Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Voters to decide if Boulder City attorney elected or appointed

Committee collects enough valid signatures for ballot initiative

The secretary of state’s office has approved a majority of signatures on a petition for a ballot initiative asking Boulder City voters if the city attorney should be elected instead of appointed.

A ballot committee submitted the question along with 872 signatures. To be placed on the ballot, an initiative must be accompanied by a petition signed by at least 642 registered voters, according to the city clerk’s office.

Clark County Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said 798 signatures were validated.

Because it is a charter amendment, the initiative regarding the city attorney would have to be passed in two consecutive general elections, he said.

Dave Olsen has served as Boulder City’s attorney for 11 years. He said all of the city councils in Southern Nevada appoint city attorneys. The only city in Nevada that doesn’t is Reno, he said.

Resident Nancy Nolette said the 872 signatures were collected in 38 days. She said the ballot committee is now working on obtaining signatures for three more initiatives.

The other questions being proposed are whether the city should take a vote of residents before going into debt of $1 million or more, if term limits should be set for various city committee members, and whether the city should only own one 18-hole golf course.

Lomax said signatures for all initiatives must be collected at least 130 days before the Nov. 2 general election.

“We are confident that we will have more than enough signatures before the due date,” Nolette said.

She said the committee will resume collecting signatures May 14 at the Boulder Dam Credit Union during normal hours of operation.

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