Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Commissioners list achievements

State of County address highlights overcoming medical center's deficit

Last year, Clark County commissioners resolved University Medical Center's financial woes, adopted ethics rules to help keep elected officials in line and approved tougher standards for changing master plans.

Commissioners touted the accomplishments and other achievements during an hour-long State of the County address Tuesday.

Board members each read a speech about feats that included overcoming a $30 million deficit at UMC, opening the entire 53 miles of the Las Vegas Beltway and starting a growth management plan.

They touched on what difficulties they expect to face this year.

Dealing with growth and the drought could be the greatest challenge, commissioners said.

Commissioner Mark James rehashed a plan unveiled Monday for a task force to address transportation, water, air quality and development. For the first time, he said, the county is conducting a regional discussion on managing growth.

"As community leaders, we would be deaf not to hear it. We would be blind not to see it. We would be irresponsible not to address it," James said. "There seems to be a growing sense that something must be done. The question is, what?"

Commissioner Myrna Williams urged the county to invent methods to save water. The county replaced a half-acre of grass at Desert Breeze Park with artificial turf. Park planners will continue to reduce water use by incorporating walking paths and planter boxes into new projects.

Last year, residents and business owners removed nearly 12 million square feet of grass, which will save 731 million gallons of water a year, Williams said.

Easing traffic congestion continues to be a tough task in the Las Vegas Valley, Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said. Completing the interim beltway and opening Frank Sinatra Drive, which runs behind resorts on the west side of the Strip, have helped.

Woodbury said providing more east-west routes is key.

The county is building an Interstate 15 overpass on Harmon Avenue and is making improvements on Sands Avenue between Paradise Road and the Strip, he said.

Clark County Manager Thom Reilly called the commissioners' accomplishments impressive and said the addition of newcomers Rory Reid and James was a positive.

Reid replaced Dario Herrera, and James took over for Erin Kenny.

"The newly constituted board quickly evolved as a cohesive governing body demonstrating effective problem solving and consensus building," Reilly wrote in a report delivered to commissioners.

No mention was made of the pending federal indictment that alleges Herrera and current Commissioner Mary Kincaid-Chauncey took money to perform favors for topless club mogul Michael Galardi.

Kenny and Galardi have pleaded guilty. Kincaid-Chauncey and Herrera have said they did nothing wrong.