LV council will consider evaluations of top officials

Sito Negron

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council will consider evaluations of the city manager, city attorney and city auditor at its meeting Wednesday and also will discuss a campaign and employment policy for employees who are running for or are elected as state legislators.

The council also will discuss negotiating for property at 512 E. Mesquite Ave., a site that would be used for City Hall expansion, and approve an agreement that moves some traffic control responsibility from the city to the Regional Transportation Commission.

Another item, a report on the costs associated with the city's closure of Sky-Vue, has been postponed until the council meeting of June 16.

"We want to make sure we're looking out for the best interests of the taxpayer dollar," said Councilman Lawrence Weekly. He represents Ward 5, which includes Sky-Vue, which was closed by the city April 30.

"The real losers are the people who were displaced from an area that's all they've known," said Weekly. "Did we do the right thing (in closing the park)? Yes. But at the end of the day no one should have held up a victory flag."

Weekly also said he has concerns about the City Hall expansion, which requires land across the street from the municipal headquarters at 400 Stewart Ave. If the city cannot come to an agreement on the price, it may move to condemn the land and take it over.

"When we deal with condemnation we really make sure that we complete our due diligence, that we fairly explain to the public and we are all on the same page; it's the right thing to do," said Weekly. "To come in, and big brother takes away from little brother or little sister, and they don't have the opportunity to share their side of the story, (is not right)."

The city spends more than $500,000 in rent that it's trying to save by consolidating its services in a central "campus," as opposed to the scattered sites now used, city officials have said.

The city also is trying to buy the Spirit Pump & Snack gasoline station/ convenience store and adjacent parking lot at 321 and 329 Las Vegas Blvd. North, and homes converted into apartments at 405 and 409 N. Sixth St.

Another unresolved matter is a long awaited policy regarding employees who run for or are elected as lawmakers.

City Manager Doug Selby said Friday he was putting the finishing touches on the policy.

"Basically what you heard from council was that (there should be) no employment during a campaign or active service in the Legislature, during the session or interim sessions, or during special committee meetings," Selby said.

He said that employees would be required to take leave without pay at those times, and they would be barred from using any city equipment. He said that employees could use their annual leave for periods of service up to two days, so they would maintain their benefits for those two days, but would not receive benefits during the leave-without-pay periods.

The council on Wednesday also will consider moving its employees to the Regional Transportation System, which via a vote a month and a half ago took control of the traffic light control system for the valley.

The city partially had been in control of the system.