HENDERSON, Nev. (FOX5) — Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero, a candidate for mayor, said rising costs combined with flat sales and property tax revenue are the biggest challenge facing cities in Nevada.
“Costs are continuing to rise significantly, but sales taxes are flat and property taxes are essentially flat,” Romero said. “Those are the two largest sources of income for all cities in the state.”
Budget and strategic plan
Romero said the city faces an ongoing need to make sure infrastructure and public safety keep up with growth. She said Henderson currently has a growth rate of 1.5% to 2.5%.
She said the city follows a strategic plan that allows it to separate needs from wants and direct funding and resources to the needs first.
“We have a very robust strategic plan at the city that we follow very, very closely and it allows us very systematically to prioritize,” Romero said.
Romero said the city has rainy day funds and a stabilization fund for emergencies. She said Henderson has a gold medal for its budgeting and a balanced budget, and that the city makes cuts if necessary.
She said Henderson grew at double-digit rates in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which made it difficult to keep up with infrastructure for roads, water, sewer and public safety.
Housing and education
Romero said the city partnered with the governor’s office on the housing bill introduced in the last legislative session. She said the bill includes tools that help offset costs to developers, which must be passed on to the end user.
She said the city also uses federal programs tied to land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Romero said the city is a pass-through and the programs allow developers to buy the land at a reduced cost, which must also be passed on to the end user.
Romero said faster, consistent review of development plans saves developers money and lowers costs. She said the city is also looking at education, career paths and partnerships with companies that offer living-wage jobs.
On education, Romero said parents should have the right to choose the learning environment that is best for their child. She said CCSD is one source and charter schools are another, and that becoming the city’s own charter authority gives Henderson more control over whether schools meet benchmarks, star ratings and outcomes.
She said the city started its own pre-K program and has broken ground on a second. She said the city has approved its first charter school and is in the second round of applications.
Boulder Highway project
An interviewer asked about the Reimagine Boulder Highway project and concerns from small businesses along the road.
Romero said the city’s Public Works team worked with a third party that communicated with businesses along Boulder Highway. She said businesses know when closures are coming and know diversion plans before they happen.
Romero said the stretch of Boulder Highway was the deadliest road in Henderson, with 25% of the city’s vehicular fatalities. She said $40 million of the project is for flood control at Sunset Road and Boulder Highway, and the rest is safety-related.
She said the project reduces the number of lanes and puts buses in the interior lane, which removes them from the traffic flow. She said pedestrians now have to cross halfway instead of six lanes of traffic and a median.
City Hall
The interviewer asked Romero about reports of drama at City Hall over the past year. Romero said the reports are “greatly exaggerated.”
Romero said Henderson won the Malcolm Baldrige Award and is one of five cities to receive it. She said city departments are fully accredited, the city has award-winning parks and it added about four parks in the last year.
She said the city held 88 meetings outside of official City Council meetings last year and put its checkbook online.
Romero said the city surveys residents every other year. She said the most recent survey, from last year, ranked Henderson 40 points higher than the next closest city of its size for quality of life and “bang for your buck.”
Jobs and Haas Automation
Romero said the city has a targeted strategic plan to recruit specific industries. She said Haas Automation is one of them and will employ up to 2,000 people.
She said the city wants companies to take part in the community, including through schools and nonprofits. Romero said Henderson has a training center created in partnership with schools and Haas, and partnerships with higher education institutions.
Romero said Henderson has been diversifying for a long time and withstood the 2009 downturn and COVID better than many other cities in the country.
Public safety and traffic
Romero said residents most often raise public safety, education and traffic.
She said the Police Department is getting record numbers of recruits under its new chief. Romero said the department recently graduated its largest class and started a larger class May 4. She said that when the graduating class finishes, the city will have a 0% vacancy rate. She said the national average is about 10%.
Romero said the city has closed both union contracts and is close to finalizing negotiations with the fire department.
She said crime rates are going down in every category by double digits. Romero said the city is addressing the 215 and is prioritizing other streets.
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