Las Vegas council briefs for February 21, 2002

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 10:07 a.m.

Financing next step for downtown

Plans for a downtown monorail are moving forward now that the Las Vegas City Council has entered into a contract with Transit Systems Development Inc. to develop and operate the transportation system.

The company is a partnership between former Clark County Commissioner Bob Broadbent and Cam Walker. Broadbent and Walker were lead consultants in the privately-funded Strip monorail in the county.

Broadbent said he hopes to secure funding, through federal and bond money, for the downtown leg by fall of next year and hopes to complete the project by early 2006. The opening would coincide with the completion of the 4-mile Strip monorail, which is being privately funded and will link the MGM Grand to the Sahara hotel.

The downtown stretch is estimated to cost $450 million and carry more than 40 million passengers a year.

Judge hired to redraw wards

Retired Wisconsin Judge Frederick Kessler will spend the next 60 to 90 days seeking input before redrawing the city's ward map so that each council member represents an equal amount of residents.

The council approved a $28,000 contract with Kessler for the redistricting process, which is required when the population of one ward exceeds 5 percent more than the others.

New census numbers show that wards including downtown, eastern Las Vegas and the northwest -- represented by Councilmen Gary Reese and Michael Mack -- could each lose 4,000 people because growth in their wards has outpaced the others.

Council approves extended salaries

With eight city employees being called to active military duty and several more expected to follow, the city for six more months will pay the difference between their city and military salaries.

The council originally approved a six-month resolution in October that allows the city to pay the difference.

The payment will continue through September 2000, but Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald said she would like to see it extended indefinitely.

"Those who are serving our country ... we owe them at least this," she said. "We shouldn't come back every six months to consider it," she said.

LEDs replace traffic signals

If those traffic lights in Las Vegas look a little brighter, it's not just your eyes.

The city will be replacing all traffic signal incandescent lights with new, more energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode lights, or LEDs.

It will cost the city $1.6 million to replace the lights, but Richard Goecke, director of public works, said the city will save at least $500,000 in energy bills over about two years.

In addition to energy savings, the LEDs last for a minimum of 10 years; the incandescent lights on the city's 400 signaled intersections have to be replaced yearly.

Hearing set on beautification plan

The City Council has set a hearing for 1 p.m. March 20 at City Hall for comment on a proposed street beautification project along Alta Drive from Rancho Drive to Lacy Lane.

The improvements will include adding a 5-foot wide sidewalk, streetlights, landscaping and irrigation systems.

The project is expected to cost $1.70 million. Residents who abut the project will be assessed for the annual maintenance over 10 years, estimated to be $159,446. The city will pay the remaining $1.64 million for the project, which comes from street rehab and other city funds.