Q&A/Storey County’s brothels boost tax revenue
Nevada is unique in that it is the only state that does not outlaw brothels. In 1971, Storey County passed Nevada’s first brothel ordinance, and, in fall 2000, it revised it, making the ordinance the strictest in the state, according to County Commissioner Bob Kershaw.
The county is home to one operating bordello, the Old Bridge Ranch, and, in December, it drew local media attention by granting a license to another one. The county expects the newly approved, 40-room brothel to generate $200,000 to $250,000 in room taxes each year.
Situated between the two businesses, is the nation’s most famous (now defunct) bordello, the Mustang Ranch. The federal government seized the land for that business in 1999 when its owners were convicted of fraud. All of Storey County’s brothels are located in Kershaw’s jurisdiction.
Q: What are the main points of the county’s brothel ordinance?
A: The owners can’t be convicted felons. They can’t have had a bankruptcy. Whoever’s going to manage [the brothel] has to go through the same background check and licensing as the owner. We just have a lot more safeguards as to who wants to come into our county and run a brothel.
Q: Why do you think the latest brothel licensing has gotten so much media attention?
A: It’s simple. Because it’s in Storey County and [because of] the county’s history with the Mustang Ranch and [its owner] Joe Conforte. This is the first brothel that’s gone forward since the closing of the Mustang Ranch.
Q: Where are the businesses located in the county?
A: The brothels are aimed at the tourist industry of Reno and Sparks; they aren’t in downtown Virginia City (the county seat). They’re off and away, and it’s a discreet thing. It wouldn’t make sense to put [the new brothel] on the south end of Storey County where it would be next to Lyon County and its brothels.
I think once [the new brothel is] up and running, unless you know it’s there, you won’t know it’s there. It’s in a secluded cove away from sight of the freeway, I-80. Land owners nearby are concerned that there may be people who get lost. We’re going to make sure they don’t have people driving up to their ranch homes asking, “Where’s the brothel?”
Q: In general, how do residents regard legalized prostitution in the county?
A: You have to remember [there are] about 20 brothels in the state. It’s not like it’s something new here. The majority has no problem with it as long as it’s done in a secluded spot, and it has no impact on the community. I think they favor it because it keeps our taxes down.
Right now Storey County has the second lowest taxes in the state of Nevada, and we’d like to keep it that way. We’re neighbors to Washoe County, which has some of the highest taxes in the state.
Storey County’s definitely not going out looking to bring all kinds of brothels in. We have to treat the brothels just like any other business. If they follow all the rules and guidelines, we can’t deny them [a license].
Q: Does the county allocate the revenue to anything in particular?
A: With us being a developing county, the money can go back into the roads and any kind of capital improvements and services. It would go into the general fund, and it’s just more for us to work with. As those tax dollars come in, we don’t have to raise the taxes of our residents.
Q: Has there been a push to rescind the ordinance?
A: No. There are some people who aren’t happy with it because they’re afraid of what it might do to future development and growth, but there has been less resistance this year than years past. I don’t get into the moral part of it. Nevada is Nevada.
Native Nevadans don’t think anything of [brothels]. I’m originally from Southern California, and, when I came here, I didn’t [set out] to change things. What I can do is find some kind of balance between the most amount of tax dollars for the least amount of impact.