County officials promise oversight

If building inspections and a whistle-blower's complaints were handled as badly as a 97-page audit describes, then wrongdoers should be punished and policies must be improved.

So said Clark County commissioners Friday in response to a report that claimed some inspectors on high-rise projects fudged on checks, falsified documents and approved work they never saw, eroding public safety.

"Anyone that has been guilty of negligence or worse, they should be disciplined or fired," Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said. "If laws have been broken, the police or DA should take appropriate action."

Commissioners aren't managers or enforcers, but they are responsible for oversight and making policies, Woodbury said.

"We have to do our job, be accountable," he said. "If our policies are not strong enough, we should enact new ones."

The county hired Michael Kessler, a New York consultant, to audit building and fire inspections after undocumented work, much of it shoddy, was found in hundreds of rooms at Harrah's Las Vegas and the Rio.

Several commissioners said the culture of looking the other way might not be limited to a few rogue inspectors, but could extend to the managers above them.

"That's got to be something we flush out," Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani said.

There's no excuse for hiring people and not training them to properly do their jobs and uphold ethics, Giunchigliani said, calling that a failure in management.

If workers are guilty of crimes, they should be charged and not simply allowed to retire, she said.

She agreed the commission has the task of setting tougher policies and the county's managers must carry them out.

Most commissioners were taken aback by reports of inspectors who meted out fines to errant home builders but no fines to commercial developers for the same violations.

"We can't have a double standard," Woodbury said.

In an effort not to influence reports, inspectors are given a lot of freedom and discretion, but they still should be supervised and accountable, Commissioner Chip Maxfield said.

Inspectors should be audited routinely, not just when a whistle-blower sounds off, Maxfield said.

The Kessler report is a first important step in correcting problems, Commissioner Susan Brager said. The next step is improving the oversight.

"That's what I'm looking for is the accountability," Brager said.

Commissioner Tom Collins blamed the sketchy inspections partly on staffing not keeping pace with growth.

Understaffing can lead to shortcuts, Collins said, especially when the heads of resort hotels are hurrying inspectors. Still, that's no excuse for endangering the public with slipshod work, Collins said. "In my private life, I hire and fire, and I expect the county to do the same thing."

Commissioner Rory Reid agreed that those who willfully shirked their duties should be fired or jailed.

Supervisors are acting carefully to ensure they are following proper procedures for disciplining workers, but that doesn't mean they'll go light on a wrongdoer, Reid said.

"I believe what they (managers) are getting from commissioners is to do what's necessary and don't hold back," Reid said.

He said he requested the audit to uncover the flaws that mar the system for building inspections. Now the commission must lead the charge to improve the system, he said.

"The buck has to stop somewhere," Reid said. "It might as well stop with us."

Contact reporter Scott Wyland at swyland@reviewjournal.com or (702) 455-4519.