Council rejects caps on events

Diana Sahagun

Thursday, July 18, 2002 | 8:58 a.m.

Saying they didn't want caps on the amount of taxpayer money they can spend on special events, members of the Las Vegas City Council watered down a proposed policy that would have made spending more equitable among the six wards.

The council did agree Wednesday to one part of the proposal -- a master calendar designed to keep events from conflicting.

Council members said they wanted to be able to continue to offer special events to residents as they have in the past -- with flexibility.

"I would hate to see anything impede on the ability for the council to meet with their neighbors," Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said. "To interfere with the way we do things in a radical way will really take away some of the prerogatives we have as elected officials."

Ultimately, the council said, taxpayers will determine if members are misusing funds for special events, making their point in the polls.

The council's special events policy came under scrutiny last month after Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald's name was used on a city flier promoting a food festival in her ward.

The fliers, which prominently featured Boggs McDonald's name, were mailed before the councilwoman filed May 20 for Congress. The event took place five days after she filed.

According to city officials, the council spent nearly $220,000 in the last year on special events, a sliver of the city's nearly $300 million general fund. But a bulk of that total includes neighborhood meetings that under the new policy would not be considered special events.

Boggs McDonald disputed the draft report that indicated she had spent the most money on special events in the last year, nearly $70,000. Of the 44 special events in Ward 2, she said half were neighborhood meetings, which are not considered special events in the proposed policy.

She also disputed several line items, including printing costs for fliers announcing the opening of the Palo Verde pool, estimated to cost the city more than $2,500. The councilwoman said her private consulting businesses in another matter printed 1,000 fliers for $350.

What's more, the councilwoman said, she has saved the city millions of dollars by pursuing partnerships such as one with the Nevada Tennis Association, which led to a $1 million donation by the Darling Foundation for a tennis complex in Summerlin.

"The facts need to be made clear that there are a lot of savings," Boggs McDonald said. "I'm very proud of the proactive way we conduct business in Ward 2."

Portions of the proposed policy would also have included the creation of a special events committee and final approval from the council at least every six months for events throughout all wards.

Councilman Lawrence Weekly said he did not support having the entire council vote on special events in other members' wards.

"I don't want some council person coming up here and saying what I can and cannot do in my ward," Weekly said. "Our constituents will dictate as to whether they appreciate what we are doing or not."