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Culinary gathers signatures for initiative to undo downtown redevelopment plans
Category: City Government · State: Nevada · Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
The Culinary union expanded its challenge to a new Las Vegas city hall Tuesday and announced a signature drive for ballot measures that could radically alter, or upend, the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts.
Culinary leaders said they’re worried about the city’s push to finance a multi-million dollar project at a time when the city is trying to cut costs to make ends meet. They also said redevelopment incentives for downtown projects divert money from other public needs.
“There’s just a disconnect there,” said D. Taylor, secretary-treasurer of Culinary Workers Union Local 226. “We can’t rely on their judgment.”
City officials counter that redevelopment projects create jobs, increase the tax base and are essential for the city core’s long-term viability — and that the tax revenue the union is concerned about wouldn’t exist without redevelopment efforts.
“We’ve created a lot of jobs,” said Mayor Oscar Goodman, adding that he plans to strongly oppose the ballot measures.
“I’m not going to let it happen,” he said. “I’m going to fight this tooth and nail.”
The debate is focused on the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, a somewhat obscure offshoot of the city that was created in 1986 and tasked — as similar entities are across the country — with energizing what had become a blighted downtown area.
One of the main tools used to do that is called “tax increment financing.” When the redevelopment area is established, the base property tax revenue is set and that amount continues to go to the various public agencies that received it. New revenue from construction and increased property values — the “increment” — is allocated to three sources: the redevelopment agency, defraying infrastructure costs on projects as incentives, and affordable housing.
“You’re plowing the new taxes back in,” said Scott Adams, the city’s business development director. “If it weren’t for the incentives and the redevelopment activities that generate the construction, you wouldn’t have the new taxes.”
That’s not the way the Culinary union is viewing it in making the case for its proposed ballot measures.
One, the Las Vegas Taxpayer Accountability Act, is an initiative that would require a public vote on “lease-purchase” city construction projects, which is the financing method being considered for the proposed city hall. The second, the Las Vegas Redevelopment Reform Referendum, would repeal the existing Redevelopment Area plan, and public votes would be required to move any redevelopment projects forward.
If supporters collect enough signatures — 1,800 for the referendum, 2,700 for the initiative — by the end of January, the measures would be placed on the spring municipal election ballot.
“I think once people understand where their money has been spent ... I don’t foresee a problem,” Taylor said.
“If people want to come and develop something, that’s fine. But I don’t remember Steve Wynn or the MGM Mirage getting tax subsidies to build. I don’t remember Boyd’s doing that.”
Culinary has been vocal in opposing the new city hall proposal for a block on Main Street next to the Regional Justice Center.
The building is budgeted at $150 million, although the city is seeking more than $260 million in financing to account for delays or higher construction costs.
City officials project that new development spurred by a relocated city hall, along with the opening of developments in Union Park — which includes a proposed hotel-casino — and the reopening of the Lady Luck casino, will provide the revenue to pay for the building.
“Who are the ones who are going to be employed there?” Goodman said. “Certainly, those in the culinary industry. If they kill the project, if they’re successful, they will be blowing these jobs for their employees, which makes no sense to me.”
He also said Culinary’s stated watchdog role isn’t its real mission.
“They say they’re trying to represent the taxpayer, but they want to use the council as a wedge in order to get benefits for their Culinary members,” Goodman said. “That may be cool, if they would come out truthfully and say that.”
When asked if that was the case, Taylor simply said, “No.”
One of the supposed victims of the redevelopment agency is the Clark County School District, since there’s increased revenue from development that isn’t going to schools.
But Superintendent Walt Rulffes said that, handled correctly, redevelopment agencies can be a long-term good.
“It’s a short-term vs. long-term issue,” Rulffes said. “If redevelopment is limited to certain areas” for a limited period of time “eventually, it becomes an improvement to the overall tax base.”
There is a “potential for school districts to have a gap” when new development isn’t of benefit, and a redevelopment area can’t go on indefinitely, he added.
“If it was under very controlled circumstances, I think the school district would be cooperative and try to make it work,” Rulffes said.
The city’s redevelopment area covers downtown, Las Vegas Boulevard to Sahara Avenue, and corridors on Owens, Martin Luther King and Eastern Avenue. It sunsets in 2031. Businesses and developers can qualify for incentives and assistance for projects in the designated area, such as help with infrastructure costs or grants to remodel a businesses signage and exterior.
After Culinary’s announcement, the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council issued a statement opposing the ballot measures.
“It is our belief that in these times of economic peril, one of the best ways governments can help stimulate the economy is by investing in public works projects that create good-paying jobs with benefits,” said trades council president Rick Johnson.
“We believe the projects in question are a small but important investment in downtown infrastructure and in keeping Southern Nevada’s working class employed.”
Petitioning Victory from 9th Circuit
Category: Blocking · State: Nevada · Source: Ballot Access News
On December 1, the 9th circuit issued its opinion in Dietrich v John Ascuaga’s Nugget, 06-17135. The issue was whether petitioning should still be allowed on public sidewalks, when a private organization has rented a public square that abuts those public sidewalks. The decision says that just because a private organization has taken temporary control (for a day, or a weekend) of a public space, that does not mean the public space is no longer available for First Amendment activity.
The decision acknowledges that the private organization may have an interest in making it plain that it is not associated with whatever individual or group is petitioning, but says if that is a concern, the private organization is free to post a sign saying it is not associated with the petitioning. In this case, the petitioners were working on a recall petition, and the public sidewalks and public square had been temporarily rented out to the “Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-Off.” The decision commented that it was unlikely that any passerby would assume the recall petition is associated with the Cook-Off.
Federal judge strikes down Nev. ballot measure law
Category: Initiative and Referendum · State: Nevada · Source: San Jose Mercury News
A federal judge on Monday threw out Nevada's initiative petition requirements that attempted to compensate for different population sizes in urban and rural counties. U.S. District Court Judge Philip Pro in Las Vegas said the rules are unconstitutional and ordered Secretary of State Ross Miller not to enforce them. The ruling was not expected to affect the general election in November, when four ballot questions will be put to Nevada voters, down from about a dozen citizen initiatives that were either withdrawn by their backers or scrapped by the courts for failing to meet other requirements. Monday's ruling struck down the so-called "County Population Rule," which forced petition-gatherers to obtain signatures from 10 percent of voters in each county, rather than 10 percent statewide. The raw number of signatures required is based on turnout from the previous general election. The American Civil Liberties Union, which filed the complaint along with the Marijuana Policy Project and four individuals, complained the law gave signatures from rural voters more power than those of urban voters.
NOVEMBER BALLOT: Property tax petition advances
Category: Taxes · State: Nevada · Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Secretary of State Ross Miller on Thursday rejected a challenge to Sharron Angle's initiative petition to cap property tax rates, sending it to the November general election. The constitutional amendment, which would limit annual property tax increases to 2 percent per year on all property, faced a challenge from the state teachers union aimed at keeping it off the ballot. After a review of the complaint and the response from Angle's attorney, the concerns over the affidavits filed by signature gatherers were rejected, said Matt Griffin, deputy secretary of state for elections. Barring a successful legal challenge by the Nevada State Education Association in the courts, the measure will be on the ballot, he said. It will have to pass twice, in November and again in 2010, before it can take effect.
Growth Plan Appears Headed For Ballot in Reno
Category: City Government · State: Nevada · Source: Las Vegas Sun
A citizen initiative designed to limit sprawl around Reno appears headed for the November ballot. Supporters on Friday turned in petitions with more than 28,000 signatures _ about 10,000 more than the 18,093 signatures required to qualify the measure for the ballot. If approved, the initiative would require growth in Washoe County to be based on sustainable water resources within the county and would ban the importation of water from outside the county. Officials said it would be the first binding question on growth limits to appear on a county ballot. "We have no illusions that this fight is just beginning," petition leader Bob Fulkerson said. "The monied interests and developers have us in their sights." Pamela Galloway of Voices for a Sustainable Washoe County said the petitions received broad support from Republicans and Democrats alike. She said the initiative would require regional planners to plan for 200,000 more people for a total population of 600,000.
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