to publish annual tax rolls in local newspapers but instead could post the information on the Internet under a measure passed Thursday by a Senate committee.

Senate Bill 95 sponsored by state Sen. David Parks, D-Las Vegas, would give county assessors the option of print or digital distribution, though most testified in favor of the bill as a way to save taxpayer dollars, reduce paper use and landfill waste.

The Senate Committee on Economic Development and Revenue unanimously approved the bill, which now moves to the Senate floor.

It rejected an amendment sought by the Nevada Press Association to require counties who opt for online publication to take out full-page newspaper advertisements alerting the public on important information such as tax deadlines and appeal processes.

Parks said the amendment amounted to “belt and suspenders” overkill.

“I think SB95 as submitted to you is quite adequate for both transparency and for completeness,” he said.

Clark County, home to about 2 million people, in recent years has spent more than $600,000 annually to publish the tax rolls.

Critics of the legal requirement argue it doesn’t make sense as more people get news and information from the Internet and on mobile devices.

Contact Sandra Chereb at schereb@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901. Find her on Twitter: @SandraChereb.