Senate Bill No. 274–Senators Neal and Coffin

March 1, 1999

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Joint Sponsor: Assemblywoman Giunchigliani

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Referred to Committee on Government Affairs

 

SUMMARY—Amends charter of City of Las Vegas to create six wards under certain circumstances. (BDR S-1064)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.

Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: No.

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

 

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; requiring the city council to increase the number of additional wards as it determines is necessary; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

1-1 Section 1. Section 1.130 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, being

1-2 chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, as amended by chapter 526, Statutes

1-3 of Nevada 1997, at page 2514, is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-4 Sec. 1.130 Wards: Creation; boundaries.

1-5 1. The city [may] must be divided into [as many wards as the

1-6 city council determines are necessary. The wards] six wards upon

1-7 the approval of the voters. Thereafter, the city council shall

1-8 increase the number of wards as the city council determines is

1-9 necessary. The wards must be as nearly equal in population as can

1-10 conveniently be provided, and the territory which compromises

1-11 each ward must be contiguous.

1-12 2. The boundaries of the wards must be established and

1-13 changed by ordinance. The boundaries of the wards must be

1-14 changed whenever the population, as determined by the last

2-1 preceding national census of the Bureau of the Census of the United

2-2 States Department of Commerce, in any ward exceeds the

2-3 population in any other ward by more than 5 percent. The

2-4 boundaries of the wards may be changed to include territory which

2-5 has been annexed and whenever the population in any ward exceeds

2-6 the population in any other ward by more than 5 percent by any

2-7 measure which is found reliable by the city council.

2-8 Sec. 2. Section 2.010 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, being

2-9 chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, at page 1394, is hereby amended to

2-10 read as follows:

2-11 Sec. 2.010 General provisions.

2-12 1. The municipal government and the legislative power of the

2-13 city is vested in a city council which consists of a mayor and [four

2-14 councilmen.] one councilman from each ward.

2-15 2. Members of the city council may vote on any lease, contract

2-16 or other agreement which extends beyond their respective terms of

2-17 office.

2-18 Sec. 3. Section 5.010 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, being

2-19 chapter 517, Statutes of Nevada 1983, as last amended by chapter 570,

2-20 Statutes of Nevada 1997, at page 2790, is hereby amended to read as

2-21 follows:

2-22 Sec. 5.010 Primary municipal elections.

2-23 1. On the Tuesday after the [1st] first Monday in May [1985,]

2-24 2001, and at each successive interval of 4 years, a primary

2-25 municipal election must be held in the city at which time candidates

2-26 for [two] half of the offices of councilman and for municipal judge,

2-27 department 2, must be nominated.

2-28 2. On the Tuesday after the [1st] first Monday in May [1987,]

2-29 2003, and at each successive interval of 4 years, a primary

2-30 municipal election must be held in the city at which time candidates

2-31 for mayor, for [two] the other half of the offices of councilman and

2-32 for municipal judge, department 1, must be nominated.

2-33 3. The candidates for councilman who are to be nominated as

2-34 provided in subsections 1 and 2 must be nominated and voted for

2-35 separately according to the respective wards. The candidates from

2-36 [wards 2 and 4] each even-numbered ward must be nominated as

2-37 provided in subsection 1, and the candidates from [wards 1 and 3]

2-38 each odd-numbered ward must be nominated as provided in

2-39 subsection 2.

2-40 4. If the city council has established an additional department

2-41 or departments of the municipal court pursuant to section 4.010 of

2-42 this charter, and, as a result, more than one office of municipal

3-1 judge is to be filled at any election, the candidates for those offices

3-2 must be nominated and voted upon separately according to the

3-3 respective departments.

3-4 5. Each candidate for the municipal offices which are provided

3-5 for in subsections 1, 2 and 4 must file a declaration of candidacy

3-6 with the city clerk. The city clerk shall collect from each candidate,

3-7 at the time of filing that candidate’s declaration of candidacy, the

3-8 filing fee which is prescribed by ordinance for that office. All of the

3-9 filing fees which are collected by the city clerk must be paid into the

3-10 city treasury.

3-11 6. If, at 5 p.m. on the last day for filing a declaration of

3-12 candidacy, there is only one candidate for nomination for any

3-13 office, that candidate must be declared elected for the term which

3-14 commences on the day of the first regular meeting of the city

3-15 council next succeeding the meeting at which the canvass of the

3-16 returns is made, and no primary or general election need be held for

3-17 that office.

3-18 7. If, in the primary election, regardless of the number of

3-19 candidates for an office, one candidate receives a majority of votes

3-20 which are cast in that election for the office for which he is a

3-21 candidate, he must be declared elected for the term which

3-22 commences on the day of the first regular meeting of the city

3-23 council next succeeding the meeting at which the canvass of the

3-24 returns is made, and no general election need be held for that office.

3-25 If, in the primary election, no candidate receives a majority of votes

3-26 which are cast in that election for the office for which he is a

3-27 candidate, the names of the two candidates who receive the highest

3-28 number of votes must be placed on the ballot for the general

3-29 election.

3-30 Sec. 4. The city council of the City of Las Vegas shall submit the

3-31 question of whether the number of wards of the city should be increased to

3-32 six wards to the registered voters of the city at the first general municipal

3-33 election after the effective date of this act.

3-34 Sec. 5. If the registered voters of the City of Las Vegas approve the

3-35 increase in the number of wards of the city to six wards, the city council

3-36 shall, on or before January 1, 2000:

3-37 1. Establish the boundaries of the wards added pursuant to the

3-38 amendatory provisions of section 1 of this act and designate these wards as

3-39 wards 5 and 6.

3-40 2. Appoint one person to each office of councilman added pursuant to

3-41 the amendatory provisions of section 1 of this act. The successor to the

3-42 office of councilman from ward 6 who is elected at the municipal election

3-43 in 2001 serves for a term of 4 years. Notwithstanding the provisions of

4-1 subsection 2 of section 1.140 of the charter of the City of Las Vegas, the

4-2 successor to the office of councilman from ward 5 who is elected at the

4-3 municipal election in 2001 serves for a term of 2 years. His successor who

4-4 is elected at the municipal election in 2003 and each subsequent successor

4-5 to that office serves for a term of 4 years.

4-6 Sec. 6. This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

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