1. What motivated you to run for Fernley City Council and if successful what do you hope to accomplish during your term?
I moved to Fernley over seven years ago, and found myself quickly involved in many community activities ranging from coaching soccer, to judging high school forensic competitions. I grew to truly love this community. My desire to be a part of the city council comes from this genuine love of Fernley and the people who live here.
As a member of the Fernley City Council, I will be the voice that will push for the services and jobs that this community needs to grow. We need a plan to promote growth, stimulate our local economy, lure new businesses to locate in our area, and complete vital infrastructure needs that have been neglected to remain competitive. That plan can include any number of things ranging from easier permit processes, low fees, and expedited services.
Elected officials are public servants, but so are our city staff. The public expects that those who govern it will work for the best interests of the City and not their own individual interests; they expect honesty, fairness, and a commitment to the common good. When a public official fails in one or more of these, the public themselves has a very effective mechanism to hold the officials accountable and that is at the ballot box if no other place. But the public also expects elected officials who operate on the public’s behalf to hold city staff accountable. That is not currently being done.
During my campaign, and even before, I have seen that some public employees are not acting in the city’s best interest. There are lawsuits that could have been avoided, disgruntled employees, past and current, and serious warning signs in our financial statements including increasing debt, and reductions in the general fund for the past two years, and NRS violations, that can no longer be ignored. Greater oversight of city staff needs to be implemented, and staff changes may also need to be made in order to best serve the residents of Fernley.
2. How do you feel real estate signs should be regulated?
The real estate sector is a HUGE part of Fernley’s economic health, and the industry has taken a huge blow already due to the economy. Enacting stringent laws regarding sign posting at his time will not only effect those in the real estate sector, but also to the home seller’s themselves. In this market it is tough enough to sell a home, we don’t need any additional regulations as long as the developers, agents, property managers, investors, and home owners don’t grossly abuse the practice.
3. In your view, what is the single most important problem facing the City of Fernley in the next 5 years? What do you plan to do to address this problem?
Our rapid population growth has placed pressures on this community in a variety of areas including housing, transportation, waste disposal, air and water protection, schools, etc. State budget cuts have placed increased limitations on the amount of funds available to us to help alleviate these problems.
I believe the city is essentially a business, and as such should be run like a business with plans to increase revenues and cut expenditures. We have placed too much of the burden of supporting the city on builders and taxes – there are alternative revenue generating programs that other cities are using that need to be looked at. We also need to look carefully at the spending that is taking place to determine where cuts can be made.
4. Occasionally ordinances to retrofit items or service systems at point-of-sale are proposed, i.e., woodburning stove retrofits or low flow toilets. This often happens when citizens will not voluntarily do the retrofit. Would you support point-of-sale proposals?
I think a point of sale requirement will be very costly and slow the home buying process down. This type of out-of-pocket expense will prevent many homeowners from having the option to sell their home, particularly if they need to sell due to a difficult financial situation. In addition, the cost will inevitably be passed on to homebuyers, making it even more difficult to afford a home in Fernley. Fernley’s draw has always been affordable living, and we are taking too many steps leading us away from that. I am also concerned that we do not have the available city staff to handle such an undertaking.
I would prefer to have information available regarding the incentives that are available from businesses such as the rebates that are offered through Sierra Pacific for purchasing energy efficient appliances.
5. Lyon County is considering creating a roads and alleys general improvement district which would increase property taxes within the City of Fernley? Do you support this effort? ________ If yes, why?
Yes. Roads are cracking in Fernley. Potholes are cropping up on Cottonwood. Pavement is wearing out on Fremont. The longer our roads go without repair, the worse their condition becomes and the more it will cost to fix. The cost of highway and street construction jumped 66 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And it's still on the rise.
We have been able to fund some road projects, including routine maintenance, but that funding is no longer keeping up with the soaring costs and rising demands of roadwork. Our population growth has put increased demands on our infrastructure. Our roads are in need of funding, and there are many solutions, including enacting a future special assessment district, a tax override or other alternative sources to fund road repairs and maintenance.
We can either move forward with a solution, or we can do nothing, which will cost more in the long run. Nothing is free
6. What is your position on impact fees? Additionally, what is you position on the current requirement to install purple pipe during initial development of property?
I am not a proponent of impact fees. Since announcing my candidacy, I have researched impact fees fairly extensively. I do not believe that impact fees are economically sound; traffic impact fees are a flawed method of providing infrastructure. . Development impact fees vary greatly between jurisdictions with many imposing fees that are difficult to justify. Many governments simply come up with a wish list of public projects and then they try to get them financed by developers. In these cases, the impact fees are nothing more than a general tax on development.
Proponents of impact fees argue that impact fees make developers pay for the costs their developments impose on a community, but the truth of the matter is that the cost of impact fees is rarely paid be the developers – the fees are almost always passed on to the occupants in the form of a higher purchase price or increased rent.
I moved to Fernley over seven years ago, and found myself quickly involved in many community activities ranging from coaching soccer, to judging high school forensic competitions. I grew to truly love this community. My desire to be a part of the city council comes from this genuine love of Fernley and the people who live here.
As a member of the Fernley City Council, I will be the voice that will push for the services and jobs that this community needs to grow. We need a plan to promote growth, stimulate our local economy, lure new businesses to locate in our area, and complete vital infrastructure needs that have been neglected to remain competitive. That plan can include any number of things ranging from easier permit processes, low fees, and expedited services.
Elected officials are public servants, but so are our city staff. The public expects that those who govern it will work for the best interests of the City and not their own individual interests; they expect honesty, fairness, and a commitment to the common good. When a public official fails in one or more of these, the public themselves has a very effective mechanism to hold the officials accountable and that is at the ballot box if no other place. But the public also expects elected officials who operate on the public’s behalf to hold city staff accountable. That is not currently being done.
During my campaign, and even before, I have seen that some public employees are not acting in the city’s best interest. There are lawsuits that could have been avoided, disgruntled employees, past and current, and serious warning signs in our financial statements including increasing debt, and reductions in the general fund for the past two years, and NRS violations, that can no longer be ignored. Greater oversight of city staff needs to be implemented, and staff changes may also need to be made in order to best serve the residents of Fernley.
2. How do you feel real estate signs should be regulated?
The real estate sector is a HUGE part of Fernley’s economic health, and the industry has taken a huge blow already due to the economy. Enacting stringent laws regarding sign posting at his time will not only effect those in the real estate sector, but also to the home seller’s themselves. In this market it is tough enough to sell a home, we don’t need any additional regulations as long as the developers, agents, property managers, investors, and home owners don’t grossly abuse the practice.
3. In your view, what is the single most important problem facing the City of Fernley in the next 5 years? What do you plan to do to address this problem?
Our rapid population growth has placed pressures on this community in a variety of areas including housing, transportation, waste disposal, air and water protection, schools, etc. State budget cuts have placed increased limitations on the amount of funds available to us to help alleviate these problems.
I believe the city is essentially a business, and as such should be run like a business with plans to increase revenues and cut expenditures. We have placed too much of the burden of supporting the city on builders and taxes – there are alternative revenue generating programs that other cities are using that need to be looked at. We also need to look carefully at the spending that is taking place to determine where cuts can be made.
4. Occasionally ordinances to retrofit items or service systems at point-of-sale are proposed, i.e., woodburning stove retrofits or low flow toilets. This often happens when citizens will not voluntarily do the retrofit. Would you support point-of-sale proposals?
I think a point of sale requirement will be very costly and slow the home buying process down. This type of out-of-pocket expense will prevent many homeowners from having the option to sell their home, particularly if they need to sell due to a difficult financial situation. In addition, the cost will inevitably be passed on to homebuyers, making it even more difficult to afford a home in Fernley. Fernley’s draw has always been affordable living, and we are taking too many steps leading us away from that. I am also concerned that we do not have the available city staff to handle such an undertaking.
I would prefer to have information available regarding the incentives that are available from businesses such as the rebates that are offered through Sierra Pacific for purchasing energy efficient appliances.
5. Lyon County is considering creating a roads and alleys general improvement district which would increase property taxes within the City of Fernley? Do you support this effort? ________ If yes, why?
Yes. Roads are cracking in Fernley. Potholes are cropping up on Cottonwood. Pavement is wearing out on Fremont. The longer our roads go without repair, the worse their condition becomes and the more it will cost to fix. The cost of highway and street construction jumped 66 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And it's still on the rise.
We have been able to fund some road projects, including routine maintenance, but that funding is no longer keeping up with the soaring costs and rising demands of roadwork. Our population growth has put increased demands on our infrastructure. Our roads are in need of funding, and there are many solutions, including enacting a future special assessment district, a tax override or other alternative sources to fund road repairs and maintenance.
We can either move forward with a solution, or we can do nothing, which will cost more in the long run. Nothing is free
6. What is your position on impact fees? Additionally, what is you position on the current requirement to install purple pipe during initial development of property?
I am not a proponent of impact fees. Since announcing my candidacy, I have researched impact fees fairly extensively. I do not believe that impact fees are economically sound; traffic impact fees are a flawed method of providing infrastructure. . Development impact fees vary greatly between jurisdictions with many imposing fees that are difficult to justify. Many governments simply come up with a wish list of public projects and then they try to get them financed by developers. In these cases, the impact fees are nothing more than a general tax on development.
Proponents of impact fees argue that impact fees make developers pay for the costs their developments impose on a community, but the truth of the matter is that the cost of impact fees is rarely paid be the developers – the fees are almost always passed on to the occupants in the form of a higher purchase price or increased rent.
Adverse economic consequences will result if the aggregate impact fee schedule is too high, as households and businesses consider moves to Fernley, they also look at other locations such as Storey County, Silver Springs, Fallon, and Dayton all of which are good substitutes for moving to Fernley. These areas will become even more attractive to developers if we move forward with the rates of impact fees that have been proposed for Fernley. Overcharging new development relative to other areas is likely to delay further development and slow economic growth.
It will hurt our already struggling economy, as more and more companies choose to locate in places other than Fernley. We are going to lose the services these businesses offer, we’re going to lose the jobs they provide. We’re going to lose the taxes these workers pay. We’re going to lose the money they spend right there in our community.
As I state before, increased building fees are almost always passed on to the buyer, and I believe the purple pipe system is no different. I believe that the choice to use the purple pipe system should be up to each individual homeowner, similar to other options offered when you purchase a new home (not everyone chooses the upgrades). I think that the option should be offered to every new homeowner, and that homes should be built to allow for installation at a later point if the current homeowner (or future homeowner) wishes to have this option.
7. Why should Realtors® support your candidacy?
You should support my candidacy for Fernley city council because it is time for a change. The time has come for a new generation of leaders to step forth and put Fernley back on track.
My track record demonstrates a long-standing interest in community issues, my volunteer activities have been varied and deep. I have been actively involved with the Rotary, AYSO, ComPaSS, Healthy Communities, and other organizations in town. It is because of the both the range and extent of my volunteer work that I feel such a part of the many aspects of this community.
In addition, to the close ties within the community, I also bring education and experience to the table. I attended UNR, majoring in accounting – I have training in economics, statistics, marketing, and accounting. These are all things that really matter to city government.
Guiding the direction of a city is hard work, but I'm prepared for it. I know what it means to do whatever is necessary to get the job done, and I know how to do my homework to understand complex issues. I will be an ear that will listen to your ideas and concerns. I humbly ask for your kind support.
8. What is your position on property rights protection for landowners?
I believe that property rights are governed by our Federal government through the Constitution, specifically in the 5th and 14th amendments. The Fifth Amendment states:
Nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
The Fourteenth Amendment states:
No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.
I believe federal government trumps state or local government.
9. What steps would you, as a council member, take to address revenue shortfalls in your city?
They say that, if you are in a hole, the first thing you should do is stop digging. Fernley is in a hole, and needs to take serious measures to begin to get out of it. According to Standard and Poor’s overall debt per capita at $1,000 is considered low, up to $2500 is moderate, and over $2,500 is high. Per the 2007 financial statements, Fernley’s per capita debt was at $2,977. They decided to dig the hole a little deeper, and issue more debt in 2008. With a population of approximately 19,700 (per city of Fernley website) we are currently at $4500 per capita. In my opinion, the city needs to get down to moderate debt levels below $2500 per person.
As an individual, my family lives on a budget - if I don't have the money, we don't buy it. The city needs to follow the same mentality. I believe the “want” is overriding the “needs” in expense growth, and that needs to change drastically. Clearly this is not the time for new programs, large investments, or capital improvements. Rather, it is a time for belt tightening, planning, and debt reduction.
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