Harry “Bus” Scharmann, a longtime Republican, has filed for re-election to the commission from District 1. The Churchill County community has been at the forefront of his career for the past eight years he’s served on the commission to his time as dean of the Western Nevada College’s Fallon campus to interim superintendent for the Churchill County School District.
Scharmann has a list of priorities he shares, beginning with water. “The first priority on the list is water,” Scharmann said of the lifeblood for area farmers and ranchers. His list then becomes more detailed: Continue vigilance regarding the upstream use of both the Truckee and Carson rivers, assure the underground aquafer is replenished appropriately, continue exploration and feasibility of Dixie Valley water sources and continued the cooperation with the Truckee Carson Irrigation District with flood control and water efficiencies.
Improving the quality of life for the county’s residents has also been a top priority for the county. During the past four years, a new multimillion law enforcement building opened as did the William N. Pennington Life Center, the new home for the county’s senior citizens. Scharmann said the county could’ve faced lawsuits if a new jail hadn’t been built, and Scharmann said the former facility had officers working in unsafe conditions.
Scharmann said he will continue to promote health and safety if re-elected, citing additional areas of continual support for the Public Health Board initiatives, plans to slow the effects of opioid and meth epidemics and explore ideas for dealing with the homeless population. He said the health board has been more proactive in dealing with drug crisis and also with mental health.
As for the county’s homeless population, Scharmann said he would solicit more help from the churches and find a way to establish a shelter.
“We need to get ahead of this situation,” he said.
One of the long-running issues the county has dealt with is the Navy’s plan to modernize and expand its ranges by acquiring more land.
“We’ve been talking more to the Department of Defense and our congressional delegation,” Scharmann said of the expansion. “The Navy has listened to some of our concerns and has been more cooperative during the last few months.”
Scharmann said commissioners were able to acquire compensation from the Navy for grazing and mineral rights. Also in the works is a lands bill that will compensate the county for losing more than 400,000 acres.
“In our lands bill, we looked at the elimination of the Wildlife Study Areas because of the need for economic development in geothermal,” he said. Commissioners want to protect water rights in Dixie Valley.
The Navy expansion is also a sign for the area’s growth,” Scharmann said.
Scharmann said if a community is not growing, it’s dying, but he strongly favors managed growth. Plans are in the works to build new homes off Wade Lane, and growth also means improvements to the infrastructure. He said controlled growth at about 3% annually allows time for improving roads and sewer lines. Recently, the county bought land off Coleman Road to be used for affordable housing.
Scharmann said CC Communications has made Churchill County one of the most connected counties in the state. He said the first goal is to install fiber optic cable throughout the county and to expand from there.
Additionally, Scharmann said diesel is not taxed in the county, and he thinks truckers who drive through the area should pay their way. “I would like to start at 2.5 or 3 cents a gallon,” Scharmann pointed out, adding the revenue would be earmarked for the roads.
Every year, the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) money provides money from the U.S. government to the county’s because of services provided to the feds including police and fire protection and education. He said the current administration has been good about providing the funding to the counties, and he credits the national and state association of counties for ensuring the money is reimbursed.
“This administration has really been in touch with local governments,” Scharmann said. “The administration is really interested in what counties are doing.” Scharmann said the BLM is having a philosophical change and is looking at target and outcome-based grazing. He said the agency is working with ranchers and involving them with the decisions. He also favored the move of BLM headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Grand Junction, Colo, so the decision-makers would be closer to the people and areas they serve. The two-term commissioner also bristles at the Nevada Legislature’s unfunded mandates, so the county has a lobbyist who ensure the lawmakers listen to the local concerns.
Scharmann said the county supports WNC and its nursing program, which has returned some classes to Fallon. He said the campus, which was decimated by cuts eight years ago, has been coming back, and enrollment is up 16%. Scharmann, though, said the Board of Regents must bring back the Rural Formula, which was eliminated in 2013. The formula provided additional funding for the rural campuses because classes attracted fewer students than those attending a two-year college in Reno or Las Vegas.
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