By Bethany Barnes| January 31, 2016
Until recently, the Southern Nevada Conservation District has flown mostly under the radar.
That low profile is about to change, though, now that the seven-member board has the power to ask voters to consider a tax increase. That power has the business community and elected officials asking questions about plans for the district, now known mostly for its annual Christmas tree-recycling program.
The Southern Nevada district is one of 28 conservation districts in the state. All of which gained the ability, thanks to a bill passed by legislators in 2015, to put a question on the ballot asking voters to approve a property tax of up to $25 per parcel. As it stands, the districts get a couple of thousand dollars in state funding. This year the Southern Nevada Conservation District received $4,000.