LV Council briefs for Jan. 22, 2004

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

Recreation fees to increase

The Las Vegas City Council approved increases in recreation fees of up to 15 percent Wednesday. The fee increases will vary around town based upon income levels in the neighborhoods surrounding the recreation centers. Residents of areas with lower incomes will pay lower fees.

The exceptions to the tiered fee increase are the Safekey after-school program and aquatics programs. Charges for those programs will increase at centers citywide.

The new fees take effect in June.

Bar liquor license to be considered

The Las Vegas City Council set a date of Feb. 18 to decide on a complaint filed against the liquor license for Blue Heaven Bar, owned by Michael Galardi.

The matter is not expected to generate the level of discussion that a similar complaint did Jan. 7, when the city levied its largest fine ever against a club that had been partly owned by Michael Galardi.

The Jan. 7 complaint was against a license Michael Galardi held as part owner of La Fuente Inc., which operated the topless club Cheetahs. He sold his share to his father Jack Galardi in October, but the city still levied a $1.095 million fine for violations of the terms of the license for the period in which Michael Galardi was a part-owner. Jack Galardi has not paid the fine yet.

Michael Galardi was not fit to hold that license, the City Council decided, because of his guilty plea to federal corruption charges in San Diego.

The younger Galardi has told authorities that he bribed public officials, according to his plea agreement.