Thursday, March 27, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- A bill allowing the Clark County Commission to allocate $500,000 for affordable housing has been blocked by Sen. Bill O'Donnell, who said the county should not be in the home-building business.
O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, said he doesn't want affordable housing projects in established residential neighborhoods.
"It's government-subsidized housing," O'Donnell said. "We don't want it in Green Valley and we don't want it in Spring Valley. If you can find somebody out there who wants it next door to them, let me know."
O'Donnell's move Wednesday upset Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, a champion of affordable housing. "This is a terrible shame," she said.
She quoted O'Donnell as saying he didn't want this type of housing in his district, and O'Donnell confirmed he made the remarks.
Assembly Bill 17, which had passed the Assembly, would authorize counties and cities to use revenue from the real property transfer tax for affordable housing.
Buckley said Clark County has agreed for the first time to take money out of its own pocket to finance down payment assistance to low-income families, rehabilitate existing facilities and build new projects.
While the County Commission has distributed federal funds, this is the first time it would take money from its general fund, she said.
Buckley said zoning requirements would be followed and public hearings would be held before the projects can be located in neighborhoods. She suggested the bill was stopped "because of fear. I will work with him (O'Donnell) to find the real issue."
She said the money also would be used to assist families with down payments on homes that are already in the neighborhoods.
"I disagree with the county being in the home-building business," O'Donnell said. "If people want low-income homes, they should go see a realtor. We have plenty of them.
"We don't need to subsidize people to live in government housing anymore. This is the '90s. People need to work and save."
O'Donnell said he's willing to work with Buckley to make it a public-private partnership.
"I would like to get private industry involved," he said.
If money is given to low-income families for down payments, O'Donnell said it should be paid back.
O'Donnell also noted a plan to use the real estate property tax revenue to finance infrastructure in Clark County. He suggested the bill should be held to see the outcome of that plan.
The bill had been passed out of committee and was up for final passage Wednesday. O'Donnell put it on the shelf while he works out amendments with Buckley. O'Donnell's motion was decided on a voice vote with some Democrats objecting.
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