County revises, adopts plans for courthouse

      A voter-approved bond will pay for a county courthouse that will suffice until 2003, not 2007 as advertised before November's election.
      News of the pared-down plans for the justice center came Tuesday as Clark County commissioners ratified a $202 million budget for public safety buildings. As approved, the county will augment funding from the $120 million bond question by kicking in an additional $50 million.
      Before casting their votes, commissioners derided city of Las Vegas officials for refusing to give up Lewis Avenue between First Street and Casino Center Drive to make room for county jail expansions. The city's move, county officials say, has triggered delays of as much as $22,000 a day in rising building expenses and an additional $9,000 daily in inmate housing costs.
      "I think we're in a crisis situation, with the city dragging its feet," Commissioner Lorraine Hunt said. In the meantime, she added, the county is forced "to release prisoners out to the streets."
      "It's not only a cost of money, but could also result in a cost of lives," Hunt said.
      Tuesday's unanimous vote came after commission Chairwoman Yvonne Atkinson Gates had said she could not support projects that have exceeded their budgets.
      Atkinson Gates changed her mind, she said, after assurances from County Manager Dale Askew that the county can afford the $50 million shortfall without interrupting its services. Askew said the commission can come up with the money through a bond "backed by existing county revenues and without increasing taxes."
      Voters approved the $120 million bond question to fund the following projects: a new 1,500-bed county jail; expansions to the juvenile detention center, Spring Mountain Youth Camp, Child Haven shelter and the juvenile program's administrative building; and a new justice facility to house Justice and Las Vegas Municipal courts.
      Those projects will be paid for by the bond, interest earnings, court fees and rent from the state and the city of Las Vegas. Bond measure organizers expected the remainder to come from the county's general fund.
      "We always knew the county was going to have to kick in some portion," Askew said. "But I guess we were putting that number closer to $20 million than to $50 million."
      Before the election, county officials projected the public safety facilities would cost $190 million, though they said in August the price could climb as high as $246 million. So, at the commission's direction, the price tag was lowered to $202 million partly by paring plans for the regional justice center.
      Rather than building a courthouse big enough to accommodate growth through the next decade, commissioners voted for a smaller building that will suffice until about 2003.
      "In essence what we're ending up with is not building as far into the future as had been anticipated," Askew said. "We'll design for later phases, but they'll have to be funded by other resources."
      Las Vegas City Manager Larry Barton could not be reached Tuesday about whether the city intends to relinquish Lewis Avenue to make way for the jail. His staff and various City Council members have indicated that ceding the road could cause traffic problems.
      But county officials scoff at that reasoning, saying Lewis Avenue never has been used as an important east-west thoroughfare. Commissioners said the city is using the street as a trump card in forcing the county to help buy down city property tax rates.
      "We really have to put petty issues aside," said District Attorney Stewart Bell, whose office is researching whether to begin proceedings to condemn Lewis Avenue, grabbing it from the city through powers of eminent domain. "This affects us all, whether city or county residents. ... It should be a public service issue, not a political issue."