Clark County Commission passes More Cops sales tax hike

The Clark County Commission has approved increasing the sales tax rate from 8.1 percent to 8.15 percent starting in January to pay for more than 100 new officers at local police departments.

The commission approved the so-called More Cops proposal on a 6-1 vote that came without much of the acrimony that divided the board when it failed to pass several versions of the tax increase in 2013.

The decision was also a major victory for Sheriff Joe Lombardo. He promised to have officers begin responding again to noninjury vehicle accidents and reopen a west valley substation in exchange for the added funding.

The tax is expected to generate about $14.6 million a year for Metro, enough to hire 133 additional officers. Another $4.8 million will go to hire dozens of officers in Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite and Boulder City.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.