LOOKING IN ON: CITY HALL

Monday, Jan. 8, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

Program to help with rent assistance

The City Council last week approved spending $200,000 in federal funding on the EVOLVE program, to help ex-felons with rental assistance.

The focus of the program, which is administered through the Neighborhood Services Department, is to help ex-offenders re-enter society and lead productive lives through viable employment, intensive case management, training and treatment.

The grant funding will be used for deposits and to bridge housing income gaps for participants in the organization's training and employment program.

Every year between 4,000 and 5,000 ex-offenders are released from the Nevada Department of Corrections into the valley.

City officials say the average recidivism rate nationally is more than 66 percent, but for EVOLVE participants it is below 20 percent. More than 70 percent of participants in the program are successfully placed in jobs.

The allocation of the grant funding will be through the Home Investment Partnership Programs and the Low Income Housing Trust Funds.

There was plenty of activity at the city's first Recommending Committee meeting of the year.

A total of 14 bills were recommended for approval at the meeting, including a procedural move that will help clear the way for the Vegas Grand Prix in April.

The bill allows the city to suspend applicable traffic, noise and fueling regulations during the course of the race and to use public streets for the racing event.

Also recommended were several bills related to code enforcement, including adoption of the 2005 National Electrical Code, the 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code and the 2006 Uniform Plumbing Code. Updates of the city's Administrative Code were also given the green light.

All of the bills were subsequently approved at the City Council.

The Las Vegas Planning Commission has elected new officers.

Leo Davenport, who has served on the commission for more than three years, is the new chairman, and Byron Goynes was elected vice chairman.

Davenport was appointed to the commission by former Councilwoman Janet Moncrief.

"I am looking forward to continuing to work with the most efficient planning department in the valley," he said.

Goynes, who was appointed by Ward 5 Councilman Lawrence Weekly in 2000, is the commission's senior member. He previously served on the city's now-defunct Board of Zoning Adjustment.

Planning Commission members are appointed by the City Council. The commission makes recommendations to the council on the zoning applications and other related issues, including the city's master plan. The commission meets on the fourth Thursday of each month in council chambers.