Metro Police, BLM included in audit of county land sales

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2005 | 11:16 a.m.

Metro Police and the federal Bureau of Land Management will be involved in an audit of Clark County land sales, county officials said today.

Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said Metro approached the county and asked to be involved in the investigation, prompted by the sale and subsequent rezoning of formerly airport-managed land near Durango Drive and Warm Springs Road.

"They approached us," Reilly said. "They want to be involved from the ground up. They don't suspect any criminal activity."

Metro officials were not immediately available for comment.

The BLM was invited to participate in the audit by the county last week. The BLM receives most of the proceeds from the airport land sales.

Kirsten Cannon, BLM spokeswoman, said the BLM will be represented in the audit by an official from the agency's office of the Inspector General.

The investigation stems from neighbors complaints that land near the airport, which has restrictions for residential development, would not be developed as commercial property. The county's Aviation Department advertised the land for sale for use as a cemetery. When the land was sold, however, the deed restriction said that the land had to be developed in conformance with residential restrictions and in conformance with the area's master land-use plan, which was changed in December to allow commercial development.

A zoning request in January was approved unanimously. Commissioner Lynette Boggs McDonald, who represents the area, asked for the audit after complaints came into her office that detailed the timeline of the land-use changes and the original legal notice advertising the land for sale.

Aviation Department Director Randy Walker has said on numerous occasions that the issue resulted from an error by airport employees, but that he does not believe there is any deliberate wrongdoing.

A developer and a broker involved in the sale and development of the land, a combined tract of 38 acres, have denied any wrongdoing.