Petition on council policies turned in

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2002 | 8:48 a.m.

Another step in the effort to have North Las Vegas voters decide whether residents should have more say in City Council meetings was taken Monday when the petition signed by 1,533 city voters was turned in to the city clerk.

The petition could put a question on the city's April 8 ballot that would make several changes to the city's meeting rules, including:

To get the question on the ballot a petition signed by at least 1,140 voters -- which is 15 percent of the voters in the last city election -- had to be turned in by the end of business Monday, City Clerk Eileen Sevigny said.

If the petition is certified, which should happen within 20 days, the matter will go to the council, she said.

The council could choose to adopt the changes proposed in the ballot initiative, which would resolve the matter without it going to the voters. If the council decides not to adopt the proposed changes, then the matter would appear on the city's April 8 primary election ballot, Sevigny said.

Councilwoman Stephanie Smith, one of the first to sign the petition, has said she believes the council will not adopt the proposed changes. Councilwoman Shari Buck has said the courts could be asked if it is legal to change council meeting policies through a ballot initiative.

The petition was circulated by a group called the Freedom of Speech Committee, which is pushing for the changes, group spokesman Michael Winne said.