Additional 61 positions part of next Las Vegas budget

Las Vegas city officials are proposing a new budget that adds 61 positions to the city workforce.

City staff presented a tentative $1.3 billion budget to the City Council Wednesday that marks a $19 million general fund increase over the current fiscal year and has a $2.9 million deficit.

The general fund, which pays for most city operations and makes up the largest portion of the annual budget, would grow from $532 million to $551 million, in the current budget proposal.

The 61 positions are a mix of new and restored positions, with 20 in the public safety area, and the remainder spread throughout various other city departments. The budget brings back four animal control officers, adds 14 city marshals for a park program and six fire staff rovers, which falls in line with the International Association of Firefighters contract terms.

Non-public safety positions in city government remain 17 percent below the city’s 2007 fiscal year — before the Great Recession. The proposal calls for a workforce of nearly 2,600, up roughly 130 positions from two years earlier.

More than 54 percent of the proposed $551 million general fund spending goes to staff salaries and benefits, followed by 26 percent of the spending that goes to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The city’s contribution to Metro is expected to grow to $143 million in the next fiscal year, up 4.3 million from the current year.

Wednesday’s City Council meeting was the first public discussion about the next Las Vegas budget, which will take hold July 1. The budget won’t be finalized until the council holds a public hearing and votes on a spending plan, slated for May 17.

Contact Jamie Munks at jmunks@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0340. Follow @JamieMunksRJ on Twitter.