City staff blamed for allowing drug treatment facility near school

Diana Sahagun

Wednesday, July 3, 2002 | 11:21 a.m.

A "vicious" staff member is to blame for placing a drug treatment center in the middle of a neighborhood, and taxpayer dollars may have be used to correct the problem, Las Vegas Councilman Michael McDonald said this morning.

McDonald made his comments during this morning's council meeting, in which he said a staff member guided representatives from Choices Group Inc. to locate on Valley View Boulevard at Fulton Avenue, near Charleston Boulevard, as a way to embarrass the city.

The location is next to Hyde Park Middle School and residential neighborhoods.

McDonald would not name names, but the Planning Department handled the application.

"This was done on purpose by staff to make the mayor and council look bad," McDonald said. "There's no way you can say this was done on accident."

According to city reports, Choices Group -- which was originally located on Third Street -- applied to move to the Valley View office in August 2001. The Business Services Division of the Planning Department initially denied the business license application, believing it was a social service provider and needed a special use permit.

Planning officials later spoke with a representative of Choices Group, who indicated that the business provides court-ordered counseling for drug and alcohol offenders.

It was agreed that the use was not a social service provider, and it was licensed as an office.

Planning Department Manager Bob Genzer said this morning that as far as he knows, the application was not improperly handled.