Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013 | 2 a.m.
The Clark County Commission will take the final step toward creating an independent governing board for University Medical Center on Tuesday when it considers a group of nine candidates to oversee the hospital.
The commission will vote on the board nominees and discuss the costs of protecting threatened species in the county when commissioners meet at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.
UMC board nominations
Commissioners voted to create an independent board to oversee UMC in November and now turn their attention to finding members to take on the new responsibilities.
A list of nine candidates, including executives from the finance, gaming, legal and higher education industries, has been forwarded to commissioners. The candidates will be presented as a slate, meaning the entire group either will be approved or rejected with a single vote.
If approved, board members are expected to start work in January and take on their full responsibilities, which include oversight of physician recruitment, developing personnel policies and setting long-term strategies and goals, by July. Commissioners will retain a few select powers, including final say on the budget and finances.
Water rate hike public hearing
Water bills are set to go up by about $1 per month for the average resident starting in January under a rate increase approved by the Southern Nevada Water Authority.
That proposal still needs the approval of individual water districts and on Tuesday, residents will have a last chance to weigh in on the hike during a public hearing at the Las Vegas Valley Water District board meeting 9 a.m. at the county government center.
Commissioners, sitting as the Water District board, will take comments from the public before voting on the proposed increase, which would raise both usage fees and infrastructure charges residents and businesses pay.
The rate hike will be phased in over several years, leading to about a $5 increase in average monthly bills for residents by 2017.
In addition to the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which covers Las Vegas and unincorporated Clark County, other SNWA member water districts in Boulder City, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Laughlin need to sign off on the rate increase before it can take effect in January.
Fire department reimbursed for flood aid
Severe flooding in Colorado resulted in the deployment of the 80-man Nevada Task Force 1 to aid in search and rescue efforts in September.
The 80-member team, made up of firefighters drawn from several local fire departments, spent a week in Colorado helping rescue victims trapped in their homes by the floods.
On Tuesday, the commission will vote to approve a $1.5 million reimbursement grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover the cost of the task force’s deployment.
In a separate item, the county also will consider authorizing the submittal of a $3.6 million grant application to FEMA that would go to outlying volunteer fire stations.
If the county receives the grant, the money would go to equipping and training volunteer firefighters for wildland firefighting, purchasing 180 tablet computers and replacing five outdated vehicles at the rural departments.
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