Legislature OKs asking voters about dissolving city of Ely

Ryan Greene/Las Vegas Sun

An American flag waves in the distance in downtown Ely as seen from the UNLV football practice at Broadbent Park, Aug. 14, 2009.

Associated Press

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 | 11:21 p.m.

CARSON CITY — Nevada lawmakers have approved a measure that would let voters in the tiny Nevada municipality of Ely to weigh in on possibly dissolving the city.

Assembly members voted 23-18 on Wednesday night to approve SB238. The measure unanimously passed the Senate in April and now goes to Gov. Brian Sandoval for approval.

The measure would create a non-binding 2017 advisory ballot question to break up the city of Ely and instead form a town that would be governed by White Pine County.

Supporters said the measure would save money by reducing duplicated government services. The measure was amended to become a non-binding advisory question after Ely city officials strongly opposed the measure.

Ely has a population of about 4,000 and lies in eastern Nevada.