1. Assembly Bill No. 590–Committee on Government Affairs

CHAPTER........

AN ACT relating to the City of North Las Vegas; revising the provisions of the North Las

Vegas City Charter regarding the election of city councilmen; and providing other

matters properly relating thereto.

 

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section 1. The charter of the City of North Las Vegas, being chapter

573, Statutes of Nevada 1971, at 1210, is hereby amended by adding

thereto a new section to be designated as section 1.045, immediately

following section 1.040, to read as follows:

Sec. 1.045 Wards: Creation; Boundaries.

1. The city must be divided into four wards which must be as

nearly equal in population as practicable, and each of which must

be composed entirely of contiguous territory.

2. The boundaries of the wards must be established and

changed by ordinance. Except as otherwise provided in subsection

3, the boundaries of the wards must be changed whenever the

population, as determined by the last preceding national census of

the Bureau of the Census of the United States Department of

Commerce, in any ward exceeds the population in any other ward

by more than 5 percent.

3. The boundaries of the wards must not be changed, except

to accommodate an annexation of territory to the city, during the

period beginning 30 days immediately preceding the last day for

filing a declaration of candidacy for a municipal election and

ending on the date of the election.

Sec. 2. Section 2.010 of the charter of the City of North Las Vegas,

being chapter 573, Statutes of Nevada 1971, as last amended by chapter

215, Statutes of Nevada 1997, at page 748, is hereby amended to read as

follows:

  1. Sec. 2.010 City council: Qualifications; election; term of
  1. office; salary.
  1. 1. The legislative power of the city is vested in a city council
  1. consisting of four councilmen and a mayor.

2. The mayor [and councilmen] must be:

(a) [Bona fide residents] A bona fide resident of the city for at

least 6 months immediately preceding [their election.

(b) Qualified electors] his election.

(b) A qualified elector within the city.

3. Each councilman:

(a) Must be a qualified elector who has resided in the ward

which he represents for at least 30 days immediately preceding

the last day for filing a declaration of candidacy for his office.

(b) Must continue to live in the ward he represents, except that

changes in ward boundaries made pursuant to section 1.045 of

this charter will not affect the right of any elected councilman to

continue in office for the term for which he was elected.

4. At the time of filing, if so required by an ordinance duly

enacted, candidates for the office of mayor and councilman shall

produce evidence in satisfaction of any or all of the qualifications

provided in subsection 2 [.

4.] or 3, whichever is applicable.
  1. 5. All councilmen, including the mayor, must be voted upon by
  1. the registered voters of the city at large, and their terms of office are
  1. 4 years.
  1. [5.] 6. The mayor and councilmen are entitled to receive a
  1. salary in an amount fixed by the city council.

Sec. 3. Section 5.020 of the charter of the City of North Las Vegas,

being chapter 573, Statutes of Nevada 1971, as last amended by chapter

215, Statutes of Nevada 1997, at page 748, is hereby amended to read as

follows:

  1. Sec. 5.020 Primary municipal elections; declaration of
  1. candidacy.
  1. 1. The city council shall provide by ordinance for candidates
  1. for elective office to declare their candidacy and file the necessary
  1. documents. The seats for city councilmen must be designated by
  1. the numbers one through four which number must correspond
  1. with the wards the candidates for city councilmen will seek to
  1. represent the office of city councilman shall include in his
  1. declaration of candidacy the number of the ward which he seeks
  1. to represent. Each candidate for city council must be designated
  1. as a candidate for the city council seat that corresponds with the
  1. ward that he seeks to represent.
  1. 2. If for any general municipal election there are three or more
  1. candidates for the offices of mayor or municipal judge, or [five or
  1. more candidates for the office of councilman,] for a particular city
  1. council seat, a primary election for any such office must be held on
  1. the Tuesday following the first Monday in May preceding the
  1. general election.
  1. 3. Except as otherwise provided in [subsections 4 and 5,]
  1. subsection 4, after the primary election, the names of the two
  1. candidates for mayor , [and] municipal judge and [the names of the
  1. four candidates for city councilman] each city council seat who
  1. receive the highest number of votes must be placed on the ballot for
  1. the general election.
  2. 4. If one of the candidates for mayor , [or] municipal judge or a
  1. city council seat receives a majority of the total votes cast for that
  1. office in the primary election, he shall be declared elected to office
  1. and his name must not appear on the ballot for the general election.
  1. [5. If a candidate for city council receives votes equal to a
  1. majority of voters casting ballots in the primary election:
  1. (a) He shall be declared elected to one of the open seats on the
  1. city council and his name must not appear on the ballot for the
  1. general election.
  1. (b) Unless all the open seats were filled pursuant to paragraph
  1. (a), the names of those candidates who received the highest number
  1. of votes but did not receive a number of votes equal to a majority of
  1. the voters casting ballots in the primary election, not to exceed
  1. twice the number of candidates remaining to be elected, must be
  1. placed on the ballot for the general election.]

Sec. 4. The city council shall, on or before January 1, 2000, establish

the boundaries of the wards pursuant to the amendatory provisions of

section 1 of this act. The amendatory provisions of sections 2 and 3 of this

act apply initially to the candidates for city council seats in the municipal

election held in 2001.

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