Thursday, June 4, 1998 | 10:17 a.m.
Clark County residents who launched one last effort Wednesday to thwart North Las Vegas officials' attempt to annex their property finally lost the drawn-out struggle.
At least once City Councilman was reluctant, but members voted unanimously to adopt the 185-acre county pocket bounded by Lone Mountain Road to the south and Elkhorn Road to the north.
"I make this recommendation with reservations," Councilman William Robinson said. "I feel that if you don't want to be here, fantastic, we'll move on without you."
Robinson and fellow council members were lambasted by fuming residents, who accused the city of lying and claimed that signatures on their petition were illegally dismissed.
Lin Wright, who has led the crusade against annexation, said enough signatures were collected to kill the city's second attempt to annex her property in five years.
"You know this is an illegal annexation, yet you choose to continue this farce," Wright said. "If you do this, we're going to sue you and your poor residents are going to have to pay."
Weary from the verbal attacks, Robinson called Cagle back to the podium to promise the signatures were counted fairly and legally.
"I know you wouldn't put your job on the line in a stupid way," Robinson told Cagle. "I'm tired of the integrity of this council being attacked."
Wright and her neighbors said they don't want to be part of North Las Vegas because their property taxes will triple and their property values will plummet. They said the city's emergency services are inadequate and they don't want to pay for improvements like streets, gutters and sidewalks.
"We bought our property in the county because we wanted to live in the county," Cyrus Persis said. "Now they're going to make a decision for us."
The city decided to annex three islands of county land because, although it currently provides police and fire protection, it does not collect property taxes to help pay for those services.
archive
