City Council briefs

Tuesday, Dec. 22, 1998 | 11:24 a.m.

PLANNING -- The Las Vegas City Council appointed Hank Gordon to the city's Planning Commission on Monday to fill the seat vacated last week when commission Chairman Dave Griego resigned to run for a council seat.

Gordon is president of Laurich Properties Inc., a Las Vegas-based company that develops shopping centers throughout the Las Vegas Valley. Laurich has been in the real-estate business for more than 40 years.

"I have appeared before thousands of planning commissions while developing properties in California, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Montana and Nevada," Gordon said. "With Las Vegas being one of the fastest growing cities in the country, I look forward to the challenge."

This is not Gordon's first foray into public service. He once served for seven years on the Los Angeles County Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Commission, serving three of those years as chairman.

Mayor Jan Laverty Jones nominated him for the position. The Planning Commission has seven members and makes recommendations to the City Council about land-use issues.

ABSTENSION -- A simple request for a license to allow a local organization to serve booze at its New Year's Eve party wound up in the state attorney general's office before Las Vegas City Council even considered the item Monday.

The Knights of Columbus Council 10442 requested a special-event liquor license for a function to be held Dec. 31 at the St. Joseph Center, 7260 W. Sahara Ave.

Although there was no problem with the request per se, City Attorney Brad Jerbic phoned the attorney general's office to find out if councilmen who belonged to the Knights of Columbus should abstain on the vote as a matter of ethics.

"If you are a member of this particular council, you need to disclose and abstain (from the vote)," advised Jerbic, who himself is a member of that particular council.

Councilman Arnie Adamsen had to abstain from the item because of his membership in that council.

"Far be it from me to ever question a fair and reasonable person's judgment," Adamsen said, alluding to the state law's requirements that an elected official abstain from an item for which a fair and reasonable person perceives a conflict.

Both councilmen Michael McDonald and Larry Brown disclosed membership in Knights of Columbus, but were able to vote because they belonged to other chapters.

The item passed 4-0, with Adamsen's abstention.

APPOINTMENTS -- The Las Vegas City Council on Monday held off -- for the second time -- the appointment of its members to a variety of boards, commissions and authorities.

Mayor Jan Laverty Jones, who is being considered to fill the vacancy at the top of the Democratic National Committee, has not yet stated whether she attends to run for another mayoral term next year when her term expires.

Committee appointments -- including the two-year term to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, on which Jones sits -- could be a sign of whether Jones plans to run again.

The appointment item was stricken indefinitely.

RATE HIKES -- Bills regulating cable television service and providing annual adjustments in garbage collection charges were introduced by the Las Vegas City Council on Monday.

The garbage collection bill would tie future rate increases from Silver State Disposal to the Consumer Price Index. The bill is being proposed to protect consumers from a steep rate hike from one year to another, according to City Attorney Brad Jerbic.

In 1994, Silver State hiked its rates 19 percent in Las Vegas and neighboring cities. Silver State has asked for rate hikes about every three or four years since 1985.

The cable bill is required as a result of the transfer of ownership from Prime Cable of Las Vegas to Cox Communications. Each entity of the Regional Telecommunication Jurisdictions (RTJ) must issue a new franchise agreement.

The Las Vegas bill states in part that cable television franchises and service permits are to be nonexclusive and that such franchisees are required to have a city business license. Other provisions of the bill deal with permit fees, application procedures for cable permits and a requirement that cable television companies install and maintain an emergency alert system for use by the city.

Both bills will be discussed in a public hearing before the council's Recommending Committee on Dec. 28 at 4:30 p.m.

AUDITOR -- The Las Vegas City Council on Monday approved upgrades to the city auditor's positions as recommended by its Audit Oversight Committee.

The next auditor will be required to have 10 years of auditing work, including operational and financial auditing experience. The successful candidate will have either a Certified Public Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor designation.

The pay scale for the position was also increased from $66,000 to $110,000 from the current range of $59,194 to $98,658.

The city auditor's position has been vacant since Susan Toohey was fired without explanation last March.

SHADOWING -- The Las Vegas City Council appeared to have an added representative Monday as a young lady sat between Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and Councilman Michael McDonald during the meeting.

Annie Flanzraich, an eighth-grader at Thurman White Middle School, spent Monday at City Hall experiencing a day in the life of a city councilman and shadowing McDonald through meetings, interviews with media and chats with constituents.

Flanzraich is president of Thurman White's student council and chose to spend time at City Hall during her school's job shadowing day.

AWARD -- Kimberly Bradshaw, a 19-year city of Las Vegas employee, received Employee of the Month honors Monday.

Bradshaw, a senior graphics information systems analyst, was honored for her work spearheading a safe schools map and other graphic projects in a professional and timely manner.