Outgoing North Las Vegas Mayor Pamela Goynes-Brown delivered her final State of the City address to a packed convention center at Aliante Casino and Hotel, Thursday afternoon.

“North Las Vegas is not waiting for opportunity. We are planning for it and building it,” she said.

Goynes-Brown reminisced about her first days on the City Council during the Great Recession, when North Las Vegas led the nation in foreclosures and had record unemployment. The city has come a long way, as indicated by the many redevelopment projects the Mayor cited.

Education

Perhaps the biggest boon for downtown North Las Vegas is the 30,000-square-foot Nevada State University building approved three months ago. The groundbreaking for that project will be held on April 28.

“A university campus in our downtown is the most powerful signal we can send about the kind of city we are building,” Goynes-Brown said.

As a former educator, the Mayor also lauded the more than $1 million delivered directly to North Las Vegas classrooms since 2022. 

Private Sector Projects

In the private sector, Goynes-Brown was proud to have surpassed $1 billion in annual private sector investment for the eighth consecutive year. The Mayor cited many examples of job growth, including NOVVA’s $5 billion data center development expected to create 200 permanent careers and operate with zero water footprint. 

The Mayor also announced that data-center owner, SWITCH, acquired an additional 120 acres last week—bringing their total to 300 acres across two locations. 

Goynes-Brown also applauded those responsible for passing the Apex Area Technical Corrections Act last summer, accelerating permitting so projects move faster and jobs are created more quickly in the industrial park area of North Las Vegas. The results have been immediate, as the Southern Nevada Water Authority approved nearly $800 million in infrastructure funding for the area. 

“When complete, the system will deliver 20 million gallons of water per day, and the wastewater will be recycled and returned to Lake Mead, so we can continue sustainably growing and diversifying our economy,” said Goynes-Brown.

Housing

As for the residential growth of North Las Vegas, the Mayor cited the Tule Springs East Area Plan that guides the redevelopment of 7,000 acres of vacant land projected to deliver 32,000 new homes for 100,000 new residents and add over 73,000 new jobs. 

North Las Vegas’ population has surpassed 310,000 and is currently growing at a rate of 2.72% annually. 

Safety and Law Enforcement

The Mayor was proud to report that last year, homicides decreased by six percent, traffic fatalities fell 40% and overall traffic collisions declined 44%. Goynes-Brown attributed this to the addition of 81 police officers and graduation of 34 new officers—the largest class ever. 

“With 49 more currently in the academy and 94 additional officer positions planned in our next budget, we are executing the most aggressive expansion in history of the North Las Vegas Police Department,” the Mayor informed.

Emergency calls have increased from nearly 30,000 in 2022 to 40,000 in 2025. Fire inspections numbered 8,000 last year and are on pace to exceed that this year.

Recreation and Tourism

North Las Vegas is also serving more tourists, as Goynes-Brown pointed to the 50 bookings secured through the end of this year for the multi-use athletic fields, including four multi-year tournament agreements. Craig Ranch Regional Park welcomed more than two million people last year, with event revenue growing nearly 75% year-over-year. Major upgrades to the outdoor amphitheater will also be unveiled on April 10 with Totally 80s Symphonic taking the stage.

A new sports complex is also set to break ground on May 13 as part of the $380 million Hylo Park project. The project is expected to be completed in the Summer of 2027.

Two newly renovated basketball courts at Desert Horizons Park are now available thanks to a partnership with the Las Vegas Aces and The Nines Foundation, whose $100,000 donation made the project possible. 

As for the quality of living in North Las Vegas, the Mayor announced that the City is well ahead of its goal of planting 5,000 trees by 2032. “Our efforts to increase canopy coverage and reduce the urban heat island effect officially earned us the Arbor Day Foundation’s ‘Tree City USA’ designation,” she informed.

Growth

Growth was the main focus of the Mayor’s State of the City address, as North Las Vegas has experienced the second-highest population growth in the state, narrowly behind Henderson. 

Goynes-Brown also cited a 2025 Alta Technologies survey that found North Las Vegas business leaders are the most optimistic in the nation regarding economic prospects. The survey of 3,024 business managers ranked North Las Vegas first in the nation for business confidence.