Pro's and Con's - Every Second Counts

Arguments For Passage

Vote YES. Henderson is a premier community, with a premier fire department, evidenced by five consecutive accreditations with the Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI).

Only 23 fire departments in the U.S. have received 5 accreditations.¹ Because of the City’s premier status, Henderson’s population has grown dramatically from 284,968 in 2014 to 343,791 in 2024.²,³
Henderson’s population is estimated to rise to 374,700 by 2029.3 This does not account for the nearly 900,000 annual visitors our City receives.⁴
This population increase impacts the fire department’s number of calls for service and medical transports. In the last 5 years, calls have increased from 34,263 to 42,184, or 23.1%,⁵ and medical transports have increased from 19,146 to 23,818, or 24.4%.⁶
These statistics will only continue to increase as the City’s population continues to grow. In order to maintain a premier fire department, providing exceptional and timely services to our community, the fire department will need to hire additional firefighters and paramedics as the population increases. They will also need additional equipment and fire stations to cover the growing areas of Henderson.
Currently, the fire department does not have a dedicated revenue stream.⁷ Each year, it must compete for budget money alongside the 16 other City departments.
A Yes vote will authorize a minimal tax increase of $0.06 per $100. This minimal increase will create a dedicated source of revenue, which would be strictly allocated to support the necessary increases in staffing and equipment for essential Fire Department services. This will prevent the Fire Department from having to request diversion of funds from other City Departments that also benefit Henderson residents. At the same time, because Henderson property taxes are already low, this increase will still maintain Henderson’s property taxes as one of the lowest for major cities in Nevada, at $0.83,⁸ and far below the national average of $0.99.⁹
The Fire department has a history of being a good steward of public funds, as evidenced by the recent recognition by the Nevada Taxpayer Association (NTA) with the 2023 Cashman Good Government Award, which recognizes superior stewardship of taxpayer dollars.¹⁰ With this new dedicated revenue stream, we can trust the fire department to continue to use our money wisely.

Vote YES. With this tax, we can ensure that all Henderson residents will continue to receive emergency services that are prompt, professional and premier.

The above argument was submitted by the Ballot Question Committee composed of citizens in favor of this questions as provided for in NRS 295.217.

SOURCES:

Henderson Fire Department Annual Response Report 2023, page 16.
Clark County Department of Comprehensive Planning Report 8/2023.
www.WorldPopulationReview.com.
City Department of Economic Development estimate.
Henderson Fire Department Annual Response Report 2023, page 7.
Henderson Fire Department Annual Response Report 2023, page 14.
Information provided by Asst. City Manager's office/CFO.
NV Dept. of Taxation/Local Government Finance/Property Tax Rates for NV Local Governments FY 2023-2024.
Yahoo.com/news (KLAS articles 4/16/2024).
City of Henderson Finance Department Recognitions, page 2.

Arguments Against Passage

The City of Henderson now seeks to increase our taxes for the purpose of improving public safety by reducing the response times, including for emergency medical services, of the Henderson Fire Department.

Those standing in opposition to Ballot Question Number 1 do not purport to be the authority on how best to improve public safety through reducing response times for emergency medical and fire response. No doubt the rapid growth in our City has generated numerous requirements for additional and improved services; however, the prospect of raising property taxes now represents4 an increased tax burden at a time when inflation and increasing prices continue to erode our purchasing power.
Property taxes are paid by all property owners. Residential/ homeowners generally pay annually, upon receiving a statement of taxes due from the County Assessor's office. The amount of the homeowner's payment is based on the assessed value of the home. The assessed value is 35% of a home's market value, as established by the County Assessor. The homeowner is billed at the rate of .7708 for every $100 of assessed value. The City now wants to increase that rate from .7708 to .8308, which will increase the tax burden by about $21 per year for every $100,000 of the home's value. For a home with a value of $300,000, the increase would amount to approximately $63 per year.
Obviously, the financial impact of this increase falls directly on property owners. Moreover, this increase will be in effect for the next 30 years, with no guarantee against requests for additional property tax increases during the coming years.
Prominent among the many favorable aspects of living in Henderson is the lower property tax factor of .7708, when compared to other municipalities. Eroding this tax advantage undermines this benefit which, in turn, could impact both home affordability, and our City's continued economic growth.
Clearly, and despite the rationale behind the request for the tax increase, no property owner wants to pay more in the form of property tax. Those who oppose this property tax increase respectfully suggest that the City might find additional funds for improved response times for emergency services through a reallocation and re-prioritization of its existing budget.

The above argument was submitted by the Ballot Question Committee composed of citizens in opposition to this question as provided for in NRS 295.217.