Las Vegas council briefs for November 16, 2000

Thursday, Nov. 16, 2000 | 11:16 a.m.

Spending

Here is how the Las Vegas City Council voted Wednesday to spend taxpayer money:

To Schmidt-Curley Design Inc. for architectural planning and design of a planned city golf course at Cheyenne Avenue and Durango Drive.

To RK RICKS for annual maintenance of flood control facilities.

To Friendly Ford for nine 2001 police package sedans.

For contract with NCO Financial Systems Inc. for collection agency services related to Municipal Court fines and fees.

Municipal Court named for Brown

The late Municipal Judge Seymore Brown's legacy as a "legend in Las Vegas" will now be remembered each time people pass through the Municipal Court he once led with wisdom and grace.

That's how Mayor Oscar Goodman described the City Council's decision Wednesday to name the Las Vegas Municipal Court the Seymore H. Brown Municipal Courthouse.

Brown had been the court's chief judge for 22 years when he died June 16 after 27 years on the city court's bench.

Prior to that, Brown was a Las Vegas police officer for 14 years.

When the Municipal Court moves to new space in the Regional Justice Center, a conference room will be dedicated in Brown's memory.

City looking for some solutions

Las Vegas is struggling to figure out how to address blighted and abandoned buildings without heaping financial burden on property owners.

And after two preliminary reports on the problem -- predominantly plaguing West Las Vegas -- the city is still six months or so away from a solution.

Deputy City Manager Doug Selby told the council Wednesday the city will look at successful programs in other cities and review financing opportunities to abate nuisance properties.

Mayor Oscar Goodman asked Selby to examine how the city can rid buildings that aren't necessarily public safety hazards, but are "aesthetically unpleasing."

Several West Las Vegas residents pressed the council for more details about federal funding that may be available to assist low-income property owners in cleaning up abandoned and boarded-up buildings.

Selby said an ordinance should be ready by next summer.

Discount plan may be scrapped

After a city audit found people were overpaying parking tickets by overlooking a 50 percent reduction program, the city plans to repeal the discount plan.

Michael Sheldon, director of Detention and Enforcement, introduced a proposal Wednesday that would eliminate the reduction of parking fines for early payment.

The city code currently allows a 50 percent discount for the early payment of parking fines. Thus, a $20 ticket paid within 15 days is reduced to $10.

The internal city audit of the Parking Enforcement Unit found people overpaid the city $680,000. The difficulty of deciding how to refund that money led to the auditor's suggestion to scrap the program entirely.

A public hearing on the proposal will be held during the council's Dec. 4 Recommending Committee meeting.