Bill designed to improve direction of libraries

Adrienne Packer

Monday, April 16, 2001 | 11:31 a.m.

A proposed bill designed to give consolidated library districts and debt management commissions clearer direction as bond questions are prepared is working its way through the state Legislature.

Assembly Bill 293, which would allow local governments who oversee the library district to pass resolutions to debt management commissions supporting or opposing projects, is expected to improve communication between entities.

In the case of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, the Las Vegas City Council and Clark County Commission would be given the authority to pass formal recommendations on to the Debt Management Commission.

Dan Walters, executive director of the library district, said he supports the legislation because the debt management board is composed of elected officials, but not all are present during City Council and county commission public hearings.

"The statute was initially proposed by representatives of the (county) commission and city," Walters said. "The intent is to provide a mechanism for those two bodies to transmit their feelings in support and opposition."

The bill might be effective in relaying the public's concerns to the 11-member debt management board, but the question is whether it will alleviate problems that plagued the library district earlier this month.

The district lost its chance at putting a $46 million bond question on June's ballot when five debt management commissioners failed to show up for a meeting. The library needed eight votes to place it on the ballot.

Although the elected officials who didn't attend said they had other commitments, they have been accused of skipping the meeting so the library bond would not compete with their own projects, which will be put to voters in June.

Those who didn't attend the meeting included Henderson City Councilman Steve Kirk, Clark County School District Trustee Sheila Moulton, North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald and Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny.

Henderson has a public safety bond question -- which failed once before -- on the municipal ballot. Kirk's city also has its own library bond question, which was approved by the Debt Management Commission earlier this year.

Clark County has an $80 million bond question that would fund a new children's hospital, which Kenny supports.

If the bill passes, elected officials can still protect their own projects through their recommendation to the debt management board.

Walters said he was disappointed the community wasn't given the opportunity to vote on the bond, but he does not believe that debt management commissioners' personal interests have interfered with proposals.

"There are always competing issues in the community," Walters said. "I'm not saying it's easy to take and I wasn't keenly disappointed, but some things are more important than others. Those are the ground rules of public service."