City Council briefs

VALENTINE SIGNED -- The city of Las Vegas has a new manager. The City Council unanimously approved a contract with Virginia Valentine of Post, Buckley, Schuh and Jernigan Tuesday. She will earn an annual salary of $135,000 -- about $8,000 more than soon-to-be-former City Manager Larry Barton was making at the end of his four-year stint in the office. Valentine, who starts work June 29, has a three-year contract.

METRO AUDIT -- After approving $70 million of the city's funds toward the Metro Police budget last week, the City Council Tuesday directed staff to pursue an audit of the department by David M. Griffith and Associates, a firm that will look at the way Metro officers are deployed and managed. Councilmembers earlier expressed concern about Metro's request for the money -- an 8 percent increase from last year's allocation. Griffith recently audited the Reno police department.

AUDITOR CHANGES -- Soon the Las Vegas city auditor may be reporting to a committee made up of city councilmembers and residents rather than to the city manager. The City Council approved a measure Tuesday that started the formation of an audit oversight committee. The initiative comes more than two months after the firing of former City Auditor Susan Toohey, who had proposed a similar structure to the council when she held the office. Currently the auditor reports to the city manager who has the power to hire -- or in Toohey's case fire -- the auditor at any time. Many other municipalities require council approval before an auditor can be terminated.

TOWER LIMITS -- In an attempt at regionalism, the City Council held off on voting on an ordinance that would prohibit the construction of wireless towers within 750 feet of a residence. The reason the councilmembers staved off the vote was to wait until after mid-July, when the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition meets to discuss how to create laws that are uniform from one city to the other. Henderson, which recently had a similar ordinance brought before its council, also held off until July before making any decisions.

SIERRA ARMS -- The former public housing complex Sierra Nevada Arms was once again a subject of Las Vegas City Council debate on Tuesday. The complex -- long considered a community eyesore -- recently was sold for demolition to allow a local non-profit organization to build affordable condominiums. The firm that was paid to demolish the buildings instead decided to sell them and move them despite the presence of asbestos in the walls and floors. After spending more than $400,000 for the buildings to be demolished, they remain on the property. City Councilman Gary Reese, who represents the ward the buildings are located in, asked the council to vote to have them demolished because they are a safety hazard. The council agreed to pre-approve the demolition plan to the lowest bidder, but not without discussing possible legal recourse against the company that was already paid to get rid of them. City officials estimate the demolition to cost $250,000.

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