Las Vegas City Council news briefs

Thursday, April 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

* QUEEN DELAYED -- An agreement that would save the troubled Queen of Hearts hotel downtown was put off for two weeks by the City Council, after a dispute erupted over health inspections of the property. The city had moved to pull the license of owner Ann Meyers, but relented when she proposed greater security, inspection of rooms and temporarily closing the bar and limiting its hours when it does re-open. The council postponed the hearing to get an inspection report from the county's health department on the hotel.

* PARKING FEES HIKED -- Residents will be paying more for parking downtown if an ordinance introduced by Councilman Michael McDonald is approved. The ordinance would hike rates from 10 cents to 25 cents per half-hour. In addition, parkers would have to pay between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., three hours more than they do currently. The ordinance is necessary, according to city documents, because the removal of parking meters to make way for the Fremont Street Experience and the Fourth Street improvements has dragged down city parking revenues. Officials are counting on $150,000 more each year under the new ordinance. It will be heard April 29 by a council recommending committee.

* MORE SPACE -- Las Vegas officials are trying to lease a 40,000-square-foot building at 730 Las Vegas Boulevard South to provide more parking for residents who come to City Hall for permits, fines and building plans. All of the departments that interact with the public would be moved to the leased building, freeing up three badly needed floors in the City Hall tower. Departments like business license, planning and zoning, building permits and Municipal Court sewer and parking fine collections would be consolidated in the building, which sports 108 parking spaces. Public parking is severely limited next to City Hall.