"Grow or Die" or Just "Tax Till We're Satisfied?"

Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson giving public comment on Thursday, March 27, 2025 at the AJR1 hearing, pointing out that in the last five years the City of Sparks costs have risen 54% and their income has only grown 16%.

Remember that old saying about history repeating itself? Well, grab your wallets, Nevadans, because AJR1—the sequel nobody asked for—is now playing at a legislature near you.

This blockbuster tax hike (previously known as SJR14 in its 2017 flop) has risen from the political graveyard with a simple plot: extract more property tax dollars from your pockets. Why? Because apparently our local governments have developed expensive tastes they can't seem to kick.

The star-studded cast features Assemblymember Natha Anderson, proudly carrying the torch once held by former State Senator Julie Ratti. Is it mere coincidence both hail from Sparks? About as coincidental as finding slot machines in a Nevada casino. Speaking of Ratti, she's now cashing government checks, hand-selected by County Manager Eric Brown to manage our mental health services. (The irony of needing mental health services after reviewing your property tax bill is not lost on us.)

The highlight of this production came March 27th when Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson delivered his dramatic soliloquy about how Sparks must "grow or die." Translation: "Your taxes must grow or our bloated budgets die." What poetry. What vision. What complete nonsense.

Let's call this what it is: Local governments made their bed with unsustainable employee compensation packages, and now they want taxpayers to lie in it. Rather than admit they've created a fiscal monster through years of generous pay increases, they're reaching for the easy button labeled "MORE TAXES."

The City of Reno, in their infinite courage, submitted a support letter for AJR1 without a single signature. Nobody willing to claim ownership—just faceless bureaucracy wanting more of your money.

So when Mayor Lawson dramatically declares Sparks needs to "grow or die," perhaps what he really means is "tax or admit we've been fiscally irresponsible." But that wouldn't make for nearly as catchy a soundbite, would it?

Hold onto your property deeds, folks. This tax drama is just getting started.