Nevada Rural Road Trip addresses future of Uber, fire insurance, housing funds

LYDIA SNOW, Elko Daily Free Press, Nev.Elko Daily Free Press

The State of Nevada Rural Road Trip visited the Elko Mybrary on Monday. The event allowed state agencies to connect with rural Nevada communities and learn what issues they are facing.

Nevada Consumer Affairs investigator Rick Dutton explained how he advocates for consumers. Around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, his agency worked on a case against Frontier Communications.

“They were saying that you could get a certain amount of speed with your internet speed, which in all reality you were not. They were trying to upsell you.”

Also, they recently closed a case against NV Realty. “Through gathering our resources and information, we worked with all the county recorders – and the Elko County Recorder was instrumental in providing us with information to help your constituents,” Dutton said.

Nevada Consumer Affairs formed an agreement this week with the White Pine Sheriff’s Office to share information and take on cases with them. They have also reached out to Elko law enforcement about creating a similar partnership.

Ned Gaines, insurance commissioner with the Nevada Division of Insurance, explained how his agency recovered more than $9 million for consumers last year.

“There were a variety of reasons. Some of them, claims were underpaid, some that the transaction shouldn't have happened,” with billing issues as well, he said.

Darryl Van Dorn, deputy commissioner with Nevada Division of Insurance, shared how his agency helps regulate transportation issues, including predatory towing.

“Let's just say you're moving from Sparks to Elko or Elko to Winnemucca,” he said. “If you don't use a certificated carrier, once that mover has your possessions, they can hold them hostage and there's really nothing you can do.”

“Do not use brokers, use a certificated carrier – and if you do have problems, certainly contact us with any of those issues,” Van Dorn said.

Rodney Neils, chief administrator for Nevada mine safety, said his agency works with Nevada Gold Mines, inspecting each mine site at least once a year. “They are very proactive safety-wise,” he said.

“We only have six people statewide – and we're trying to robust up this unit, add more resources to the next legislative session,” Kris Sanchez, director of Nevada Department of Business and Industry, explained. “They do recover millions of dollars for constituents. Folks will literally just call in and say, ‘Hey, I paid for a new fence at my house and the guy took my deposit, I never saw him again.’ And they'll find those people.”

Bringing Uber to Elko

Van Dorn provided information at the meeting about how Elko can get Uber rideshares.

Uber is approved in Elko, they just have to convince drivers to drive there, he said. Uber is also a member of the Elko Area Chamber.

“Their Transportation Network Company permit, which is administrated under NRS 706A, is for the entire state of Nevada. So, any place in the entire state, they can be in Ely, Elko, Winnemucca,” Van Dorn explained.

“If anyone wants to drive for Uber, contact them and I'm sure that they'll put you on the app,” he said.

Also, Uber should be able to do video car inspections, he added.

Van Dorn noted how Uber can be “a little reticent” about serving areas without many drivers; however, other methods of transportation can balance this out, he noted.

Uber also carries insurance, he added. They insure drivers’ trips, although their insurance does not cover the driver’s time waiting for a call.

Fires and losing insurance

Gaines discussed the issue of Elko residents’ insurance policies being canceled due to fire risk. He said the Nevada Division of Insurance has been working closely with Elko Fire Chief Matt Petersen.

“There are some issues with the modeling, is what we're finding,” he said. “What we think is happening, that we're trying to dig into deeper to get proof of it, is that the modelers – they do this all across the region – they're lumping us in with California and they're not taking a lot of unique aspects of Nevada.”

“We have very different vegetation than California does. We have different terrain. And they're not looking at that. They're taking a broad brush, like, ‘you're a western state, you're high-wildfire.’”

“They're just looking at everybody countywide and it's like, ‘you're all the same’ – where they should be looking at it parcel by parcel, even down to the zip code, down to the neighborhood. So, that is something we are working on. We're looking at, where do we need some legislative fixes to enable people to be able to get the coverage that they need?” Gaines explained.

Sanchez said “technology has gotten to the point now where there are companies that are doing predictive analytics based on the type of biomass on a property, how much moisture is in that biomass and what species it is,” to determine how wildfire could affect it.

Technology exists for detailed analysis of how a fire will behave and which properties are in better shape – none of which is incorporated in the insurance models, he said.

Sanchez and his agency are working with Desert Research Institute and Western Fire Chiefs Association to resolve the issue.

“One of the ways that we're trying to tackle this is to dig really deeply into those models and determine how we can start to come up with our own assessments, that then can be matched up against the carriers,” Sanchez said. “We're really focused on getting meaningful policy for this next session, informed by the folks that are on the ground.”

Gaines said the Nevada Division of Insurance can advocate for people who lose their insurance for fire-related reasons. “If we get a complaint, we'll contact the company and tell them, ‘you need to go out and physically inspect this property.’”

“If you get there on the ground, you can see what the actual risk is rather than utilizing a satellite image or drone.”

Rural housing funds

Doug Smith from Nevada Housing Division, which funds affordable multifamily housing, said his organization is focusing on rural areas. They have already constructed homes in Elko.

Sanchez chairs the Attainable Housing Council, which is handling around $133 million in funds from the Governor’s Housing Bill. Next year’s iteration of funds will focus on rural communities. Each county receives its own specific allotment.

“The other thing that we're looking at is infrastructure, because many of our rural communities will need, like, $1 million, $2 million for maybe sewer and water infrastructure,” Sanchez said. “So, we're looking at the possibility of putting together a fund that's only accessible to the rurals.”