Las Vegas council approves $36.5 million bond issue for fire equipment, sidewalks, more
Las Vegas residents will enjoy new streetlights, improved sidewalks and a better-equipped Fire Department under a bond measure approved Wednesday by the City Council.
The council unanimously approved a request to issue bonds to raise as much as $36.5 million for projects in the city.
The bulk of the money, $18.2 million, will go toward energy-efficient streetlights with proceeds from the electricity savings used to repay the debt.
Other spending projects in the measure include $10.1 million to buy nine fire engines and two ladder trucks, with equipment to help firefighters breathe in smoky air and tools to cut people from damaged automobiles. The firefighting debt will be repaid with money from the city's Fire Safety Initiative funds.
Another $4.6 million will go toward improving sidewalks around downtown with the debt to be repaid with money from federal Community Development Block Grants.
The bonds will be used to provide $3.5 million to improve the Westside School community center, with repayment coming from license plate revenue through the Centennial Commission.
Documents submitted to the council estimate the cost to pay back all the bonds with interest would be $4.1 million to $4.7 million annually for up to 10 years.
Contact reporter Benjamin Spillman at bspillman@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.
