The city of Reno expects its population to grow from 208,000 to 320,000 in 2030, and it's looking for ways to pay for that growth.

The current solution is to annex more of the area's developable land into the city, thereby ensuring that those building and buying new homes pay for the impacts they cause. Eyeing all the land around them, the cities of Reno and Sparks, along with Washoe County, have made an agreement over which lands they plan to absorb.

The Reno Annexation Program Settlement Agreement lays it all out, giving Reno the heads up to move north. The city estimates that it needs 12,000 acres to accommodate future growth.

Washoe County has sponsored an assembly bill to change the law concerning how cities can annex land. When the trio of governments in the Truckee Meadows divvied up their proposed territories, it was agreed they would work to help Reno annex land that is not contiguous to its city boundaries. Assembly Bill 287 proposes to do just that. It was introduced March 12 and is currently being considered in the Government Affairs Committee.

But Reno doesn't want to just move north, the city wants to leapfrog over the desert to Winnemucca Ranch. Winnemucca Ranch is 30 miles away from Reno and slated to be developed into a community of possibly 25,000 people next to Pyramid Lake.

Maybe AB 287 would help Reno pay for its unchecked growth, but it sets a dangerous precedent. If this bill is adopted, what would stop Reno from continual annexation? Any development could catch the greedy city's eye. As it searches for the tax base to fund its burgeoning population, what would stop it from looking for new sources of funding?

Such as Incline Village.

The lure of Incline's property taxes to Washoe County is already well documented. If AB 287 passes, there is a very real threat that Reno could start drooling over the tasty tax bite of Incline Village and Crystal Bay.

Assembly Bill 287 should be stopped. Incline and Crystal Bay residents should make the effort to voice their opposition to this proposal.