Las Vegas council briefs

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2002 | 9:18 a.m.

Stores face fines for errant baskets

Grocery store owners in Las Vegas will face fines if they fail to collect shopping carts.

The City Council on Wednesday adopted a bill allowing stores to retrieve carts but also gives the city the option of retrieving them and charging fines for removal and storage.

When the city has to remove the abandoned carts the owner will be required to pay $7.50 per cart recovered and storage fees of $1 per day.

The bill, sponsored by Councilmen Michael McDonald and Michael Mack, will also allow owners to be charged $50 per shopping cart if there are more than three violations in six months.

If a store owner refuses to pay the fines the council may decline to renew, or could suspend, the business license.

Federal funding is available

The city's Neighborhood Services department will take the next 45 days to identify and recommend programs for displaced workers that will be funded by the federal government.

The city, through a Department of Labor appropriation, has been awarded $1.75 million for displaced workers but may not receive funding until July. City staff is working with Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign to receive the funding earlier.

The Neighborhood Services department will administer the funding.

Development will await use plan

New development in a portion of the city's northwest will be halted for six months so that planners can develop a land-use plan for the area.

The council has approved a six-month moratorium on new development for the area near Centennial Parkway and Durango Drive.

The area has been pegged as a potential expansion area for the proposed Town Center commercial development.

Deal approved for park design

The Las Vegas City Council approved a $150,500 agreement with Southwick Landscape Architects for the design of a 9-acre baseball and softball complex at the corner of Bonanza and Sandhill roads in eastern Las Vegas.

The development -- on land owned by the city and Clark County School District -- will consist of lighted ballfields, parking, a rest room and concession stand.

Financing plan to be reviewed

The Las Vegas City Council has adopted a resolution allowing city staff to begin reviewing proposed financing for a downtown arena. Financing would include economic development revenue bonds.

The city is considering assisting the Las Vegas Events Center, a nonprofit corporation that will develop the downtown arena, by issuing the bonds.

Staff will bring the financing proposal to the council for final consideration.

Once the bonds are issued revenues generated by the arena at Main Street and Stewart Avenue will be used to repay the bonds.

A public hearing has been scheduled

at 9 a.m. Feb. 20 at City Hall to address an agreement with Transit Systems Development to install and operate a monorail in the city. Transit Systems Development wants to extend the monorail -- currently under construction in the county into the city -- through downtown.