Council focuses on city needs

Diana Sahagun

Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2001 | 9:44 a.m.

Improving neighborhoods and aggressively seeking to diversify the economy in the wake of Sept. 11 were among the priorities set by the Las Vegas City Council on Monday.

Following up on general goals set in August during a retreat in Mesquite, the council members arrived at the city's priorities during a four-hour strategic planning session.

Facilitated by Craig Holt, a Washington-based consultant, the meeting began with a lesson about the Abilene Paradox, the tendency for people in group settings to say "yes" when they really mean "no."

Awareness of this tendency, first noted in 1975 by George Washington University professor Jerry Harvey, set the tone Monday as the council members strove to reach a lasting consensus on the city's broad goals for the immediate future.

It's the City's Council's job to set policy, which makes arriving at priorities important as they are what guide the city manager and finance director as they prepare the budget.

Here are the priorities the council agreed upon:

* Develop and support neighborhood integrity.

* Resolve escalating costs of running the city.

* Maintain the master-planning approach.

* Aggressively attract diverse businesses.

* Revitalize the city's mature areas and strengthen the dialogue between the city and its residents.

Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald said the events of Sept. 11 illustrated the need for economic diversification. Additional dollars may need to be allocated to the office of Business Development to help create new jobs and attract new businesses to the city, she said.

City Manager Virginia Valentine said her office would work to refine the council's priorities and determine how much of the city's budget is allocated toward reaching its goals. Once the numbers are gathered, the council will have to collectively decide what priorities require additional funding, which could result in some city programs or departments being cut or scaled back.

Although the city has enjoyed excess revenue in the past, the events of Sept. 11 added to hardships felt from the recession.

Economists project that the third quarter could be the worst in 10 years, and the fourth quarter may be even worse than that, said Steve Houchens, deputy city manager. Houchens said an optimistic estimate of losses after the terrorist attacks could be $7 million, with the worst-case scenario being a $15 million hit to the budget.

"We've had wonderful economic times for the last 10 years," Mayor Oscar Goodman said. "Now, we're going to have to be more selective and creative to spread our dollars and create new dollars."

Councilman Michael McDonald said morale has dropped among city departments and staff members, who are worried their positions could be cut as the council deals with declining revenues.

A hiring freeze has been implemented as a means of saving money, and response times for projects such as cleaning graffiti have been lengthened, consequently frustrating residents.

"I want to start giving service back to the community," McDonald said.

Valentine said the city is not at the point of cutting departments or staff, but the special meeting was designed to get the council focused on the most important priorities. Unlike the Abilene Paradox, the council must be prepared to make tough decisions collectively and to provide direction on policy, she said.