North Las Vegas makes pitch for power to enact More Cops

North Las Vegas is seeking a legislative fix that would allow it to take action when Clark County gets cold feet on political “hot potatoes” such as the More Cops sales tax.

Mayor John Lee and his chief of staff Ryann Juden gave a presentation to the Assembly Committee on Government Affairs Wednesday about the city’s overall efforts and followed up with a pitch for a bill that would empower cities to act on issues when Clark County decides not to.

The narrow nature of the bill appeared to confuse a few lawmakers. When asked for instances when cities in Clark County — the only cities the bill would affect — have been harmed by the county not making a decision, Juden stuck to the More Cops example.

The proposal would have allowed the County Commission to fund more police positions by increasing the sales tax rate from 8.1 percent to as much as 8.25 percent, but the seven-member commission has voted down the measure several times since state lawmakers gave them that option in 2013.

Sticking points have been how high the sales tax increase should be — the full 0.15 percentage point increase or a smaller tax hike. Commissioners also considered, but didn’t pass, a two-part plan to gradually phase in the tax increase.

The More Cops money has always been designated for all police departments within the county — not just Metro. North Las Vegas, Henderson, Mesquite and Boulder City all would have received additional funding under the proposal.

Juden argued that if the Legislature decides to pass down power, it shouldn’t stop at the county level but should extend to the cities, too.

He told the Assembly committee that the County was put under immense political pressure when the Legislature gave it the power to act on More Cops, and the decision became embroiled in the politics swirling around the county’s police force. Meanwhile North Las Vegas desperately wanted to increase the tax and would have acted on it if the city had the power to do so, Juden said.

Last year, North Las Vegas officials estimated the tax increase would add 20 to 30 more officers to what was then the city’s force of about 262 officers.

Commissioners have pressed the Metropolitan Police Department to tap into its existing More Cops account for budget needs.

That account holds more than $100 million from a quarter-cent sales tax increase that started in 2005 to hire more police officers. That tax sunsets in 2025, and Metro has said it cannot spend the fund down because the officers hired through the fund will still be on the job when the tax ends.

Juden said Clark County didn’t contest North Las Vegas’ bill, but county officials did take issue with the time frame the current language gives them to act. Right now, the bill says the county would have three months to wield its power before the cities could take action on their own. Juden said North Las Vegas wasn’t married to the three month time frame and was working with the county to figure out how much time would be most appropriate.

The city’s proposal drew a sharp response from Assemblyman John Moore, R-Las Vegas, who questioned the wisdom of granting more power to a municipal government “on the brink of bankruptcy.”

Juden acknowledged past problems but said elections had washed out bad leadership. And some lawmakers seemed to agree, noting they were impressed with the city’s current vision and goals.

“If North Las Vegas shouldn’t have been trusted in the past, that can be the past,” Juden said. “But I think it’s a new day there. We are changing the fortunes of that city.”

Contact Bethany Barnes at bbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3861. Find her on Twitter: @betsbarnes

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-405-9781. Find him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1