City, Babbitt work on land agreement

Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt wants to see a plan in place to sell 7,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management property in North Las Vegas by the end of the year.

That's according to Mayor Michael Montandon and City Manager Pat Importuna, who returned late Wednesday from a two-day trip to Washington, D.C., where they met with Babbitt and members of Nevada's congressional delegation concerning a compromise for the land sale.

The BLM parcel, which lies within the city's northern boundaries, is destined for sale, and the city wants firm control over how it is ultimately subdivided and developed, a process Montandon anticipates could take from eight to 20 years.

"It's hard work," the mayor said in reference to the negotiating process with the BLM. "It's not like I'm a developer in there trying to make a million bucks. There's nothing in it for me. Secretary Babbitt and I are both trying to get what's best for the community."

Importuna and Montandon described their meeting with Babbitt as productive.

Attempts to reach Babbitt for comment were unsuccessful.

City officials originally wanted the federal government to sell the parcel as one piece to a private developer for a master-planned community. But Babbitt said during his visit to the city in February that he wanted to maximize the taxpayers' value by chopping up the acreage into smaller parcels and selling them over time.

The BLM has estimated the value of the North Las Vegas property at somewhere between $100 million and $150 million.

Babbitt, at the time, asked city officials to put together a compromise that would reflect the objectives of the BLM and the city.

"We are working with the BLM to achieve the goals of the secretary of the Interior to essentially maximize the returns on the American taxpayers' money ... and at the same time achieve the city's goal of a master-planned community," Importuna said. "If we have the ability to exceed the expectations of the value of the land, that's our goal, too."

Montandon said that following the city's presentation on a potential method for disposal of the land, Babbitt appeared to think a plan could be worked out. Because they say it's too early in the negotiation stage, Montandon and Importuna are declining to release details of the compromise.

Importuna said the members of Nevada's congressional delegation -- Sens. Richard Bryan and Harry Reid and Reps. Shelley Berkley and Jim Gibbons -- support the proposal. Montandon said they met with the delegation to keep them informed on the land sale.

Babbitt told the North Las Vegas officials he would put together a negotiating team by the end of the week to work with the city to hammer out the agreement.

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