City seeks higher limit on impact fees to build new parks

Erin Neff

Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2000 | 10:05 a.m.

Although the Legislature won't open its 2001 session for another six months, the city of Las Vegas is preparing to fight an onslaught of bills aimed against it as well as to offer three proposals of its own.

The city of Las Vegas will ask the Legislature to enact laws to double impact fees on development to pay for parks, transfer state highways to local entities and streamline the annexation of certain undeveloped county land.

Each local municipality can make four requests for bill drafts. Las Vegas plans to submit three by Aug. 31, when they are due in Carson City.

The fourth, a controversial proposal by Mayor Oscar Goodman to allow public officials to invest in downtown redevelopment projects, was pulled and will not be sent to the Legislature.

Marvin Leavitt, the city's director of administrative services, presented the three bill-draft requests to the council Monday during a special meeting.

The first would change the maximum ceiling for the residential-construction tax from $1,000 to $2,000 and would allow local government to impose nonresidential-construction taxes that could be used for urban or regional parks.

Goodman called his proposed construction-fee hike "a modest increase." He also said that adding nonresidential construction will give the city "a whole pool of money" for parks.

"It's my opinion since I've been on the council that each of the councilmen wants parks," Goodman said.

Councilman Michael McDonald said he had concerns about the measure and planned to discuss them with Goodman. Although he did not specifically mention any concerns at the meeting, McDonald has expressed fears that the increase will likely be passed on to consumers and force them to buy homes outside the city.

The second bill draft would require certain roads that are owned, controlled and maintained by the state to be transferred, with related funding, to counties or cities that want them.

The request was proposed after Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald grew repeatedly frustrated at the city's lack of control over state-controlled roads such as Rainbow and Charleston boulevards in her ward.

"I can't emphasize enough the difficulties I've had," Boggs McDonald said.

For example, getting approval for a bus stop or median that her residents request requires approval from the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The third proposal would allow the City Council -- at its own initiative -- to annex county land surrounded by city property. The so-called county islands would be annexed into the city to make development services go through more smoothly, Leavitt said.

State law currently requires individual residents or developers on county islands to initiate the annexation process.

In addition to pushing three legislative requests, the city's lobbyists will be on the lookout for several bills that could affect Las Vegas. Those include increasing the city's liability, the dissolution of the Metro Police Department and other measures dealing with regional planning, gaming districts, the transportation of hazardous waste and special elections to fill vacant City Council seats.

The City Council also received a presentation about its federal lobbying efforts. The city currently has two lobbying firms, U.S. Strategies Corp. and Alcade & Fay.

The city will send out requests for proposals for federal lobbying next month. The council is expected to approve its federal lobbying contract Nov. 15, with the winning firm or firms starting work Jan. 1.