Clark County feels impact of big sports events, creates special department

With Las Vegas drawing the Super Bowl, Las Vegas Grand Prix and more large events in recent years, Clark County commissioners moved to create a more uniformed structure regarding the approval of such happenings.

On Tuesday, commissioners unanimously approved amending a county ordinance to create a sports and special events department aimed at creating a preliminary review and approval process for proposed high-impact special events.

Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick said no one event sparked the idea behind the new department; she began the process of developing what it would entail in 2019, just before the pandemic impacts were felt in early 2020.

“This is not helping one group or another. This is like having a grown-up process so we can plan as a county on the impact (of special events),” Kirkpatrick said Tuesday, during the commission meeting.

Since 2019, Las Vegas has hosted multiple major events including the 2022 NFL Draft, the Super Bowl this past February, and the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. There are several major events planned in Las Vegas in the coming years, including more possible grand prix races and the 2028 Men’s NCAA Final Four.

How it works

The new department won’t start working until Jan. 1, to allow the county adequate time to set it up.

That means this year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, planned for Nov. 21-23, won’t be subject to approval by the newly approved department. Grand Prix officials have made multiple presentations this year to the commission, including last month, which included a traffic plan update for this year’s race.

Once in place, the new special events department must pre-approve events before a special events permit can be approved. An event application must meet guidelines set forth by ordinance, including a conceptual traffic plan, public safety plan and anything else reasonably required by the department’s director.

The new department does not replace the permits currently required by other departments for events, Clark County spokesperson Jennifer Cooper said via email Tuesday.

After the beginning of the year, the special events department could ask applicants to appear in front of the Clark County Commission before their event is approved. Some instances that could lead to an event promoter being asked to appear before the commission include that an event will have 15,000 or more attendees, will lead to any closure of Las Vegas Boulevard or require significant resources from the county including police, fire and the health district.

Under the new department, a promoter or entity looking to bring a special event to Clark County must submit a plan to the special events department at least 60 days before the event. After submission, the county will issue a pre-approval or denial within 15 days. Incomplete or late plans could be subject to additional fees by the department.

Venues already approved to host large events, such as Allegiant Stadium and T-Mobile Arena, aren’t required to gain approval from the special events department, unless it’s for an event that is out of the ordinary, such as the Super Bowl.

Local business concerns

Many business owners who suffered economic losses due to the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix showed up to air their displeasure of the creation of the new department.

Those small business owners wanted the new rules to address the potential for reimbursement from losses caused by hosting major events and improving communication with nearby businesses during the planning stages of events. The group of owners mainly consisted of establishments located near Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, where a massive temporary bridge was constructed for last year’s race, who have been pushing for financial reimbursement for several months.

Gino Ferraro, owner of Ferraro’s Ristorante on Paradise Road, just north of Flamingo Road, took to the meeting to highlight the impact hosting the grand prix had on his establishment and others in and around the resort corridor.

“I have heard from the thousands people,” Ferraro said. “I’ve had guests show me cab receipts, they paid $120-$150 to get from Mandalay Bay to my restaurant on Paradise Road. … These people will never come back to us. They’ll never come back to Vegas.”

Noting that the development of the special events department has been years in the making and not created for Formula One or any other specific event, Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom said Tuesday’s action is creating the initial regulations for future special event permit filings and the county would be open to amending the ordinance, where applicable.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Segerblom said. “This is something that can be modified, so we’re open to suggestions and modifications going forward. But we need to start with something, which is what this is. It just didn’t come out of a vacuum, we’ve been working on this for five years.”

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.