Two ballot questions to be decided

Whether it’s by mail-in, early or in-person voting the day of this year’s general election, Boulder City voters will be asked to cast their ballots for an array of elected seats. In addition, there will be a pair of ballot questions seeking a yay or nay vote.

Earlier this year, the Boulder City Council approved the pair of ballot questions that will go before the voters in this year’s Nov. 3 Municipal General Election.

Following council’s approval of the placement of the ballot items, the city sought volunteers to write arguments advocating and opposing the questions. These committees are required under state law.

“The 2013 law requiring citizen-prepared ballot arguments ensures that whenever a city or county places a question before the public, voters receive clear, concise, and easy-to-understand explanations that are written by fellow voters that represent those in favor and those opposed,” City Clerk Tami McKay told the Review in March.

The following are the ballot questions along with some of the comments for and against each from the committees. The entirety of their findings can be seen at https://bcnv.org/193/Current-Ballot-Questions.

Question 1: Should data center facilities be an approved land use within the Eldorado Valley Transfer Area outside of the Multi-species Habitat Conservation Easement?

ARGUMENT FOR PASSAGE:

This ballot question only gives us, the citizens of Boulder City, much-needed additional financial options. It does not automatically approve any project. Approving the measure simply adds data centers as a permitted use on a portion of city-owned land. All future data center proposals will still require full review and approval through Boulder City’s standard land-use and leasing process.

Boulder City currently relies heavily on revenue from solar leases across thousands of acres in the Eldorado Valley. Many of these subsidized land leases are approaching expiration, and the city’s first major solar plant in the area is already being decommissioned. We can’t assume solar revenue is forever.

Boulder City cannot stop data center development on adjacent lands. A large data center is already proposed in the Eldorado Valley on Henderson land, and another is planned on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in the same area. There is a strong likelihood that multiple data centers will be built along Boulder City’s borders regardless of local decisions.

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT FOR PASSAGE:

The argument for Ballot Question 1 relies on claims that don’t hold up under closer inspection. Supporters say projects will go through full review, but Boulder City has never rejected an energy project lease. This raises doubts about whether strict oversight or real safeguards would be upheld, and negotiations would be in the hands of city council.

Data centers carry serious long-term risks. The electrical demand could strain regional infrastructure. They may also impact scarce shared water resources, even with promises to reuse water. Additionally, these projects could add to cumulative habitat disruption for desert tortoises, and impact the community through increased noise, traffic, and changes to the landscape.

Supporters ask voters to trust that impacts will be limited and that the city will earn revenue, but there are no guarantees. Besides, our town has always done things differently than neighboring communities, rejecting casinos, adult entertainment, and dispensaries- all of which could generate tax revenue. Just because Henderson and Las Vegas might welcome data centers, doesn’t mean we have to, too.

Question 2: Shall the city of Boulder City be authorized to expand available funds from the Capital Improvement Fund in an amount up to 50% of the most recent audited fiscal year’s ending cash balance in the Capital Improvement Fund each year in place of the previously-authorized amount of $1 million per year for capital improvement projects for the benefit of Boulder City residents and visitors?

ARGUMENT FOR PASSAGE

The City of Boulder City’s Capital Improvement Fund (CIP) currently holds approximately $13 million and continues to grow by about $3 million per year from revenue generated by land leases in Boulder City. Voting YES on this ballot measure would allow the city to spend up to 50% of the Capital Improvement Fund each year on approved projects within Boulder City. For years, critical infrastructure projects have been delayed or scaled back due to the current $1 million annual spending limit established in 2015. Examples include governmental projects, renovations to the city pool and recreation center, and repairs to irrigation systems. The $1 million cap, set more than a decade ago, is now outdated. Construction costs have risen significantly, while lease revenues from solar and battery storage projects have grown substantially — creating a large, underutilized fund that was intended to benefit residents and visitors.

REBUTTAL TO ARGUMENT FOR PASSAGE

The purpose of BC’s spending limits is to provide accountability and transparency. The citizens demand it and voted for it. Treating this money as a “slush fund” that can be used on any “approved projects” rejects the premise that the voters want to be fully informed of the use of their tax dollars, as well as who is suggesting the expenditure, how the project will benefit all the citizens and who will pay costs of maintaining and supporting infrastructure once it is capitalized and complete.

If the true intent of this proposal is to remove the citizens from the decision-making process, this will succeed, but if that is what is desired, then admit it and simply have the citizens vote to remove the requirement that capital improvements be approved by them at all. This ballot question is a way to drain the collective savings of the citizens of Boulder City and remove guardrails against spending sprees and projects that do not receive the full light of day.