1. Senate Bill No. 274–Senators Neal and Coffin

Joint Sponsor: Assemblymen Giunchigliani, Bache, Williams, Berman,

Freeman, Gibbons, Humke, Lee, Mortenson, Neighbors, Parnell,

Segerblom, Thomas, Tiffany and Von Tobel

CHAPTER........

AN ACT relating to the charter of the City of Las Vegas; amending the charter to create six

wards in the City of Las Vegas upon the approval of the registered voters of the city;

authorizing the city council or the voters within the city to increase the number of

wards in certain circumstances; 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. Section 1.130 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, being

chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, as amended by chapter 526, Statutes

of Nevada 1997, at page 2514, is hereby amended to read as follows:

  1. Sec. 1.130 Wards: Creation; boundaries.

1. The city [may] must be divided into [as many wards as the

city council determines are necessary. The wards] six wards upon

the approval of the voters. Thereafter, the wards may be

increased:

(a) By the city council if it determines that an increase is

necessary; or

(b) Upon approval of a question proposing an increase to a

specific number of wards by a majority of the voters voting on the

question. Such a question must be submitted to the voters on the

ballot at a general election or general city election if the city

council votes for the submission of the question on its own motion

or if a petition signed by a number of registered voters of the city

equal to 15 percent or more of the number of voters who voted at

the last preceding general election is submitted to the city council

requesting an increase to a specific number of wards.
  1. The wards must be as nearly equal in population as can
  1. conveniently be provided, and the territory which comprises each
  1. ward must be contiguous.
  1. 2. The boundaries of the wards must be established and
  1. changed by ordinance. The boundaries of the wards must be
  1. changed whenever the population, as determined by the last
  1. preceding national census of the Bureau of the Census of the United
  1. States Department of Commerce, in any ward exceeds the
  1. population in any other ward by more than 5 percent. The
  1. boundaries of the wards may be changed to include territory which
  2. has been annexed and whenever the population in any ward exceeds
  1. the population in any other ward by more than 5 percent by any
  1. measure which is found reliable by the city council.

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

chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, at page 1394, is hereby amended to

read as follows:

  1. Sec. 2.010 General provisions.
  1. 1. The municipal government and the legislative power of the
  1. city is vested in a city council which consists of a mayor and [four
  1. councilmen.] one councilman from each ward.
  1. 2. Members of the city council may vote on any lease, contract
  1. or other agreement which extends beyond their respective terms of
  1. office.

Sec. 3. Section 5.010 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, being

chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, as last amended by chapter 570,

Statutes of Nevada 1997, at page 2790, is hereby amended to read as

follows:

  1. Sec. 5.010 Primary municipal elections.
  1. 1. On the Tuesday after the first Monday in May [1985,] 2001,
  1. and at each successive interval of 4 years, a primary municipal
  1. election must be held in the city at which time candidates for [two]
  1. half of the offices of councilman and for municipal judge,
  1. department 2, must be nominated.
  1. 2. On the Tuesday after the first Monday in May [1987,] 2003,
  1. and at each successive interval of 4 years, a primary municipal
  1. election must be held in the city at which time candidates for mayor,
  1. for [two] the other half of the offices of councilman and for
  1. municipal judge, department 1, must be nominated.
  1. 3. The candidates for councilman who are to be nominated as
  1. provided in subsections 1 and 2 must be nominated and voted for
  1. separately according to the respective wards. The candidates from
  1. [wards 2 and 4] each even-numbered ward must be nominated as
  1. provided in subsection 1, and the candidates from [wards 1 and 3]
  1. each odd-numbered ward must be nominated as provided in
  1. subsection 2.
  1. 4. If the city council has established an additional department
  1. or departments of the municipal court pursuant to section 4.010 of
  1. this charter, and, as a result, more than one office of municipal
  1. judge is to be filled at any election, the candidates for those offices
  1. must be nominated and voted upon separately according to the
  1. respective departments.
  1. 5. Each candidate for the municipal offices which are provided
  1. for in subsections 1, 2 and 4 must file a declaration of candidacy
  1. with the city clerk. All filing fees collected by the city clerk must be
  1. paid into the city treasury.
  2. 6. If, in the primary election, regardless of the number of
  1. candidates for an office, one candidate receives a majority of votes
  1. which are cast in that election for the office for which he is a
  1. candidate, he must be declared elected for the term which
  1. commences on the day of the first regular meeting of the city
  1. council next succeeding the meeting at which the canvass of the
  1. returns is made, and no general election need be held for that office.
  1. If, in the primary election, no candidate receives a majority of votes
  1. which are cast in that election for the office for which he is a
  1. candidate, the names of the two candidates who receive the highest
  1. number of votes must be placed on the ballot for the general
  1. election.

Sec. 4. The city council of the City of Las Vegas shall submit the

question of whether the number of wards of the city should be increased to

six wards to the registered voters of the city at the first general municipal

election after the effective date of this act.

Sec. 5. If the registered voters of the City of Las Vegas approve the

increase in the number of wards of the city to six wards, the city council

shall, on or before January 1, 2000:

1. Establish the boundaries of the wards added pursuant to the

amendatory provisions of section 1 of this act and designate these wards as

wards 5 and 6.

2. Appoint one person to each office of councilman added pursuant to

the amendatory provisions of section 1 of this act. The successor to the

office of councilman from ward 6 who is elected at the municipal election

in 2001 serves for a term of 4 years. Notwithstanding the provisions of

subsection 2 of section 1.140 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, the

successor to the office of councilman from ward 5 who is elected at the

municipal election in 2001 serves for a term of 2 years. His successor who

is elected at the municipal election in 2003 and each subsequent successor

to that office serves for a term of 4 years.

Sec. 6. This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

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