Published Friday, Sept. 19, 2008 | 9:43 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | 2:17 p.m.
Council ratifies police chief appointment
The City Council unanimously approved the appointment of Jutta Chambers as Henderson's police chief.
Chambers was appointed last month by City Manager Mary Kay Peck to succeed Richard Perkins, who retired Sept. 5. Though the hiring of a chief was Peck's responsibility, her action required ratification from the City Council.
Chambers is the first female chief in the department's 55-year history. City officials have lauded her broad experience within the department as her greatest qualification. Chambers has worked in or overseen every facet of the department's operations in her 25 years with Henderson police.
Chambers began her duties as chief Sept. 8.
Police department receives three grants
The Henderson Police Department has received three state grants worth $121,700. The City Council has unanimously voted to accept the money and match them as required with city funds.
All three grants came from the Nevada Department of Public Safety. The first is a $15,000 extension to a $94,000 grant that Henderson Police received last year to pay for overtime expenses for officers working traffic enforcement. The grant is aimed at increasing enforcement of safety belt laws, child restraint device laws, speed limits and pedestrian safety.
The second grant, for $72,700, will help pay overtime expenses for officers participating in the Every 15 Minutes Program, which makes presentations at local high schools to warn students about the effect of driving while intoxicated. The grant required a $132,000 match from the city.
The final grant of $34,000 will be used to purchase portable breath-testing devices that officers will use on the road to test impaired drivers. It required an $8,500 match by the city.
Franchise extended with Southwest Gas
The City Council unanimously voted to extend its franchise agreement with Southwest Gas for one year.
The 25-year franchise agreement the two signed in 1983, which allows Southwest Gas to be the exclusive natural gas provider within Henderson, expired this month. The two sides are working on a new, long-term contract. The one-year extension would be replaced by any deal made in the next year.
Apartment complex cleared for conversion
The Crossing at Green Valley, a 384-unit apartment complex on Green Valley Parkway north of Warm Springs Road, received the City Council's unanimous permission to convert into condominiums.
The Planning Commission gave the favorable recommendation in August, despite the fact that its concerns about a parking shortage could not be addressed. The complex was in compliance when it was built in 1986, but subsequent code changes have increased the amount of parking required.
The Crossing's owners tried to negotiate a shared parking agreement with the city's neighboring Wild Horse Golf Course, but were turned away. The council granted the project a waiver for the 199 stalls it lacked out of 768 that were required.
Henderson water facility wins award
The Henderson Department of Utility Services presented the City Council with a national award it recently received for the performance of its water reclamation facility.
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies presented the department with a Gold Peak Performance Award at a national conference in July. The award honored the city for the reclamation facility's 100 percent compliance with federal regulations that govern pollutant output during 2007.
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies is a coalition established in 1970 to represent the nation's municipal bodies that operate water reclamation systems.
Henderson's Kurt R. Segler Water Reclamation Facility was built in 1994 to treat the city's wastewater and return it to Lake Mead. The facility is nearing completion of an expansion that will allow it to treat 32 million gallons of water per day.
Franchise extended with Southwest Gas
The City Council unanimously voted to extend its franchise agreement with Southwest Gas for one year.
The 25-year franchise agreement the two signed in 1983, which allows Southwest Gas to be the exclusive natural gas provider within Henderson, expired this month.
The two sides are working on a new, long-term contract. The one-year extension would be replaced by any deal made in the next year.
Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or [email protected].
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