Reactions range from 'refreshing' to 'discouraging'

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn's "State of the State" address drew praise from Republicans, but some Democrats complained the plan was short on details and didn't provide a vision for guiding Nevada into the 21st century.

Guinn spent most of his 61-minute speech Monday detailing the problems with the $3.2 billion budget and his plans to conduct a thorough review of state agencies by 2001.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, a legislator for 26 years, said the speech was "refreshing" and that Guinn has a better grasp of Nevada's budget than any other governor he has seen. He applauded the governor for proposing to start a "zero-based" budgeting plan, which would require every state agency to re-evaluate each program it manages every two years.

"Any governor coming in ... would like to come in with a lot of new programs ... a lot of new ideas," Raggio said. "But this governor showed a complete grasp of the budget situation. I am amazed at the short learning time he had and the handle he has on this budget."

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, wanted to see more vision. "Kenny Guinn is a good administrator and he told us a lot about the mechanics of government. But it's not enough to know how things get done. You have to have some priorities and I didn't hear much about them.

"Where is Nevada going in the 21st century?" Titus asked. "That question was not answered.

"When you accompany budget reform with no agenda," she said, "then at the end of the day, all you've got is a new way of doing the books."

She was "discouraged" by Guinn's stance on growth in Las Vegas. While he agreed to cooperate with local officials, Guinn said he "would not sign any bill that alters local or regional government and planning in Clark County unless that legislation has been approved by the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority or Regional Planning Coalition."

Titus said the planning authority has recommended "only a few housekeeping things," adding, "I'm not sure the public in Southern Nevada will find that acceptable."

The governor applauded Titus for raising the issue two years ago, but said he disagreed with her "ring around the valley" plan to restrict growth.

Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, was "encouraged" the governor continued to fund the public schools and class-size reduction programs. But he added, "I have concerns we don't have money for pay raises." While the governor didn't have time to go into the budget, the Legislature has 120 days to examine those priorities and possibly make changes.

Ken Lange, executive director of the Nevada State Education Association, worried that the school improvement and accountability plan adopted two years ago may come to a halt while Guinn looks for a new funding formula for the public schools.

He's concerned there won't be enough money for teacher training and student testing during the coming two years. "We need to move ahead with those programs."

The other issue, Lange said, is a lack of salary increases for public school teachers. "In a state where we are already having difficulty in attracting teachers, the issue of salary increases at the tail end proposes a significant challenge for us.

"We're competing with other states for quality educators." Guinn said if new economic predictions on May 1 show there is more money available in the next two years, pay raises should have the top priority.

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