County Commission briefs for August 18, 2004

Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

County to hire public defenders

Clark County approved the hiring of two new attorneys for the understaffed division of the public defender's office that represents indigent juveniles charged with crimes.

The move, approved 5-0 Tuesday by the Clark County Commission, eases but does not eliminate long-term staffing shortages. County Manager Thom Reilly told the commission that the issue is ongoing, and as more resources are identified, more assistance will go to the office.

"This is not the end," Reilly said.

In July 2002 the National Legal Aid and Defender Association evaluated the public defender's office and found that attorneys in the juvenile office were carrying an annual caseload of 955 cases, almost five times the national standard. The county faced the possibility of a constitutional challenge to successful prosecutions if proper representation was not provided to defendants.

With staffing additions in this budget year, the caseload for each attorney is down to about 500 cases. The two new attorneys will further bring the caseload closer to the national standard of 200 cases per attorney.

Gary Peck, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada said the hires would help an office that still is "very badly broken and dysfunctional."

Walk of Stars OK'd for Strip

The stars of Las Vegas may soon be under the feet of the millions of visitors to the Strip.

The Clark County Commission on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to a nonprofit group incorporated in Nevada under the name Las Vegas Walk of Stars to put the names of celebrated community leaders, athletes, performers and others on stars inlaid on the county's public sidewalks between Russell Road and Sahara Avenue.

Friends, families and fans of the celebrities would pay the $15,000 fee to have a star placed on the sidewalk.

Commissioner Myrna Williams, whose district includes much of the Strip along Las Vegas Boulevard, said the proposal from the Palm Springs-based Motion Picture Hall of Fame would not cost the county anything and would be "an excellent opportunity" for another tourist attraction.

Cremation for indigents planned

Clark County adopted a new policy to cremate, rather than bury, indigent people who die in the county.

The commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to establish the new policy, which is expected to save the county $200,000 a year. Darryl Martin, Clark County Social Services director, said the cost of pauper burials has doubled to more than $1 million annually over the last three years.

The county covers burial costs for those without family or funds to take care of their own burials. Not everyone would be cremated under the new policy. Those whose religious faiths prohibit cremation, such as the Jewish faith, would not be cremated if their religion is known to county officials. Neither would people who died under suspicious circumstances or suspected homicides. People whose identities are not known also would not be cremated, Martin said.