| 3/16/2021 |
Clark County Board of Commissioners
| No Action Taken by the Board
Agenda note: DISCUSSION: Commissioner Michael McCurdy advised that as of March 15, 2021, UMC had provided over 37,000 vaccinations at the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, and that over one million COVID tests had been administered to date in Southern Nevada; that the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority had appointed Fred Haron as the interim Executive Director; advised that the Hispanic Resource Fair, a partnership with the LVMPD Northeast Area Command, was scheduled for Friday, March 19, 2021, at the El Salvador Consulate General located on Nellis Boulevard; and that, in partnership with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, a food distribution drive would take place on Saturday, March 20, 2021 at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) on Meadows Lane.
Commissioner Michael Naft expressed appreciation to Clark County Parks and Recreation members Jamie Homm and David Rodriguez for their help with the recent food pantry distribution and partnership event with the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, where more than 100 40-pound boxes of food were provided to members of the community; and that another food pantry distribution event was scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2021, at the West Flamingo Senior Center.
Commissioner Justin Jones shared that a statewide virtual job fair, co-hosted with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Congresswoman Susie Lee, and Congresswoman Alexis Hill was scheduled for March 25, 2021, and that pre-registration was available at nvcareercenter.org/jobfair2021; expressed appreciation to Parks and Recreation staff and the Culinary Academy of Las Vegas for their efforts at the recent food distribution events; stated a food distribution event was scheduled on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at Desert Breeze Community Center while supplies lasted; and commented that the recent Ride with the Commissioner event held last week with Commissioner Segerblom was a success, and that thanks to recent stimulus packages the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) should be able to restore and expand services to meet the needs of the community for both transit and paratransit.
Commissioner Tick Segerblom also commented on the enjoyable tour with the RTC, that the buses were spotless, the staff was cordial and professional, social distancing was practiced, and the event included a stop at the Thrive Dispensary for a tour of the facility; and that a virtual town hall was taking place on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, and would focus on evictions, the expiration of the Governor’s moratorium, and the availability of funds for landlords to cease evictions.
Commissioner Jim Gibson spoke on the LVMPD budgets and related expenses for policing activities, the increased number of academies, and the submittal of the tentative budget that may allow additional officer and other positions to be filled in an effort to reestablish the two officers per thousand population ratio; advised that a prefabricated building and chain link fences had been installed at the Sunset Park Pickleball complex; and recognized Chair Kirkpatrick for her leadership, ongoing work and unending dedication on issues related to the pandemic, and other demanding responsibilities.
Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick expressed her appreciation to the Board and senior management team for their ongoing support, and also to the men and women that had been administering vaccinations; provided an update on vaccines and test rates which included a 5.7 percent positivity rate over the last 14 days; that a rise in positivity was expected as businesses continued to open up, and reminded of the importance of continued washing of hands and wearing masks; over 15,000 vaccines were administered over the weekend in the valley; advised that a meeting with the mitigation task force, which included Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD), Nevada Gaming Control Board, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and others was scheduled for Thursday, March 18, 2021, and that the State would be notified that the County was working with regional partners to formulate a plan to steadily and safely open the County on May 1, 2021, while vaccines continued to be administered; a program offering vaccines for the homebound through Meals on Wheels was available, and RTC continued to provide transportation to vaccine sites as well; vaccines for those with disabilities aged 55 and older opened yesterday at pharmacies, and recommended that those aged 16 to 54 should contact their physician to find a convenient location; shared information on the recent St. Patrick’s day drive-thru food event where full meals were provided to over 200 families through partnerships with Aliante Casino and Hotel, South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa, and Get Fresh; and advised that, due to the consistent amount of growth in the area, the groundbreaking of the new free-standing Centennial Hospital Emergency Department recently took place with North Las Vegas Councilman Scott Black in attendance.
Chief Financial Officer Jessica Colvin provided a presentation to the Board regarding the American Rescue Plan recently approved by Congress, which included that an estimated allocation of $439.6 million, a figure based on population, would be received by Clark County; cities would also receive allocations; payments would be made in two traunches, with 50 percent distributed within the first sixty days, and the remaining 50 percent one year later, and that funds would be available through December 31, 2024; provided examples of eligible uses such as responses to public health emergencies, negative economic impacts due to COVID-19, and investments in water, sewer or broadband infrastructure; ineligible uses included tax cut offsets or deposits to pension funds; questions continued to be submitted to the United States Department of the Treasury (the Treasury), and responses to frequently asked questions (FAQs) would be forthcoming within the next sixty days; management advised that staff would meet with the Board once detailed information from the Treasury was available regarding realistic appropriate use within the time frame provided, and that an agenda item would be scheduled for further discussion and direction; stated that other forms of assistance created as part of the American Rescue Plan, such as the Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, which would provide a minimum $100 million distribution to states for critical capital projects, emergency rental assistance that included utility and mortgage assistance, transportation and infrastructure funding through additional Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster relief funds, economic development administration, transit to assist with operating costs, airport funding that included airport concessionaires, and also low-income water and energy assistance.
Commissioner Kirkpatrick advised that, based on input from local governments, the American Rescue Plan reflected a response from the congressional delegations regarding restrictions experienced with previous emergency allocations; that all counties would receive direct allocations from the Treasury; and that cities with a population under 50,000 would receive funds directly from the state, with a 30-day time frame allowed for State distribution.
In response to questions from the Board, staff advised that Clark County expenditure cuts resulted in an approximate $22 million loss in salaries and benefits, a 10 percent reduction to services and supplies, multiple staff positions frozen, and approximately $70 million in deferred capital projects; applications for rental assistance through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the CARES Housing Assistance Program (CHAP) were still being accepted; approvals of subgrantee agreements with the City were being processed in order for the rollout of the $31 million allocated to begin; discussions with the State and the Treasurer regarding state funding were ongoing; and that those in immediate crisis of eviction were being expedited. | |
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