Law may allow annexation of county island

Mathis Winkler

Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2002 | 9:42 a.m.

Smack in the middle of North Las Vegas lies an oddly shaped chunk of unincorporated county land that has bothered city officials for years.

City Council members have chiseled away bits and pieces for annexation. But 476 acres still remain outside the city's boundaries, because property owners, including pig farmer Robert Combs, have opposed joining North Las Vegas.

City officials think a new state law now gives them the upper hand. It allows forced annexation of undeveloped land if the city surrounds at least 75 percent of it. Council members will discuss the issue on Wednesday.

After an initial review, city officials think the entire county island could be annexed under the changed rules, even over property owners' objections, Jim Bell, public works director, said.

If the city pursues a forced annexation, it could be the first use of the law since its passage last year.

The city also is weighing the annexation of 1,331 acres of undeveloped land around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Nellis Air Force Base, Bell said. The new law applies to this area, too, he said, but it was unclear Monday whether those property owners opposed joining the city.

Combs, who raises 6,000 pigs on his farm and is the county island's largest landowner, said he's not interested in becoming a North Las Vegas resident.

"I spent in excess of $5,000 (in legal fees) fighting annexation several years ago," he said, adding that he wouldn't gain anything besides a higher tax bill.

"We're comfortable in the county," he said.

City property owners pay about 26 percent more in taxes than those on the county island.

"It just doesn't make any sense that there should be a hole in the middle of the city that isn't under our jurisdiction," said Mayor Michael Montandon, adding he wants to pursue annexation.

Councilwomen Shari Buck and Stephanie Smith and Councilman William Robinson said they had not received enough information to make a decision, but agreed it was important to at least study the issue.

Councilman Robert Eliason could not be reached for comment.

A key to the annexation will be the definition of developed and undeveloped land, Phil Rosenquist, an assistant director in Clark County's comprehensive plannning department, said.

Part of Combs' 160-acre property holds the family's homes and farm buildings and could probably elude the new law, Rosenquist said. But other areas, which Combs uses to keep cattle, could possibly be annexed against the farmer's will.

"A fence that keeps animals in -- is that developed?" he asked, adding that county officials plan to stay out of any decision.

The county governs the land and is responsible for providing municipal services -- Metro Police responded to 82 calls from the area in 2001.

But city officials have long complained that North Las Vegas police and fire officials get stuck with calls from the area without receiving taxes from residents.

"We're the ones providing services to" the county island, City Manager Kurt Fritsch said.

Perhaps more important, the land's isolation from other county areas has prevented development, he said.

The county cannot provide water and sewer services for the island, so it opposes any major development there unless the acreage is annexed by North Las Vegas.

As the city's booming growth continues and land becomes more scarce, developers are starting to set their eyes on the prime piece of property in the center of town, Fritsch said.

To develop the land, "it makes the most sense to work with the closest government," meaning North Las Vegas, he said.com