Tuesday, July 7, 2009 | 11:02 p.m.
Sun Archives
- Ethics complaint filed against former mayor, councilman (7-2-2009)
- New council members wary of $21 million gift for Henderson museum (7-1-2009)
- Henderson science center board accepts city’s $21 million gift (6-24-2009)
- Henderson narrowly OKs $21 million for museum (6-9-2009)
- Vote to spend millions on museum expected Tuesday (6-7-2009)
- Group pursuing Henderson museum has its first meeting (4-30-2009)
- Space & Science Center preparing for blastoff (3-26-2009)
- From high desert to high culture (3-25-2009)
- Henderson's museum plan assumes rebound (3-15-2009)
- Science museum vision to become clearer (3-9-2009)
- Museum in Henderson a step closer to reality (3-2-2009)
- City adopts plan for new museum (2-23-2009)
The Henderson City Council voted Tuesday to hold off on distributing $21 million earmarked for a new space and science center until later, when the money is needed, instead of giving it to the museum’s advisory board up front.
It is estimated that the advisory board will need to raise a total of $61 million to fund the project.
The amendment, which passed 4-0, allows interest on the money to be used to fund the advisory board. But by keeping the money in the city’s coffers, it would be available in case of an emergency. By law, the money from the city’s land fund cannot be used to cover payroll or budget shortfalls, but it can be used for purchasing or replacing physical assets and constructing major infrastructure projects.
“I am in total support of the space and science museum. I really want to see that project built, and I think it will have great benefits to this community,” Mayor Andy Hafen said. “But as I stated previously, I just really have some concerns when elected officials, especially with this amount of money, lose some control over the ability to use it.”
“We’re in such dire straits right now economically that I just don’t think it’s the right thing to do at this time,” Hafen said.
At their last meeting on June 9 before leaving office, former Mayor James B. Gibson and former Councilman Jack Clark led a controversial initiative to take the money from the land fund and give it to the board.
Gibson serves as the board’s volunteer chairman and Clark is the volunteer vice-chair.
With Hafen as mayor and Clark’s successor, Kathleen Boutin in office, the council revisited the decision.
Hafen previously said that the city would only spend the land fund money — a total of $25.2 million — in an emergency and that it will otherwise be earmarked for the space and science center.
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