March '10 Nevada Government—City of North Las Vegas Column

City Receives $677,000 For North Las Vegans Facing Foreclosure

March 23, 2010 – North Las Vegas, NV – The City of North Las Vegas has received $677,700 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help residents in low-income families avoid homelessness in the face of foreclosure, eviction or sudden loss of income.

Through the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program, residents whose homes have been foreclosed on or are at risk of foreclosure can obtain financial assistance for moving costs, security deposits, utility deposits, and rent to ensure they regain stability.

The City must use the available funds or risk having to return the money to the federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Qualifying families could be those who have lost their jobs and are struggling to pay bills using unemployment benefits. The family must be facing eviction, homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The household income must be at or below 50 percent of the area’s median income. For a family of three, that would mean no more than $2,454 per month.

The funds are being administered by Clark County through a consortium. Families seeking assistance can be screened for eligibility by calling any of the following lead nonprofit agencies:

Help of Southern Nevada
(702) 217-2445

HopeLink in Henderson
(702) 566-0576

Lutheran Social Services
(702) 639-1730

City of Las Vegas
(702) 229-4273

Earth Hour 2010—Lights Out

March 23, 2010 – North Las Vegas, NV – The City of North Las Vegas will shut off the lights to the signature Justice Facility domes that overlook Las Vegas Boulevard North and Civic Center Drive for one hour at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 27, for the World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour 2010 event.

North Las Vegas joins more than 240 cities worldwide, which have committed to going dark for one hour as millions of people unite in a call for global action on climate change.

“Earth Hour 2010 is one of many ways we are demonstrating our commitment to caring for the environment and creating a sustainable, healthy and green future for our children,” Acting City Manager Maryann Ustick said.

Participation in this event with other municipalities in the region is expected to raise awareness and prompt individuals to think about the little things they could do each day to reduce their impact on the planet.

The City of North Las Vegas has several sustainability initiatives underway. The City’s design for a new City Hall has been LEED certified. The City’s Building Maintenance Division is using efficient lighting technologies, estimated to have saved the City thousands of dollars in utility bills over the past five to 10 years. The City upgraded the software that controls its heat, ventilation and cooling systems in more than 20 buildings, allowing staff to control the temperature set points via computer to save on heating and cooling costs. The City’s fleet includes hybrid vehicles. The City also has implemented a program to eliminate lead tire weights used in the City’s fleet.

The City will begin a full-scale energy audit of the lighting, air conditioning and heating equipment. The audit will evaluate other infrastructure, such as City pools and parks, street lighting and traffic lights. In addition to natural gas and electricity, water conservation measures will be identified along with opportunities for generating renewable energy powered by the sun or wind.

The audit will take six to nine months to complete and will result in a recommendation package of improvement projects that can be paid for using the resulting energy savings.