NLV council passes budget

In its second meeting held for the purpose, North Las Vegas succeeded on Tuesday in adopting a $841.4 million budget for fiscal year 2009.

The City Council voted 3-2 in favor of the financial plan.

Last week's budget meeting devolved into a standoff between four City Council members: two said they supported the budget, and two said they did not. No vote was taken and the meeting was adjourned until a do-over on Tuesday.

Councilwoman Shari Buck, who was absent from last week's meeting because of a broken foot, showed up on Tuesday and voted in favor of the budget along with Mayor Michael Montandon and Councilwoman Stephanie Smith.

Councilmen William Robinson and Robert Eliason voted against it. Both men previously cited the budget's inclusion of funding for 32 new full-time, non-public safety positions as the reason they wouldn't support it, saying they couldn't justify adding the positions during rocky economic times.

City officials said North Las Vegas has planned adequately to fund the positions that represent about $2 million.

Twelve of the new positions are staffers for a library on Alexander Road near Martin Luther King Boulevard that's expected to be completed in early 2009.

General fund expenditures in the budget add up to $223.6 million, 54.5 percent of which is for public safety.

The city's capital projects fund is budgeted at $251.6 million and includes money for a new water reclamation facility and the new SkyView Multi-Generation Center, a recreation center for people of all ages.