Cyndi Loza

Despite an approaching deadline, a committee looking for revenue sources to build and repair Washoe County schools delayed action Wednesday until April 15.

The School Construction and Revitalization Advisory Committee created last year by the Legislature discussed options for property or sales-tax increases that would require voter approval Nov. 4. It has until May 1 to make recommendations.

“I think this is the tough part that we’re into now, and I think we saw that this morning as we started narrowing down the possibilities,” Assemblywoman Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, said. “It’s probably too soon to tell what’s going to happen.”

State Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno and chairman of the group, said the committee will select revenue options at the next meeting.

“Oh God, I wish we had this amount of time in the Legislature,” he said. “This isn’t cutting it close.”

Taxes on cigarettes, liquor and adult entertainment were mentioned as possible sources of money during the meeting but Townsend later said they were “off the table.” He said a tax on cigarettes and liquor would be a state tax and not county specific. A tax on adult clubs would interfere with their constitutional right of freedom of expression, he said.

Washoe County schools Superintendent Paul Dugan said the public can argue the morality of a tax on cigarettes, adult clubs and liquor for education “but the fact is they’re legal in Nevada and in other places. So the question would be: Shouldn’t they be paying taxes that everyone else is?”

Since September, the committee has discussed plans to upgrade older schools, classrooms and technology for about $393 million.

In March, the group agreed to focus on renovations for existing schools instead of finding ways to fund construction of nine new ones.

“This has been a long process, but this committee has taken their job seriously and I appreciate that very much,” Dugan said.