Suit filed for vote on NLV wages

Tuesday, April 12, 2005 | 8:42 a.m.

A group of North Las Vegas residents have filed a lawsuit in District Court to get a measure on the June 7 ballot giving voters a say on city union employee wages.

The residents threatened a lawsuit after the City Council on March 2 rejected their bid for a ballot initiative. The council sided with City Clerk Karen Storms, who said the petition drive was invalid because one of the five people behind the ballot measure wasn't a registered voter in North Las Vegas. He lived in Las Vegas.

In the lawsuit filed Monday in District Court, the residents will be seeking an injunction to allow the ballot measure to be voted on June 7 in North Las Vegas.

Jonathan Hansen, the attorney representing the residents, said the state statute that requires five people -- essentially the measure's sponsors -- submit a ballot measure is unconstitutional. He said there is nothing in the state Constitution requiring five people and state initiatives get on the ballot with only one sponsor.

"We believe that extra requirement is a burden on the public's right for petition," Hansen said.

Under the law, five registered voters must submit a measure to a city clerk's office before gathering signatures to try to qualify the initiative for the ballot.

This initiative did get enough signatures to qualify as a ballot measure, but city officials said they had no choice but to follow the law and invalidate the petition. They said residents could go out and seek signatures to put the measure on the ballot in the future. Jan. 28 was the deadline to gather signatures.

"I don't believe it will pass muster," North Las Vegas Mayor Mike Montandon said. "If they didn't follow the law, it (the result) is not going to be any different."

In the lawsuit, the residents accused the city of an "unlawful effort" to assure the defeat of the petition. Hansen said the city clerk's office didn't inform the residents that one of the five people behind the measure wasn't a North Las Vegas resident when they submitted the paperwork on Jan. 13. The residents were told to proceed with the petition after submitting the five names, he said.

The group wants a law to require new contracts with employee bargaining groups be approved by voters during city elections.

"They don't want any back room deals because unions contribute a ton of money to campaigns," Hansen said. "We want the people to decide if taxes should be raised."