Nye County seeks public input on $3 million grant plans

Nye County is asking residents to help decide which local projects should compete for about $3 million in State Community Development Block Grant money. Commissioners will hold a public hearing July 7 at 10 a.m. in Tonopah and Pahrump, and the county is already taking written comments by mail or email.

The hearing will lay out how the program works, review past projects funded in Nye County, explain eligibility rules and show where the money can go. The county says the next round could pay for public facility projects, public improvements and planning studies, but any application has to meet one of three federal national objectives: it must benefit low-income households or persons, remove slums or blight, or address an urgent community development need. A second hearing will follow for projects already submitted, and a final hearing will be held to discuss, approve and rank applications before the county sends them to the state.

That matters because the money is limited and the competition is real. Nye County says it expects roughly $3 million to be available, while the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development says the state had about $2.8 million available for the 2026 application period, about $200,000 less than the year before. The state process runs from eligibility in July through applications in February, with awards starting the following July, so the July 7 hearing is one of the first chances residents have to shape what gets prioritized.

The county’s own history shows how broad those projects can be. Nye County says it has received $7,309,306.57 in CDBG funding since 1982, with past work ranging from Tonopah water and wastewater projects to Beatty senior center and sanitation work, Pahrump fairgrounds drainage and detention, and housing rehabilitation. In 2025, the county’s award list included $265,000 for the Carvers Arena Revitalization Project, and county records show a later CDBG award for continued work at the Carvers Arena and Recreation Area in Round Mountain, with an estimated project cost of $328,200.

This year’s eligible activities could send the money toward visible needs across the county, including façade improvements and downtown revitalization, water supply distribution, sewer and water treatment facilities, flood control and engineering studies. That puts projects in Tonopah, Pahrump, Round Mountain and other rural communities in direct competition with one another, from housing-related work to basic infrastructure. Residents who want to weigh in can send comments to Nye County Finance-CDBG, 1981 E. Calvada Blvd., Suite 100, Pahrump, NV 89048, or email GrantsAdministrator@nyecountynv.gov.