By: Las Vegas Now Staff
The Culinary Union is now suing the City of Las Vegas over the proposed new City Hall. The union collected enough signatures to put the controversial project on the ballot, but the city isn't allowing an election to happen. Now that fight is headed to the Nevada Supreme Court.
The new City Hall would be built near Main and Lewis where the old Queen of Hearts casino now stands. The union says the city took the law into its own hands, so the union filed suit and demanded an election.
The city says a new $150 million City Hall would boost downtown development. The Culinary Union says the price tag is closer to $267 million and says a fancy building is a waste of time and waste of money in a bad economy.
“We filed a lawsuit today saying what the city is doing is unconstitutional,” said Chris Bohner with the union.
Culinary brought in piles of petitions, 14,000 signatures to be exact, to put the new City Hall issue and downtown redevelopment on the ballot. But Wednesday the Las Vegas City Council said there will be no public vote and now Culinary is suing.
“If the mayor thinks he has a good argument, why is he scared of the voters? Why are they trying to keep it off the ballot?” asked Bohner.
The new City Hall would be built near Main Street Antiques and Art. Owner Richard Burgel believes it's a good investment, “It would be across the street. It'd be a big neighbor, but we're hoping to cash in on that.”
The City says a new City Hall and downtown redevelopment projects would bring at least 13,000 new permanent jobs, over $4 billion in private investment, and $16 to $20 million in new tax revenue.
Burgel believes this new project could be a jackpot for downtown. Culinary says it's a bad bet.
For now, the union is confident the state Supreme Court will order the city to let the voter's voice their choice, “I think it sets a very dangerous precedent, not only for the City of Las Vegas for the whole state.”
The City Attorney had no comment because this litigation is ongoing. At last week's council meeting, he said putting this issue on the ballot was unconstitutional because it would have the unintended effect of dissolving the Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, which was created by the legislature to turn around the urban decay in Downtown Las Vegas.
The union wants the measure on the June 2, 2009 ballot. No word on how soon the Supreme Court could take up the case.
First I am NOT a Union member but a Tax Payer!
I disagree with Mayor Oscar Goodman. The new city office building is NOT going to create jobs. The ONLY jobs it will create are construction work but when the building is finished the OLD workers will move from the old City building to the new one. The city can’t afford to pay the workers it has now and has stopped raises and cost of living expenses for other city employees already. Why do you believe Oscar? The city can’t afford to make new jobs for the people of Las Vegas! Oscar proved this taking pay raises away from the employees it already has employed. VOTE for this and I vote, “NO”!
Comment by Carl Johnson — April 18, 2009 @ 8:18 am