Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Boulder City voters approve measures to limit government

Dave Olsen

Dave Olsen

Cam Walker

Cam Walker

Across 11 ballot questions, Boulder City residents voted against big government and ballooning debt, echoing a wider sentiment that swept Republicans nationwide into office Tuesday.

In addition to supporting a measure to elect the city attorney and sell land at Boulder Creek Golf Club to pay off the city’s debt, Boulder City made its choice on the following questions:

• Voted yes on calling for a special election if the city plans to incur a debt of $1 million or more. City Attorney Dave Olsen recommended the city oppose the measure in District Court, although the City Council voted against it. With the city facing a $3 million budget hole and considering drastic cuts, Boulder City’s debt has been a controversial topic.

Olsen and Councilman Cam Walker have said the question limits the council’s ability to make discretionary decisions. Olsen said on Wednesday he would recommend again that the city contest the initiative in court.

The question passed with 58 percent of the vote.

• Voted yes on limiting the terms of appointees to city committees to 12 years. Walker and Olsen also opposed this measure.

Supporters said it would prevent individual committee members, who are appointed by the council, from becoming too powerful. Walker countered that it would arbitrarily mandate that a committee member, however qualified, leave his or her post without any practical reason.

Olson said he would again recommend challenging the measure in court. It passed 60 percent to 40 percent.

• Voted yes on limiting the terms of City Council members to 12 years. The measure passed with more than 71 percent of the vote.

• Voted yes on annexing a slice of land that the city purchased in 2008 by vote of 81 percent to 19 percent.

• Voted yes on requiring a vote in a special or general election to approve all expenditures from the city’s Capital Improvement Fund. The fund pays for the city’s major projects. The measure passed by a vote of 68 percent to 32 percent.

• Voted yes to pursuing wind energy projects in the Eldorado Valley, which is already home to four solar power projects. The measure passed with 75 percent of the vote. Councilman Travis Chandler, who pushed the initiative, said its passage “reflects well on Boulder City.”

• Voted no on designating $500,000 from the city’s General Fund to purchase police and fire vehicles by a 56 percent to 44 percent vote.

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