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Health Fair Serves Large Number of Residents
More than 1,500 residents flocked to the Calle Segura Health Fair held recently at the Cambridge Community Center.
Residents were given free immunizations, bone density tests, cholesterol tests, foot care, dental care, mammography screenings and screenings for diabetes, blood pressure and lead.
The fair was co-sponsored by Metro South Central Area Command, Community Oriented Policing Unit, The Hispanic American Response Team and Clark County Town and Liaison Services to help improve relations with our Spanish-speaking community.
The fair had more than a dozen partners helping with tests and handing out free information. Those partners were: Nevada Health Center, Southern Nevada Health District, UNLV School of Dental Medicine, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Partnership Plan, Southern Nevada Immunization Coalition, University of Nevada-Reno Cooperative Education, Head Start, Huntridge Teen Clinic, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada, Nevada Covering Kids & Families, Sunrise Children's Foundation-Education Center, United Way, Valley Hospital, Family Promise, and West Care.
Girl's Death Prompts Closer Look at Intersection
After 13-year-old Angela Perucci was killed in a crosswalk at the intersection of Sahara and Winterwood, almost 800 concerned citizens signed a petition requesting a traffic signal at that location. On May 1, the Sunrise Town Board received the petition and forwarded it to the Clark County Public Works Department. In the following weeks, Public Works completed a traffic study and determined by state law that the intersection did not meet warrants for the signal.
Commissioner Chris G. responded immediately by meeting with Public Works asking for alternatives that would improve safety at the intersection. As a result of this meeting, Public Works developed three options that they presented to the Sunrise Town Board and the public on July 10. The Sunrise Town Board and neighbors agreed that the favored option was for the county to install a concrete island in the eastbound turn lane on Sahara.
The concept is currently being designed and will be implemented in approximately eight weeks. After the installation of the island, Public Works will continue to monitor the intersection but we will also need your feedback. Special thanks to Denis Cederburg, Public Works Director and Paul Judd, Traffic Manager.
A tree will be dedicated in Angela Perucci's name at Winterwood Park.
From Alley to Art
On Saturday, June 7, citizens of Homewood Park came together to beautify their community as part of Project Neighborhood Pride. Approximately 100 volunteers helped install decorative rock at three entrances of Homewood Park, picked up trash and debris throughout the neighborhood, painted fire hydrants and painted over graffiti in the Desert Inn/Backstage area.
A block wall behind the Backstage Dance Studio was frequently tagged with graffiti, so Corrine Altman, Neighborhood Pride Zone Captain, found a solution that would go with the beautification project: paint a mural. She contacted the owner of the dance studio who provided the paint. She also contacted the Chaparral High School art teacher. He brought his art students to the site and supervised the painting of the lovely mural.
The event ended with a neighborhood block party and barbecue. Special thanks to Public Works, PRO, Graffiti Abatement, Fire, Constable’s office, Metro’s Southeast Area Command and Town and Liaison Services for all of their hard work on this and all of the Project Neighborhood Pride events.
Prepare for Back to School with a Safe Route to School
The Safe Route to School Program provides a comprehensive, computerized traffic, pedestrian, and bicycle plan for elementary and middle schools under the jurisdiction of Clark County. The program involves conducting an annual inventory of school-related traffic control devices within a two-mile radius walking distance for approximately 77 elementary schools and 24 middle schools. This inventory is then converted to a Geographic Information System (GIS) Arc Info database, from which maps for each school walking zone are generated. Over 15,000 school-related traffic control device data are checked, and corrections/additions made. The maps are developed so that the parent/guardian and student can select the safest route to the school that the child attends.
For more information, click here.
Lower Values, Higher Taxes? The Tax Cap Law Explained
It is understandable that some homeowners have questions about why their property tax bills are higher this year than they were last year – while the assessed value of their property is lower.
What they are seeing is the effect of the property tax relief measure that was passed into law in 2005 by the Nevada Legislature. That law, which was put into place to curb the impact of rapidly escalating property values that was occurring at that time, limits the amount that taxes can increase from one year to the next. It places a 3 percent cap on the taxes of owner-occupied homes and an 8 percent cap on most other properties.
Perhaps the best way to get a sense of the impact of the Tax Cap is to look at an example (based on an actual Clark County home). Click here to view an example.
Back in 2005 when the Tax Cap legislation was enacted, the property had a Net Assessed Value (NAV) of $88,645 and the owners paid $2,612 in taxes. The next year the property’s assessed value climbed 34%, but since the law limited the increase in taxes, the owners paid just three percent or $78 more ($2,690).
The following year the property’s assessed value rose an additional 35% -- but again, the law limited the increase in taxes to only 3%. Thus, the owners paid nearly $2,000 less than they would have had the Tax Cap not been in place.
During the subsequent two years the NAV dropped. However, the taxes that would have been levied without the Tax Cap law in effect (Taxes as Assessed) were still higher than the 3% increase allowable. Thus, the taxes billed on this property went up 3% from the prior year.
After four years, the homeowners are paying just 12% more in annual taxes even though the NAV of their home is now 44% higher than it had been in the 2005 Base Year. This is just one example and every property owner’s situation may vary.
As you can see from this scenario, the Tax Cap legislation provided taxpayers a gradual, but limited increase in their taxes. Overall, since fiscal year 2006, the net effect has been to save Clark County property owners approximately $3 billion in taxes they would have paid had the Tax Cap not been in place.
Please note: The tax bills will show the taxes that would have been assessed if not for the 2005 Tax Cap law, less a Cap reduction amount (if applicable). Some bills will not show a reduction because the Taxes as Assessed were less than a 3% or 8% increase from the taxes billed in the prior year. Also, the Tax Cap does not apply to new parcels or improvements that were not taxed in the previous year. Those properties will be eligible for the Tax Cap in the next fiscal year.
Health District Finds Cluster of Mosquitoes with West Nile
The Southern Nevada Health District’s vector control program has detected West Nile virus in a cluster of mosquitoes in the 89122 zip code. In 2007, Nevada had a total of 12 human cases of West Nile virus, three of whom were residents of Clark County. For more information or to report mosquito activity, “green” swimming pools or stagnant water sources, visit the health district website at www.SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org or call the mosquito control hotline, (702) 759-1220.
The health district’s environmental health specialists routinely survey and treat known breeding sources for mosquitoes and trap them for identification. In addition, they are tested for West Nile virus, Western equine encephalitis and St. Louis encephalitis. West Nile virus is spread through the bite of infected mosquitoes, which acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds. The illness is not spread person to person.
The health district strongly stresses the need for individual protective actions to avoid mosquito bites:
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Apply an insect repellent containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) according to manufacturer’s directions. Repellents containing picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus also have some efficacy. However, DEET is the best-studied and most-effective repellant available.
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Wear pants and long-sleeved shirts, when outdoors.
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Avoid spending time outside when mosquitoes are most active, notably at dusk (the first two hours after sunset) and dawn.
Stagnant water sources are the optimal breeding source for mosquitoes. Southern Nevadans are urged to eliminate areas of standing water, including bird baths, un-maintained swimming pools and sprinkler runoff, which all support mosquito breeding. There are 17 mosquito species in Southern Nevada; however, only a few are known to “feed” on humans and horses and carry disease. The health district recommends the following strategies to eliminate standing water:
Swimming pools:
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Maintain circulation of swimming pool water
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Keep pool covers tightly sealed
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Remove rain water from pool covers
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Stock “out-of-order” pools with mosquito fish
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Change water weekly in wading pools
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Store wading pools indoors when not in use
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Store wading pools upright
Ornamental pools
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Stock with fish
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Avoid spraying with garden insect sprays
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Remove leaves and thin out plants
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Keep water levels up and keep water clean
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Screen the inlet of the recirculation pump
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If not in use, break holes in the bottom and refill with sand
Standing water sources
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Repair leaky plumbing under and around the house
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Prevent seepage from garden irrigation
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Divert storm water away from foundations
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Drain the air conditioner outlet
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Clean rain gutters
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Remove and dispose of all unused containers that collect water
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Change water weekly in rooting plant containers
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Usable containers should be stacked upside down
West Nile virus made its first appearance in the United States in the late 1990s in New York and has since spread across the country. The disease first appeared in Nevada in 2003. In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 3,598 human cases of West Nile virus nationwide; 121 deaths were reported.
Protect Yourself From Flash Flooding
Runoff from intense rainfall can easily produce flash flooding. That is why it is important to be aware of the possibility of flooding in your area. Here are some flash flood facts:
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Monitor the weather service. A flash flood watch means that conditions could develop rapidly that leads to a flash flood.
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Flooding happens more commonly along major washes
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Fatalities frequently occur near these major washes located throughout the Las Vegas Valley, Laughlin, the Moapa Valley and Mesquite.
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Avoid crossing intersections in your car where water is rising
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Let your children know that the wash is no place to play
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Be prepared to take quick action and move to higher ground
For more information about flooding click here.
Clark County fire officials are proposing to build Fire Station #33 at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The station will be located south of Joe W. Brown Drive and Swenson Street. Construction on the station will begin in August/September and will take 9 to 10 months to complete.
This is to request your assistance in nominating people to participate in the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy’s (DHCFP) focus groups on the State Profile Tool (SPT). The SPT is a report being developed to evaluate the State’s progress in balancing the delivery of long-term care services between institutional and community settings.
The focus groups are to validate the information contained in the SPT and assess the progress the state has made since 2001 in developing a balanced system of long term care delivery. Focus group meetings will be held in Carson City, August 12-14 and Las Vegas August 19-21. The meetings will be targeted toward the following specific population cohorts with the estimated time commitment for each:
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Older Adults (2 hours)
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People with Physical Disabilities and Traumatic Brain Injury (3 hours)
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People with Mental Illness (2 hours)
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Children with Special Health Care Needs, including Autism Spectrum Disorders (3 hours)
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People with Mental Illness (2 hours)
Click here for a schedule of meetings.
DHCFP requests you nominate five individuals knowledgeable in the delivery of long term care services to participate in the focus group meetings. The individuals can be providers, participants or advocates. It is requested that individual from all areas of the state be nominated. Please provide your name, phone number, email and population cohort represented.
Eight to twelve individuals per meeting will be recruited to participate in the focus groups. This process is important to validate the SPT and the progress in achieving a balanced long term care service delivery system. The presentation to the focus group along with questions will be sent to participants one week prior to the focus group meetings. Your participation in the focus group process is also encouraged.
Please respond by e-mail by Wednesday, July 16. Thank you for your assistance! If you have any questions, please call Debbra King at (775) 813-6687 or by e-mail at dking89511@yahoo.com.
The 2008 Nevada Senior Olympics will be held between September 23 and October 19. Registration packets are now available. To find out more information about how to qualify as a participant, please visit: www.nevadaseniorolympics.com/images/registration.pdf
County Commissioners approved a Special Improvement District be created to levy assessments for maintenance along Boulder Highway from Interstate 515 to the intersection of Desert Inn Road and Lamb Boulevard.
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