At special meeting, NLV officials to tackle union contracts amid budget woes

By Conor Shine

Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014 | 2 a.m.

North Las Vegas officials will continue exploring possible solutions to fix the city’s troubled budget at a special city council meeting tonight.

The special meeting will be the second called this month by the city council to discuss the upcoming budget year’s anticipated structural deficit of $18 million.

Complicating matters is a recent District Court decision on union pay raises that will cost the city an additional $25 million to $42 million, a hit that could be felt in the upcoming fiscal year 2015, which starts in July.

Union contracts will be a major topic of discussion at the meeting, where city officials are expected to present an update on settlement negotiations with its collective bargaining groups.

The lawsuit arose from a 2012 decision by city leaders to declare a fiscal emergency and suspend contractually obligated raises to members of several unions.

In a statement, Mayor John Lee, who took office in July, criticized the city’s previous administration for not honoring its obligations to its unions.

With reserves running low, it’s unclear what combination of service cuts and revenue boosts the city will pursue to balance its budget.

In Henderson, city officials are considering a 20-cent increase in property taxes to raise about $16 million to pay for infrastructure needs, but North Las Vegas leaders haven’t said whether they’ll consider a similar measure.