Editorial: Motels feel pinch of beautification

The Mandalay Bay hotel-casino, which will have 3,700 rooms when it is completed, has agreed to pay half of the $4.5 million it will cost to plant palm trees and place decorative lights on a half-mile stretch of the Strip's median between Hacienda Avenue and Russell Road. Considering Mandalay Bay's financial wherewithal, that would seem within its grasp. But the bill for the Glass Pool Inn -- built in the mid-1950s -- would be about $195,000, an excessive amount for the 48-room motel across the street from Mandalay Bay.

The county's formula for assessing the costs is shortsighted and unfair. The county wants to assess every business $880 for each foot of property that fronts the Strip. But it is wrong to assess motels with fewer than 100 rooms at the same rate as megaresorts with thousands of rooms. An equitable solution would be to consider other factors, such as the assessed value of the business' property.

Nevada has one of the lowest tax rates on casinos in the nation, so it doesn't seem to be asking too much for them to contribute to Strip beautification, which in turn assists their business. And Mandalay Bay has indicated that if it can find a less expensive way to do the landscaping, it might assume all the costs, which would be a welcome gesture.

If this doesn't happen, however, the county should readjust its formula for calculating each business' contribution so the improvements do not create a hardship on small businesses. Beautification of the Strip's median has been an excellent addition to the Strip corridor, but at the same time it shouldn't help bankrupt struggling motels.

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