A bill before the state senate could dissolve the city of Ely, population 4,025.
If passed, SB 238 would put a referendum on a June 2017 ballot to disincorporate the city of Ely and reincorporate it as a town.
The town would have the same legislative boundaries as the city, but its governance would be taken over by White Pine County.
The mayor of Ely, Melody VanCamp, isn't exactly pleased about the senate bill, sponsored by Senator Pete Goicoechea (R-Dist. 19).
"They're going to ram this down our throats," she told KNPR's State of Nevada. "We were kind of caught off-guard about this. You know, we've heard a little bit of rumors, but we were really surprised something like this could take place."
According to VanCamp, the rumors of dissolution started once she and the city council launched an audit into a historical railroad owned in part by the city, which oversees the railroad's management board. She said the audit angered the management board, and according to her, it led to an injunction to stop the audit as well as failed recall efforts to remove her and her colleagues from office.
"The next thing was this bunch to go to Sen. Goicoechea and try to stop us on this end," she said.
If Ely is dissolved, it would lose oversight of the railroad -- the ultimate goal, VanCamp says, of the measure.
Even if SB 238 passes the Legislature and is signed, the city of Ely wouldn't yet be dissolved. Voters in the city would still have to approve the dissolution, and VanCamp is optimistic that wouldn't happen.
"I have yet to even hear one person who wants that," she said.
VanCamp said if she loses her position as mayor by dint of the city's dissolution, she'd consider running either for the White Pine County commission -- or for Sen. Goicoechea's seat.
Melody VanCamp, mayor, Ely, Nev.
