County, Las Vegas exchange words on homeless

Friday, June 13, 2003 | 9:12 a.m.

An ongoing debate between local governments over public policy on the homeless took a bitter turn Thursday as Clark County and Las Vegas exchanged letters disagreeing on who should be helping those who live in the streets and washes of the Las Vegas Valley.

The first salvo was fired by Clark County Commission Chairwoman Mary Kincaid-Chauncey, who wrote Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman about remarks he made at a June 4 City Council meeting at which the council voted to pull its funding for a center that helps the homeless.

The remarks referred to a section of state law that Goodman said attributed wide-ranging responsibilities to the county when it comes to the homeless.

"(W)e have been caught off-guard with recent statements that suggest the county is solely responsible for providing services to the homeless population," Kincaid-Chauncey wrote.

It went on to say that "any attempts to address homelessness without serious involvement ... of government on the federal, state and local levels (both county and cities) is destined for failure."

In his reply, Goodman said, "I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of the Nevada Revised Statutes as they pertain to county responsibility.

"City staff has interpreted the statute to include services beyond the current commitment to medical care," the letter said.

At the same time, city spokeswoman Elaine Sanchez said the county misunderstood the mayor's remarks.

"He was pointing to the statute as one piece of a strategy of getting everybody to do more ... not that the county had the sole responsibility for addressing homelessness," Sanchez said.

In addition, she said, Goodman's vote on the council to stop funding the Crisis Intervention Center downtown was consistent with a position he has long held on the homeless.

When asked about the vote at his weekly news conference Thursday, Goodman said, "Everyone should chip in or I'm not voting for it."

In the weeks before the June 4 vote, North Las Vegas had agreed to pay $40,000 to the center, but Henderson and Boulder City did not offer funds.

North Las Vegas Mayor pro tem William Robinson said, "We are in a wait-and-see mode ... (to) see how this is resolved."

And Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson said, "We ought to do this regionally ... and when this all shakes out, will all probably have a part to play.

"I don't know what the answer is and I don't pretend to know what the answer is," he said.