County Commission to Hold Special Budget Meeting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27
In order to gain more public participation in the County’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget, the Clark County Commission has scheduled a special evening meeting on Wednesday, April 27 at 6 p.m. to discuss its final budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The meeting will be held in the Commission Chambers at the Clark County Government Center at 500 Grand Central Parkway. It will be aired live on Clark County Television (CCTV) cable Channel 4 and streamed live over the County website at www.ClarkCountyNV.gov.
“Clark County is facing an unprecedented shortfall in revenue due to the downturn in our local economy,” said Commission Chair Susan Brager. “Property tax and sales tax revenue have dropped millions since 2009, and as a result the County must continue to cut its budget even further.”
For the Fiscal Year 2012, which starts July 1, the County is projecting a $105 million structural imbalance between forecasted expenses and revenues in the General Fund. In February, County departments were directed to submit plans to cut their budgets by 9 percent to address the imbalance. The conclusion of recent contract talks with employee bargaining groups has since resulted in departmental budget reduction plans needing to meet a 7-percent target instead of 9 percent.
“We are holding this meeting at night because we want to get as much input as possible from our residents about what our priorities should be in terms of the services we provide our community,” Commission Vice Chair Steve Sisolak said. “We have some very difficult choices to make.”
State law requires the Commission to adopt a final budget by May 16 this year. Since May 2008, when the first signs of the weakening economy appeared, County Commissioners and senior management have worked diligently to cut costs while maintaining essential services. Fifteen-hundred positions have been cut through layoffs, vacancies, retirements and resignations, and many projects and purchases have been eliminated or put off.
Clark County’s General Fund pays for municipal services, including parks, roads and fire protection within unincorporated areas of Clark County and for many regional services countywide. Regional services include child protection services, district attorney and court operations, juvenile justice, social services as well as others. More than half the County’s General Fund is traditionally spent on public safety and criminal justice.
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Clark County is a dynamic and innovative organization dedicated to providing top-quality service with integrity, respect and accountability. With jurisdiction over the world-famous Las Vegas Strip and covering an area the size of New Jersey, Clark is the nation’s 14th-largest county and provides extensive regional services to more than 2 million citizens and 40 million visitors a year. Included are the nation’s 7th-busiest airport, air quality compliance, social services and the state’s largest public hospital, University Medical Center. The county also provides municipal services that are traditionally provided by cities to almost 900,000 residents in the unincorporated area. Those include fire protection, roads and other public works, parks and recreation, and planning and development.