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Eco-County Plan Gets Unanimous Approval
The County Commission stepped up conservation efforts by unanimously approving a new plan that will conserve natural resources at the county level and seek participation from surrounding cities.
The "Eco-County Initiative," made at the request of Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani and Commission Chairman Rory Reid, is the broadest conservation effort the county has undertaken.
The initiative will create a working group made up of local government representatives to study and recommend a series of measures to improve conservation. The group will be asked to look at the county's greenhouse gas emissions, the use of recycled paper for janitorial products, using rubberized asphalt for sealing cracks in the road and reducing paper consumption. The group would also review policies that promote infill over sprawl, evaluate the county's building codes to see if any barriers exist to green building and renewable energy and expand the use of reclaimed water for irrigation of parks, schools and other areas.
The initiative adds to existing conservation efforts undertaken by the county since August 2003, which has resulted in more than $1.8 million in savings through the reduction of energy and water consumed by the county.
2008 Summer Business Institute Looking for Talented Teens
Clark County will begin recruiting for the 2008 Clark County Summer Business Institute (SBI) Program. There are 100 jobs for qualifying Clark County high school students who will be juniors, seniors, or college freshmen by the Fall of 2008.
This is the 13th year that Clark County has sponsored the SBI Program offering teens employment opportunities in a variety of fields, including law, medicine, architecture, education, and communications. The program is a partnership between Clark County, Clark County School District, and more than 80 area businesses.
In 1996, Clark County spearheaded the eight-week program in order to expose disadvantage inner-city youth to career fields that they might otherwise not access. Over time, the program was expanded to serve a diverse student population.
To ensure inner-city youth are involved in the program, a select number of jobs have been reserved for teens living in the Enterprise Community neighborhoods. Additionally, all participants will be eligible for college scholarships at the close of the program.
Those selected for the program will be required to meet certain criteria determined by Clark County and the Clark County School District. Requirements include, but not limited to, grade point average, volunteerism, and personal motivation.
Applications are available at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, 5th Floor; KCEP Radio Station, 330 West Washington Avenue; and through the high school Job Banks.
The application deadline is Friday, February 22, 2008. For more information, contact Maurice L. Reid, SBI Coordinator or Kaveida Allen, SBI Assistant Coordinator at the Clark County Community Resources Management Division at 455-2426 or 455-3036.
Booster Seat and Book Event Helps Local Children Thrive
This year marked another success for the Booster Seats and Books drive at the Cambridge Community Center.
The holiday season event was sponsored by United Way of Southern Nevada's early childhood initiative, Success By 6 and its partner SAFE KIDS and promoted safety and learning.
Certified technicians installed 47 booster seats in vehicles of families in need. The event helps increase public awareness of Nevada's booster seat law, which requires children over 40 pounds to be belted in facing forward. Booster seats are also required for children over 40 pounds between ages 4-8 if they are 4'9" or under.
Additionally, hundreds of books were also distributed as part of the Success By 6 program which promotes family literacy.
Success By 6 is helping all children enter school ready to succeed through health, safety and literacy. For more information about Southern Nevada's most pressing needs and how the United Way is helping, call 734-2273.
Pulverize and Pave Project Underway
Road construction is already underway near Sandhill Road and Wyoming Avenue.
The "2007 Pulverize and Pave" project will be completed by March 2008 and will include selected streets at Sahara Avenue to the north, Charleston Boulevard to the south, Pecos Road to the east and Lamb Boulevard to the west.
The project will involve pulverizing the surface and base, repairing base and concrete surfaces, reconstructing sidewalk ramps and adjusting manholes and water valve boxes.
If you need further information please call the Construction Management Division at 455-4107.
How Dillon's Rule Limits County's Govermental Powers
In Nevada, state and local government all have a specific role to play in providing public services to citizens. At times, these levels of governance can overlap, or create gaps in the provision of services, leaving uncertainty about who has what type of authority. In the modern era, while the problems of jurisdiction are at times still evident, a defining ruling was made in two Iowa Supreme Court decisions.
The relationship between local autonomy and state supremacy was more clearly defined by these rulings, which have become known as "Dillon's Rule." Judge John F. Dillon's 1886 ruling limited county governmental powers. Judge Dillon, a prolific writer on the subject of local governmental operations, severely distrusted local government due to the power and corruption of political "machines," who often controlled municipal and regional decision makers. At the same time others called for the increased constitutional rights of local government even though many states' constitutions gave o such rights.
This ruling silenced those who championed far reaching local autonomy. His ruling gave local government only those powers that were specifically given to them by the state constitution or legislative statute. If there were any uncertainty of who had power or jurisdiction, it would be given to the state government and resolved in the judiciary. Within Dillon's era, states would use his ruling to limit the actions of local government, attempting to keep corrupted officials from wielding excessive power.
Today Dillon's Rule is in effect in many states, according to one survey, 40 states are currently considered "Dillon's Rule" states. Not all of these states enforce the rule in the same manner. For example, Alabama's enforcement of the rule only applies to county government; California's version does not include charter cities; and Louisiana's interpretation of the rule only affects pre-1974 municipalities. The spectrum of enforcement ranges from aggressive to somewhat lax, with a diminishing presence of the rule over time.
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