Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Judge hears arguments on stadium funding initiative

Stadium

Cordish Cos.

Artist’s rendering of proposed stadium.

Updated Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015 | 11:47 a.m.

A judge is expected to rule in the next couple days whether opponents of public funding for a $200 million downtown soccer stadium collected enough signatures to get the issue on the June 4 election ballot.

An attorney for Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers argued in court this morning that the city miscalculated the number of signatures needed for a ballot initiative that would let voters decide on funding.

The issue boils down to whether the number of required signatures needed to qualify the initiative is based on voter turnout in the 2013 or the 2011 municipal elections.

The city clerk initially told Beers and other stadium opponents, including fellow council members Stavros Anthony and Lois Tarkanian, that 2,306 signatures were needed, based on turnout in the 2013 election.

But because there was only a municipal primary and no general election in 2013, city attorney Brad Jerbich ruled that turnout figures from the 2011 general election should be used, raising the number of required signatures to 8,258.

Stadium opponents on Jan. 23 turned in 6,966 valid signatures.

Representing the city in court today, Jerbich said his ruling was based on language in the Nevada Constitution that specifies turnout be used from the last general election.

He said the city made a “tragic” mistake when it initially misinformed the stadium funding opponents about the number of signatures needed, but the correct interpretation was eventually made.

Beers’ attorney, Craig Mueller, said state statute runs counter to the city’s ruling, calling for turnout numbers to be used from the most recent election — regardless of whether it’s a primary or a general election — when determining the number of signatures needed for a ballot initiative.

“This is a very simple case,” Mueller said, dismissing Jerbich’s citing of the state constitution as a “red herring.”

District Court Judge Jerry Wiese said he needed time to review documents in the case but expected to make a ruling in the next day or two.

Beers said after the hearing that even if Wiese sides with opponents, he expects the city to continue challenging the initiative on other grounds, such as the language used in the petition.

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