Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown opened the regular meeting of the North Las Vegas City Council on June 17, welcoming regional representatives, community leaders, and local residents at 5:00 p.m. The evening proceedings commenced with an opening invocation delivered by Deacon Jim Pittman of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Malaya Perkins-Parscha, an incoming junior at Arbor View High School.

During the council comment segment, Councilman Isaac Barron noted the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, encouraging residents to celebrate at the Neighborhood Recreation Center on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for family games, coffee and donuts. Barron also announced a free community pool party scheduled for Saturday, June 20, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Jim Bridger Pool, featuring live music, food, promotional giveaways and raffle drawings. Councilman Richard Cherchio added that the recent seasonal opening of the new Sky View aquatic facility was highly successful, drawing a larger public turnout than expected. He promoted the Dad’s Backyard Bash at Sky View on Sunday, June 21, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Councilwoman Ruth Garcia-Anderson shared regional updates, beginning with her June 4 attendance at the Trade School Scholarship Awards Ceremony organized by JAG Nevada to support vocational tracks. On June 6, she attended a municipal pool event at Walker Pool in Ward 2, which featured local corporate sponsorships from entities like Family Dentistry. She also detailed her June 11 visit to the Martin Luther King Senior Center for a Healthcare Power of Attorney workshop, where City Attorney Andy Moore volunteered his time on Elder Abuse Awareness Day to assist local seniors with essential healthcare directives.

Mayor Pro Tem Scott Black concluded council commentary by highlighting a multi-mile trail ride completed on June 13 by the Neighborhood Recreation Center bike club at Craig Ranch Regional Park. Black also invited the public to attend the city’s formal Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony outside City Hall on June 18, and noted that the 25th annual regional Juneteenth celebration would take place at 341 Symphony Park Avenue on June 20 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Civic honors and public recognition awards

The City Council presented several Certificates of Recognition celebrating community leadership, fine arts education and local youth mentorship. Goynes-Brown presented the first certificate to Gwendolyn Walker, a resident of Valley View since 1965, who has served as a Neighborhood Watch Captain since 1983. Walker is the founder of Nevada’s first African American museum and research center, which is scheduled for a grand opening in the near future. She also made history as the first female and African American chairperson of the North Las Vegas Cultural Arts Board.

The mayor and council then presented a certificate to Tyrell Rolle, the founder and executive artistic director of Studio 305 and the Rolle Project. Based in North Las Vegas, the program utilizes dance to empower youth, increase community exposure to the arts and foster a positive self-image. Next, the council recognized Tyler Gaston, founder of Gas Station Studio. Established in 2016, the local music and film studio provides creative mentorship programs designed to offer a second chance to at-risk teenagers and prevent youth recidivism. Gaston noted that the studio utilizes its platform in the spirit of Juneteenth to foster mental and physical freedom among local youth.

Before entering the voting session, the council opened the floor to its first public comment period regarding agendized items. Resident Julian Jules Alexander spoke regarding an item concerning an adult-use cannabis retail store business license for a change of ownership for Natural Medicine L.L.C., doing business as Green Dispensary. Alexander questioned the protocol for presenting parcel numbers or designs to the council when matching them with specific local projects. Goynes-Brown advised Alexander that administrative staff would meet with him immediately after the forum to discuss his development program.

Legislative approvals and the comprehensive heat mitigation plan

The City Council voted unanimously to pass its regular meeting agenda alongside the standard consent agenda. Financial approvals included a combined legal settlement of $370,000 funded through the municipal Self Insurance Fund to resolve ongoing civil claims, allocating $190,000 to Reynalda Aguilar Morales and $180,000 to Francisco Morales Aguilar. The council authorized a property insurance coverage renewal contract with Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. for the 2026-2027 fiscal year in an amount not to exceed $865,000. For emergency medical services infrastructure, the city approved a five-year product service plan agreement with Stryker Sales, LLC to maintain capital EMS equipment at an annual cost of $31,767.60, establishing a total contract ceiling of $158,838. Technological renewals featured a $97,250 geographic information system software subscription and support contract extension with the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.

The council also authorized the official change of ownership license for the adult-use cannabis retail store operating under Natural Medicine L.L.C. at 5530 North Decatur Blvd. Federal and state grant administration actions included an application for a $2,500,000 Community Project Funding Grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund the city’s ongoing Library Expansion Project. Additionally, the city approved a $120,000 Residential Substance Abuse Treatment grant application through the Nevada Department of Public Safety, which carries a municipal matching requirement of $42,391. Infrastructure maintenance enhancements concluded with a contract extension and change order awarded to MC4 Construction, LLC for the Streetlight Knockdown and Replacement Program, adding a combined total allocation of $1,090,962. The council wrapped up consent approvals by passing the first amendment to the Special Improvement District No. 67 reapportionment report for the Apex Moonwater West subdivision.

Doug Guild, Director of Parks and Recreation, presented an amendment to the municipal master plan introducing a dedicated heat mitigation strategy. Guild reported that extreme heat presents an immediate threat, noting that five of the hottest regional summers occurred within the past decade, culminating in a record high temperature of 120 degrees on July 7, 2024. The approved policy establishes an urban tree canopy target of adding 500 heat-tolerant trees annually to the existing inventory of 14,760 public trees, committing the city to planting 5,000 new trees by Earth Day in 2032. Guild also highlighted the ongoing distribution of free trees to residents alongside the maintenance of four cooling stations at local recreation centers and the Alexander Library.

During council discussion, Councilman Barron requested that tree-planting initiatives explicitly target older urban sectors developed in the 1940s and 1950s that historically lack greenspace. Guild confirmed that non-profit organizations are actively collaborating with the city to expand residential irrigation assistance to ensure tree survival. Black, who represents the city on the Southern Nevada Water Authority Board of Directors, noted that the water board recently authorized a regional $500,000 investment to supply trees to residential properties. Following the presentation, the council formally adopted the master plan amendments alongside unrelated localized property zoning reclassifications for a 2.36-acre Sequoia Homes Development project at 4105 Fuselier Drive.

Municipal fiscal reviews and year-end budget augmentation

Justin O’Brien, Budget Manager for North Las Vegas, presented a year-end budget augmentation encompassed in Resolution No. 2754. O’Brien explained that the augmentation serves as necessary administrative housekeeping required by Nevada Revised Statutes to record changes to the adopted fiscal plan. The city’s original municipal budget of $990.95 million was successfully augmented to a final amended budget of $1.185 billion. O’Brien detailed that 41% of the recorded adjustments related directly to utilities and capital development projects, 13% belonged to incoming grants and grant rollovers, 12% stemmed from governmental capital project rollovers, and 10% funded city-wide motor equipment programs. The City Council voted unanimously to adopt the budget resolution before successfully conducting a public hearing to formalize the city’s standard Job Order Contracting Policy for assigning minor construction public works tasks.

Annual performance evaluation of the city manager

The meeting proceeded to the annual administrative and operational review of City Manager Micaela Moore, who presented a summary of municipal accomplishments since assuming office in July 2024. Moore reported that North Las Vegas has maintained structurally balanced operations for two consecutive fiscal years, anchored by eight consecutive years of achieving at least $1 billion in annual private-sector investments, which elevated the city’s bond rating to AA-. Moore outlined personnel growth, noting that full-time municipal employment expanded by 11.5% over the past two years, growing from 1,859 to 2,072 employees. This expansion was supported by professional development tracks through the municipal Leadership Academy and the highly rated NorthStar Academy.

Moore detailed several infrastructure updates, including the roadway revitalization along Las Vegas Boulevard and the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s $800 million Apex water project, designed to deliver 20 million gallons of fresh water per day while recycling regional wastewater back to Lake Mead. She reported that Craig Ranch Regional Park successfully completed roofing upgrades and expanded its multi-use athletic fields, drawing over two million visitors annually. Under her tenure, the city secured a Tree City USA designation from the Arbor Day Foundation and won a $1 million urban forestry grant from the United States Forest Service.

Public safety metrics demonstrated improvements, with regional homicides dropping by 6%, traffic fatalities falling by 40%, and vehicular collisions decreasing by 44% over the past year. Moore announced that the Police Department is undergoing a recruitment initiative, adding 81 officers over the past year with 94 additional positions planned. Concurrently, the Fire Department responded to 40,000 emergency calls over the preceding year, up from 30,000 in 2022. This volume was managed by bringing Fire Station 58 online, establishing a heavy technical rescue team, and advancing plans for a new fire training center slated for completion by summer 2027.

Economic development teams secured nine competitive commercial wins, generating 521 new local jobs and attracting $127 million in private capital investments with an average hourly wage of $26.12. Moore noted that the Downtown Gateway has opened its first new medical building in 50 years with Nevada State University serving as an anchor institution, while regional development plans for Tule Springs East and the Uptown Master Planned Community project future housing expansion. Following the presentation, members of the City Council lauded Moore’s performance, noting that her legal background and aggressive management style have set a regional municipal standard before voting unanimously to retain her as City Manager.

Tule Springs compliance, NorthSTAR funding, and final community testimony

The City Council transitioned to an operational status check regarding the physical condition of the Villages at Tule Springs Regional Park and the master developer’s compliance with regional park development guidelines. Parks Director Doug Guild reported that the park facilities have been fully brought up to municipal standards and confirmed that the local Homeowners Association has formally assumed daily operation and maintenance responsibilities from the developer. Cherchio noted that ongoing issues regarding blowing sand from adjacent northern parcels are being actively managed, prompting the council to vote unanimously to formally accept the regional park system.

Assistant City Manager Will Hardy followed with a presentation on Resolution No. 2755, which proposed a conditional multi-year funding mechanism for the NorthSTAR Fund, a local nonprofit corporation designed to build public-private partnerships supporting municipal community programs. The resolution authorizes up to $1,050,000 in total seed funding over a potential three-year term, distributed in annual allocations of $350,000. Hardy emphasized that the agreement contains strict accountability metrics, specifying that secondary and tertiary funding years remain contingent on the nonprofit successfully raising at least $200,000 independently during its first year to cover executive administrative costs. The City Council approved the funding resolution and subsequently voted unanimously to reappoint Scott Black to serve another term as Mayor Pro Tem.

Moore delivered her final operational report, recognizing Senior HRIS Business Analyst Lee Maningas as the Key Team Member of the Month for her workplace contributions. Moore also reiterated that the city’s formal Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony would feature guest speaker Dr. Tyler Perry from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, highlighting that North Las Vegas was the first Nevada municipality to formally recognize the date as a holiday.

During the final public forum, resident Terry Maria expressed gratitude to the Public Works Department for installing active radar speed-checking signs, adding that representatives from the Clark County School District bus management division had agreed to enforce internal driving policies to combat neighborhood speeding. Resident Gary Bouchard followed with criticism regarding municipal labor expenditures and a perceived lack of public programming celebrating the upcoming United States Sestercentennial. With no further public comments submitted, Mayor Goynes-Brown formally adjourned the two-and-a-half-hour meeting.