County briefs for April 4, 2001

Wednesday, April 4, 2001 | 10 a.m.

Sunday-off hearing delayed

Clark County Commissioners postponed until April 17 a public hearing on an ordinance that would prohibit new-car dealerships from being open on Sundays.

Commissioner Erin Kenny, who proposed the ordinance, said fellow Commissioner Myrna Williams wanted to be present during discussions about the ordinance. Williams was absent from Tuesday's meeting.

Cutback in electricity hoped

In an attempt to keep its own electric bills down and to conserve electricity to avoid the rolling power outages similar to those in California, Clark County is creating its own conservation plan.

The county, whose annual power bill amounts to $13 million, will encourage employees to turn off lights and equipment when they're not in use and use stairs rather than elevators.

Clark County is also replacing equipment ranging from air conditioners to street lights with more energy efficient technology.

"We've done a good job to this point, but we need to stay on top of available technology," said Don Burnette, the county's administrative services director.

Concerns raised about undercount

Clark County is waiting for further numbers to determine whether there was an "undercount" in the number of some minorities in the Las Vegas Valley during the 2000 census.

The county grew by 85 percent since 1990. The number of white residents increased by 48.3 percent; the number of blacks increased by 76.3 percent and the number of Hispanic residents rose by 264 percent.

County officials, however, were concerned by statistics related to American Indians. The preliminary census report shows that community grew by 40 percent.