County commissioners want work records before paying constable’s new deputies

By Conor Shine (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 | 4:36 p.m.

Clark County commissioners refused Tuesday to pay two Las Vegas Township constable deputies who may have been hired to circumvent a previous ruling by the board.

The issue: Las Vegas Constable John Bonaventura submitted a claim requesting a $5,300 payment to two deputies in his department.

The vote: The agenda item was advisory and no vote was taken.

What it means: For now, a standoff between commissioners and the constable continues.

The commission refused to pay the wages of the two deputies, attorneys Robert Pool and Spencer Judd, until the constable’s office is able to document what work the men have performed to earn the pay.

The two men represented the Las Vegas Township constable’s office earlier this year when it sued the constables of Laughlin and Henderson for encroaching on Las Vegas Township’s territory. The county commission, which has jurisdiction over the constable’s offices, refused to pick up tab for the legal bill for that case.

In an apparent attempt to circumvent the commission’s authority, the Las Vegas Township constable’s office, which is funded through fees earned by serving court documents and eviction notices, deputized the two attorneys and filed a claim for $4,300 in wages, which the county paid. When a second claim for $5,300 was filed, the county comptroller brought it to the attention of commissioners, noting no documentation had been provided that the two men were doing the work normally expected of deputies.

The commission advised the comptroller not to pay until further documentation can be provided.