Proposed budget sees large increase without new taxes

Dan Kulin

Wednesday, March 31, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

North Las Vegas would add almost 71 staff positions, including about 50 in the police and fire departments, without raising taxes under a tentative $406.6 million spending plan for the 2004-2005 fiscal year that was presented to the City Council Tuesday.

The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the budget for 2004-2005 on May 19.

Councilwoman Stephanie Smith said the council might hold additional public meetings before the vote to hash out any changes council members want to make to the proposed budget, which they saw for the first time Tuesday.

The tentative budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is about $57 million higher than the budget adopted last spring, when council members faced the possibility of raising taxes in a sluggish economy, but didn't.

The city's financial future appears much brighter than a year ago. The city has seen a variety of factors improve the financial picture, including a 15 percent increase in assessed property value and a bigger increase than expected from building and planning permits.

City Manager Gregory Rose, who is responsible for preparing a proposed budget, said the budget projections for 2004-2005 assume the growth will continue at the current pace. Rose said he doesn't think that projection is not overly optimistic because applications for building and planning permits continue to remain high, and North Las Vegas has a lot of room to continue growing.

"North Las Vegas is only 33 percent built out," Rose said.

On top of the proposed staffing increases, the tentative budget also calls for hiring a second Municipal Court judge and support staff for the new city courthouse, $5.7 million for two new parks and $2.4 million to design a sewage treatment plant.

Mayor Michael Montandon said some good points of the proposed budget include increasing the money in the general fund reserves to almost $25 million and planning for the sewage plant.

The general fund, which includes city departments such as police and fire, is proposed to be $139.1 million. Montandon said it makes good business sense to have 18 percent, or about two months worth of expenditures, in reserve in case of emergencies.

Montandon said it's also smart planning to begin work on a sewage plant. The city now sends its waste to Las Vegas treatment plants, but Montandon said that in the future Las Vegas could run out of the capacity to add more North Las Vegas customers to its system.

Rose said he hopes to start building a treatment plant during the 2005-2006 fiscal year. A new plant could cost $24 million, he said.

In general, council members seemed to support the tentative budget.

Smith said the proposed budget seems to "put out money where we want it to go," such as into public safety and parks.

The proposed budget includes funding for almost 32 new full-time positions in the police department, including 15 officers funded with a federal grant. Another 19 police officers and support staff that were originally part of the current year's budget, but who won't start until a new police station in northwest North Las Vegas opens in November, were also included in the proposed budget.

The proposed budget also includes full funding next year for 20 firefighters expected to be hired in April.

Other proposed additions to the city's staff of 1,425 employees include two city planners, a recreation supervisor whose focus will be on increasing programs for children and teens, six public works staff, and three attorneys, one who will specialize in drafting new city laws.

Councilwoman Shari Buck said the proposed budget appears "pretty close to what we'll end up with."

Councilman Robert Eliason said: "It's exciting. No new taxes and we'll still provide more service to the citizens."

Councilman William Robinson did not attend the Tuesday budget meeting.