Read more stories about 2008 ballot questions

WC #3
Shall the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan be amended to reflect and to include a policy or policies requiring that local government land use plans be based upon and in balance with identified and sustainable water resources available within Washoe County

Experts say water resources in Washoe County for the next 20 years could support a population of between 550,000 and 600,000.

WC #3 asks voters should the Truckee Meadows Regional Plan be amended to reflect and to include a policy or policies requiring that local government land use plans be based upon and in balance with identified and sustainable water resources available within Washoe County?

If passed WC #3 would change the regional plan to reflect and contain policies that would put future land plans and water resources in balance. By law local governments would have to adopt those regional policies.

Bob Fulkerson, PLAN State Director, helped spearhead the ballot question.

"What we have now is a kind of leap frog development where one developer has water rights so he gets approved. The other one doesn't so they don't get approved. And its not planning it's a free for all."

Developers and builders have come out against Washoe County Number Three. They claim the question is unnecessary as Nevada water laws already forces developers to acquire water rights before building starts. They warn if passed WC #3 will cost our area substantially.

Tray Abney is from the Sparks Chamber of Commerce:

"Our message is if you like the economy, the way it is now, then vote for WC3 because this is what you are seeing now, anti growth."

Abney says the ballot question takes the legs out from elected officials ability to make decisions about future growth in our area. Fulkerson say if passed WC #3 does exactly that....it forces those same people to look at the big picture.

"Money for roads, for schools for fire for police. And for water for sewage, where are you going to get the money to pay for all this? And out initiative would help to make sure these problems don't get worse."