NLV City Council OKs changes to pawnshop ordinances

Lisa Snedeker

Thursday, March 18, 1999 | 11:15 a.m.

Concerned about a proliferation of pawnshops, the North Las Vegas City Council approved changes to three city ordinances dealing with pawnshops, secondhand dealers and auto brokers in relation to the city's growth.

As part of an attempt to upgrade the city's image, the amendment allows granting only one new pawnshop per 50,000 residents once the city's population officially surpasses 100,000.

The previous ordinance limited the number of pawnshops to one for every 20,000 people. At last official count by the state in 1997, the city's population was 93,000, meaning with four pawnshops the city was at its limit.

But the state demographer's office estimates that the city's population is now 107,000-plus and growing at almost 15 percent a year. The estimate is scheduled to become official in April, which means one new license would be available.

The amendment also requires that any new pawnshop must be located at least 2 miles away from any other pawnshop, thus eliminating clusters like the one found at the city's southern entrance on Las Vegas Boulevard, where three of the city's four pawnshops sit.

Don Schmeiser, director of the city's Development Services department, called the amendments major rewrites of codes that have been in existence for decades.

"One of the principle reasons for updating the codes is to make them more consistent with other agencies in the valley," he said.

In April, all pawnshop applicants will have 30 days to pay $250 for a "declaration of interest," which will be entered into a lottery.

The lottery winner will pay a one-time license acquisition fee of $25,000, up from $400 under the former ordinance.

City Attorney Richard Maurer told the council it costs the city $25,000 to maintain a pawnshop.

City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith did not think taxpayers should have to foot the bill.

The license will then cost $800 a year to maintain. The winner also would have to undergo a police background check and pay a $10,000 bond to the city, for the city's protection against any code violations.

If the pawnshop is not up and running within six months, the holder of the lottery number loses the license to the next applicant on the list.

While the council unanimously approved changes to the pawnshop ordinance, members did not agree on the approval of the amendment to the secondhand dealers ordinance that now states they must be part of a pawnshop. Mayor Michael Montandon and Councilman John Rhodes voted against the amendment.

An amendment to the auto pawnbroker ordinance, which passed 4-1 with Rhodes voting against it, also limits the number of auto pawnbroker businesses to one per 50,000 residents.