Wednesday, April 15, 1998 | 10:07 a.m.
NORTH LAS VEGAS -- A crime-fighting program that in 1996 boosted property taxes to put more police on the streets is already sputtering because of a lack of funds.
The North Las Vegas City Council held a special meeting Tuesday to discuss alternative ways to fund Safe Streets 2000, which tacked 20 cents onto residents' property taxes and added 68 officers to the police force after a November 1996 election.
Police Chief Joey Tillmon told the council that the department needs $6.3 million to pay the officers' salaries until the special program ends in 2000.
"As a council, we need to not bicker about what's happened, but let's fix it and make it right," Councilman William Robinson said.
Councilmembers unanimously agreed not to look toward property taxes, which already are the highest in the state. Instead, the council decided to appoint a nine-member task force to study alternative sources of funding.
"The voters have given us all they are going to give us," Councilwoman Stephanie Smith said. "It's not their fault we asked for 20 cents when we should have asked for 35 cents."
The property tax was raised from $3.06 per $100 assessed value on a home to $3.26. Residents were told that with the tax increase, an expanded police force would reduce the average response time from 18 minutes to five minutes.
Before the 68 officers were added, the ratio of officers per 1,000 residents was 1.6; the national average is 2.7. The new cops were assigned to gang units, investigations and neighborhood patrol.
The program hasn't been in effect long enough to study the difference in numbers, police said.
"We didn't know it would take so long to get the special units out," said officer Sam Smith, who helped create Safe Streets 2000. "What we haven't seen at this point is the positive effects of it.
"I hope we don't lose the initiative of seriously lowering the crime rates as we set out to do."
The city pitched Safe Streets 2000 after Metro Police boosted its force. Administrators worried that with Metro's bulked up department, all the criminals would be flushed into North Las Vegas.
That is still a concern, which is why the council is determined to assemble the task force rather than putting an end to the program.
Also during Monday's special meeting, the City Council discussed changing the term limits of the Planning Commission and the manner in which members are appointed. Councilmembers did not take any action.
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