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StumbleANSWERS: CLARK COUNTY:
Layoffs should hit ‘poorly run’ department, Collins says
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Tom Collins
Now that the push for budget cuts is coming to shove, layoffs look more likely for some permanent, full-time Clark County employees. Department heads have, in effect, punted the decision about who should be in line for pink slips to the county manager and county commissioners.
At least one Clark County commissioner has one department sussed out as ripe for trimming.
Which commissioner and which department?
Tom Collins. When asked where he thought more cuts, including layoffs, might occur, he said: “Probably parks and recreation mostly.”
Why parks and rec?
“Because it’s poorly run, there are some inefficiencies, and it has a few too many supervisors for the productivity they have,” Collins said.
He added that he wants to look closely at administrative services, which acts as a consulting service for commissioners on public policy and organizational issues and coordinates strategic planning. Animal control, emergency management, Laughlin Town Hall, policy and analysis, public response and town liaison services are all listed as administrative services areas.
Collins also said he thinks more cuts could be made in the building department and development services.
Don’t get him wrong, though, Collins is by no means relishing the prospect of laying people off. “It all sucks,” he said.
•••
The Prive nightclub scandal appears to have subsided for now, but the County Commission is about to raise questions about another type of club: strip clubs (as opposed to Strip clubs).
The nudie bars are once again being alleged to be dens of iniquity and ill repute?
Some of those allegations are about to be laid bare, so to speak. On the agenda for the commission meeting this week is a topic that Commissioner Susan Brager said was brought to her attention by Metro Police. When the strip club owners get cited, those tickets tend to result in fines. But when club employees are caught violating ordinances, police aren’t as satisfied with the outcomes.
How are strippers allegedly breaking the rules?
By touching customers in ways that are not permitted under county ordinances, for example.
•••
What are these rumblings about yet another bitter fight brewing over a construction contract bid?
McCarthy Building Cos. Inc., a Henderson construction firm, has filed a protest with the county over the rejection of McCarthy’s bid to handle an estimated $55 million Water Reclamation District project that was time-stamped 2:01:24 p.m. The deadline was 2 p.m. that day, so McCarthy was disqualified for submitting its bid 1 minute and 24 seconds late.
According to a bid protest, McCarthy employees Cam Walker and Don Dyer were finalizing their bid for a good 30 minutes, just beyond the counter where bids are filed.
Their appeal, which is to be heard by county commissioners Oct. 20, goes on to say that “as 2 p.m. approached ... Walker sealed the bid envelope and (the two) approached the bid counter to find that no one was there to receive the bid.” The two say they waved and shouted but got no one’s attention.
Staff members said that at the 2 p.m. deadline, they left the counter.
Someone from the back of the office, the appeal goes on, finally hurried to the counter and stamped the bid.
So, McCarthy argues that government workers failing to be at their posts at the critical time are to blame, not the construction company.
McCarthy also contends it has the lowest bid, so other bidders might not look kindly upon itb eing let into the process.
•••
County Quote of the Week
“You can’t keep cutting on a chicken; pretty soon it’s going to die. Wait. Make that a cow. You can’t keep cutting on a cow.”
— Commissioner Tom Collins, summing up his belief that although he expects layoffs of full-time employees, many county departments can’t withstand many more budget reductions.
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Maybe they should cut Collins?
county is so f up it start from the top with our so call "great mayor" what has he done when the recession started at the of 2007 what have he done nothing. what have nevada development done nothing. unfortunate i have to stayed i married to a native las vegan her family here i am stuck here thank you mayor for doing a fine job yea right. the county and city is corrupt. where is all the code enforcement in this city all they do sit in there office getting money from contractor so they look other way. tourism down thru mccarren i am sure they won't open up that expansion. in august passenger drop 9 percent thru the airport, then you have that IDIOT governor he suck. i always tell people these last year this is going to be drug infested city of BAKERSFIED
rover seems very angry...anyway, perry, you have some misconceptions on the structure of our government. They mayor of las vegas has nothing to do with Clark County govt. They are two different governments. The mayor of las vegas is over las vegas, just like the mayor of henderson is. The cities sit within the County but the County has nothing to do with the Mayor. The Count is overseen by a County Manager and a County Commission. So your leader within the County is the comissioner that is elected from your part of the County.
That aside. Layoffs should be done by depts that have too much weight in management, too many employees doing the same thing et. Also know that layoffs are governed by union rules. If they are like most unions, first go probationary employees, etc. then they hit by seniority so your low ranking hard working low paid employees generally go first and those near retirement stay on.
The overpaid Fire Department employees in the end will lose nothing which is why they refused pay cuts. You cant lay them off so they know that they can hold their ground on pay raises.
The best thing would be forced furloughs like the state and then allow attrition and retirement work to get rid of high paid long term employees, but the union would have to approve that where layoffs do not ahve to have union approval
yeah, I commend those above me on there comments finally a voice besides mine is being stated. What about our county hospital (UMC) we are so over staffed that we are stepping over each other looking for work to do. And Kathy Silver relying on what her department heads are telling her when in fact they are all lying just to save thier own asses. And corruption yes it is rampit even at the hospital.....I suggest we look at all departments and what about those in our government I have yet to hear someone is taking a reduction in pay to help offset our financial situation. Not one is standing up to the plate lets just keep taking the little guys, well remember this election year is coming and we will remember all of you.
Every last one of the Clark County Commissioners is doing one thing and one thing only:
HIDING.
NO WHERE are they seen in just about any publication.
NO WHERE do they appear in (non govt) public forums.
NO WHERE have they been at the forefront of ANY-THING that's highly visible.
And there ain't no dissent at any public commission meeting because THEY HAVE CUT THEIR DEALS WAAAAAY BEFORE THE COMMISSION MEETING. And I do mean WAAAAAAY.
They have a nice government center and a nice office down there, but whoooo maaaaan, just WHAT are they doing for their money...? (besides helping their pals along)
I have a nice big red pen handy to put a nice big fat red "L" on all their sorry foreheads.
...or was it a nice big blue pen..? Either way, what difference does it make, they all have the same color stripes anyway (yellow).
(as usual, the disclaimer: any reference to using any device to paint-up our County Commissioners is purely metaphorical and should not be tried at home, at the office, or in any forum public or private.)
Sheesh. Now the strippers are corrupt...?
(I bet if you let 'em change places with the bureaucrats and politico types you wouldn't notice a bit of difference - at all.)
Can yooou saaay: "get me naked for a buck"...
"How are strippers allegedly breaking the rules?
"By touching customers in ways that are not permitted under county ordinances, for example."
Why would this be within the county's or the public's interest? As long as it's between consenting adults (defined as fully sui juris, not by some arbitrary number in ignorance of reality), on private property, and the club owner doesn't have a problem with it, then the county ordinance should be either revised or better repealed altogether.
Thank God the county has sufficient funds to go after men being 'inappropriately' touched in private businesses, not open to the general public, where 'inappropriate' touching is not only expected but desired.
While there may be isolated incidents of the Crime of The Millennia (prostitution) occurring in strip clubs, it is not the norm; we don't close bars because the might attract an occasional fight, we don't close 7-11 because it attracts robbers, we don't close schools because they may attract pedophiles and we don't close stores because they attract the occasional shoplifter.
Hopefully the county and LVMPD can find funds to go after the other 'inappropriate' touchers: robbers, molesters, muggers, assaulters, rapists etc., where the touched has neither the expectation nor the desire to be touched.
Metro goes after crooks. That's their job.
If the County wants income, they should repeal the Nevada Constitution on Prostitution with counties over 250,000 people. Take the hell out of it, then there would be a balanced budget and many happy faces.
afvet -- consenting adults touching are not crooks by any stretch of reason.
it's afveteran, not afvet. afvet is another person out there in the forum world.
Metro is the best PD in the wild west, for sure!
How does the County know there was/is "touching customers in ways that are not permitted under county ordinances"? Who was in the strip club to report that?
It's about time layoffs occur. The personal hired when times were booming are no longer required and most were never needed. Hopefully when the economy recovers in 2013 they won't waste the money and hire excessively again.