Clark County Will Appeal the Badlands Tax Ruling, and the Bill Is Over $12.4 Million and Growing $3,000 a Day

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

KTNV 13 Investigates reporter Darcy Spears broke down the vote in a story published Oct. 21 and updated Oct. 22. Clark County commissioners voted Tuesday to appeal the Badlands tax judgment to the Nevada Supreme Court. They did it without any discussion from the dais. As of KTNV's report, the appeal itself had not yet been filed.

Here is what the county wants. A district court ruled that Lowie did not owe property taxes on Badlands land that the city of Las Vegas had taken for public use. The county is asking the state's highest court to throw that ruling out. If the ruling stands, the county has to pay.

The numbers are what make people stop and look. According to KTNV, the county owes Lowie and the city of Las Vegas more than $12.4 million. Most of that money would go to Lowie if the Supreme Court agrees with the lower court. Interest on the unpaid judgment grows by more than $3,000 a day while the appeal is pending. That works out to roughly $90,000 a month, and more than $1 million over a full year, if the case takes that long.

Then there are the lawyers. KTNV reports the county has already spent about $120,000 on outside attorneys in the tax case. It expects the appeal to cost about $50,000 more. Taxpayers also cover the time spent by the Clark County District Attorney's office. Add it up, and the legal side alone is heading toward $170,000 on top of the judgment and interest.

Lowie's attorney, Jim Leavitt, has argued for a long time that the county should never have collected these taxes in the first place. In an earlier interview with KTNV, he said the county ignored district court orders, the Nevada Supreme Court's Badlands decision, and U.S. Supreme Court precedent that taxes are not due on public property. In a new statement, he said the county should return money that does not belong to it, and he criticized the county for spending tax dollars on lawyers to hold onto that money.

The county sees it differently. It argues that forcing public agencies, including the school district, to hand the tax money back would hurt far more in today's economy. Local attorney Ramzy Ladah, who has followed the case, told KTNV that appealing again after a string of consistent rulings is less about the merits and more of a bet that a new court will see it differently. He also pointed out that interest keeps running during an appeal, and taxpayers carry both the interest and the legal fees.

A wooden judge's gavel resting on a closed book, representing the district court judgment Clark County is now appealing in the Badlands tax case

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

Start with the simple part. Clark County's budget is funded by the people who live and own property here. When the county pays a court judgment, pays interest, or hires outside lawyers, that money comes from the same pot that pays for parks, roads, public safety and other services. A daily interest charge of more than $3,000 is not huge next to a county budget, but it is real money, and it never stops while the case is open.

The second part is the school angle. The county's own argument is that a refund would pull money back from agencies that received the tax dollars, and it named the Clark County School District as one of them. Parents in Summerlin, Henderson, North Las Vegas and every other part of the valley have heard plenty about CCSD budgets. Any money that has to be clawed back from local agencies is money that was already counted on once.

The third part is about trust. The Badlands fight has been in Las Vegas headlines for years. Many residents remember the city's long court battle with Lowie over whether homes could be built on the closed golf course. KTNV notes the city of Las Vegas lost that fight at every level of the Nevada courts. Now the county is following a similar path in the tax case. When a government keeps appealing after losing, some people see it as protecting public money. Others see it as throwing good money after bad. Either way, the meter is running.

For homeowners near the old course, there is a more local angle. The land is no longer a fight over open space. It is now a construction site. Lennar has started work on The Preserve, a planned community of 1,480 homes on the roughly 250-acre former golf course next to Queensridge, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The tax case is about money owed for the years the land was tied up. It does not stop the homebuilding. But it is one more reminder of how much the Badlands saga has cost the public along the way.

Finally, this case is a lesson in how property taxes work when the government takes land. Lowie's side argues that once a court found the city had taken the property for public use, the land should not have been taxed like private property. The county argues it is not the one who should pay. That kind of question does not come up often, but when it does, the dollars can grow fast.

Background and History

The Badlands was a golf course on the west side of Las Vegas, next to the Queensridge neighborhood and close to the edge of Summerlin. After the course closed, Lowie's companies wanted to build homes on it. The city of Las Vegas blocked that plan, and the dispute turned into one of the most expensive land fights in Southern Nevada history.

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the city had taken the property from Lowie without paying for it, according to FOX5. That ruling set up a massive settlement. In March 2025, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley announced a final resolution for the site. The deal was a $636 million settlement. The Review-Journal reports the city bought the course for $636 million and sold it to Lennar for $350 million, which left city taxpayers with a $286 million cost. KTNV also notes that city taxpayers paid $286 million and the rest came from the sale to Lennar.

Aerial view of golf course greens surrounded by dry desert brush, similar to the former Badlands golf course land in west Las Vegas

The tax case is a separate fight. In July 2025, FOX5 reported that Lowie had sued Clark County for about $8 million in past property taxes. His lawsuit argued that because a court found the government took the land, the property should have been exempt from property taxes. Clark County told FOX5 at the time that it was unable to comment on pending litigation.

The county lost that round. FOX5 reported in March 2026 that the county had been ordered to refund about $8 million in property taxes to the Badlands developer. The county argued the city of Las Vegas should be the one on the hook, and it warned that paying would take money from schools, police and first responders. It asked the Nevada Supreme Court to step in through a special petition. The city, which the court had brought into the case, defended the ruling. The city said District Judge Jones read the briefs, heard the arguments, and ruled that the county was liable, and it said it expected the Supreme Court to uphold that decision.

Since then, the number has grown. KTNV now puts the total owed at more than $12.4 million, with more than $3,000 a day in interest added on top. That is why the March headlines and the October headlines show different dollar amounts. The March figure was the original refund. The October figure includes what has built up since.

What Happens Next

The first step is paperwork. The commission has voted to appeal, but KTNV reported the appeal had not been filed yet. Once the county files with the Nevada Supreme Court, both sides will submit written arguments. KTNV did not give a timeline for a decision, and appeals at the state's highest court can take a long time. Every day of that wait adds more than $3,000 in interest.

There are really only two ways this ends. If the Supreme Court agrees with the county, the county may not have to pay the refund, or the bill may shift. If the Supreme Court agrees with the lower court, the county pays the judgment plus all the interest that built up during the appeal, plus its own legal costs. KTNV reports most of the money would go to Lowie in that case.

Watch for three things over the next few months. First, the actual filing date of the appeal. Second, any update on how much interest has been added. Third, whether the county says anything more about where the money would come from if it loses, especially any impact on the school district. The county commission meets in public, and agendas are posted on the Clark County website ahead of each meeting.

Ryan's Take

I work with buyers and sellers all over the west valley, including Summerlin and the neighborhoods around Queensridge, and the Badlands has been part of almost every conversation about that area for years. For a long time, the question was whether anything would ever get built on that land. That question is answered now. Lennar is building, and that changes the story for nearby homeowners and for buyers who want to be in that part of town.

The tax appeal is a different kind of story. It does not change what your home is worth tomorrow, and it does not stop The Preserve. What it does is show how long these land fights can follow a community and how much they can cost the public. My advice to homeowners is simple. Pay attention to what your local government is spending money on, because it all comes back to the same taxpayers. And if you live near the old course and are wondering what all the new construction means for your home's value, that is a conversation worth having with real local sales data in front of you, not headlines.

Hands holding tax forms next to a calculator and laptop, a nod to the property taxes at the center of the Clark County Badlands appeal

What You Can Do

If you want to follow this case, start with the Clark County Commission. Meeting agendas and video are posted on the county website, and residents can speak during public comment. If you have an opinion about whether the county should keep spending on this appeal, that is the place to share it. You can also contact your own county commissioner's office directly.

If you own a home in Queensridge, Summerlin or anywhere near the old Badlands land, keep an eye on the construction at The Preserve. New homes nearby can change traffic, views and what buyers compare your home against when you sell. It helps to know what is being built and when, so you are not caught off guard.

If you are thinking about buying in the west valley, do not let the Badlands headlines scare you off or rush you in. The tax appeal is between the county, the city and the developer. It is not a lien on your future home. Look at the neighborhood, the HOA, the commute and recent sales, and make your decision on those facts.

And if you just want to understand your own property tax bill better, the Clark County Assessor's and Treasurer's websites let you look up your parcel, your assessed value and your tax history. It only takes a few minutes, and it is a good habit for any homeowner.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.

Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com