Clark County Board of Commissioners Joint Meeting – July 7, 2026
Clark County Board of Commissioners Joint Meeting – July 7, 2026
The Clark County Board of Commissioners, sitting jointly as the Water Reclamation District Board of Trustees and Liquor and Gaming Licensing Board, met on July 7, 2026, to address a wide range of items including consent agenda approvals, public hearings, and policy discussions. Major topics included the amendment of the Justice of the Peace nominating committee resolution, animal shelter updates, the Tropicana Avenue grade-separated intersection, school traffic safety, and data center regulations. Numerous public comments were heard, particularly on the judicial appointment process and data center expansion.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the minutes of the May 18, 2026 special meeting and June 2, 2026 regular meeting.
- Approved the agenda with the deletion of Item 11 (custodial services contract) and the separate handling of Items 22 and 37.
- Approved the consent agenda consisting of Items 5 through 40 (excluding Items 22 and 37 taken separately). This included contracts, interlocal agreements, budget resolutions, and routine administrative items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 37 – Justice of the Peace Nominating Committee: Multiple speakers (Stephanie Phillips, Steve Sanson, Jeffrey Luster) strongly opposed the proposed amendment, arguing it would undermine transparency and allow the board to bypass the merit-based nomination process without clear standards.
- Item 50 – Data Center Regulations: A large number of speakers, including Matthew Winterhock, Ming Jen, Aaron Harris (Sierra Club), Drake York, Tony Chavez, and others, urged the board to impose a moratorium on new data center projects until comprehensive regulations on water, power, land use, and environmental impacts are adopted. Several speakers cited concerns about water consumption, grid strain, heat island effects, and tax abatements.
- Item 14 – Janitorial Contract Termination: Erica Lopez, representing the affected company, opposed the termination, citing a six-year history of satisfactory performance and requesting fair evaluation.
- Item 22 – ARFF Station Improvements Bid Protest: Brian Boshi (Builders United) objected to the award to MMC, arguing his company’s bid was $870,000 lower and that the bid rejection was based on a minor paperwork deficiency.
- General Public Comment: Speakers addressed topics including the invocation policy, North Las Vegas airport hangar leases, family court issues, and park maintenance.
Discussion Items
- Item 22 – ARFF Station Improvements at LAS: The Department of Aviation explained that Builders United’s bid was deemed non-responsive due to incomplete and unsigned DBE forms. The board approved the contract award to MMC, Inc. as the lowest responsive bidder. Commissioner Gibson noted that the contractor’s omission exposed taxpayers to higher costs.
- Item 37 – Amendment to Justice of the Peace Nominating Committee Resolution: Commissioner Gibson outlined a narrow situation: Judge George of Henderson Justice Court resigned early, and Sam Bateman had already been elected as his successor effective January 1, 2027. To avoid four months of pro tem judges, the board discussed amending the 2015 resolution to allow early appointment of the already-elected judge. After public opposition, the board directed staff to bring back a narrowly tailored resolution at the next meeting to cover this specific scenario, with the appointment to follow.
- Item 47 – Title 10 Updates and Shelter Services: Victor Zavala (Animal Protection Services) presented operational changes since the July 2025 code updates. Key statistics: reduced hold times for owner surrenders (24 hours to no hold) and bite quarantine (10 to 5 days), resulting in 289 fewer intake bite dogs in 15 months; 1,220 fix-it violations for microchipping issued; 248 pets returned via microchips; $153,950 in fines for illegal breeding since February 2025; 163 medical vouchers issued; and 12,000 sterilizations funded through Heaven Can Wait. A second shelter in the southwest was reaffirmed as a priority with $39 million allocated. Commissioner Naft clarified that the planned emergency pop-up shelter at Sam Boyd was not moving forward.
- Item 48 – Tropicana Avenue and University Center Drive Grade Separation: Kaisat Yazdani (Public Works) presented three design options. The revised overpass option, costed at $97 million (down from $210 million for the partially depressed DDI), offers shorter construction duration (24 months) and reduced visual impacts. The board directed staff to proceed with the revised overpass design and to consider process improvements to avoid future lengthy redesigns.
- Item 49 – School Traffic Safety Working Group Report: Director Andrew Bennett presented the final report containing 75 recommendations across education, enforcement, engineering, and policy. Key data: e-device crashes increased 50% to 143 in the last year. Immediate actions include increased enforcement during the first two weeks of school, expanded use of school zone flashers, and walking school buses. The board directed staff to implement the recommendations and report back by September 15, 2026.
- Item 50 – Data Center Application Process and Approval Criteria: Commissioner Segerblom initiated the discussion. Commissioners agreed to have staff research regulations, evaluate Title 30, and work with the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO) on potential legislative changes. Commissioner Jones noted that other counties are also considering moratoriums. The board will receive further briefings and possible policy options.
Key Outcomes
- Item 22: Approved the award of Project 3092 to MMC, Inc. (motion passed).
- Item 37: Directed staff to draft a narrow resolution to waive the nominating committee for the specific Henderson Justice Court vacancy and bring it back for approval, followed by the appointment of Sam Bateman.
- Item 41: Approved and adopted the 2015 Ozone NAAQS Attainment Plan for submission to NDEP and EPA (motion passed).
- Item 42: Approved the collective bargaining agreement with the District Attorney Investigators Association, with a cost of $375,127 for 30 positions (motion passed).
- Item 43: Approved the ordinance amending Title 2.70 regarding special events, removing certain events from the definition and eliminating fees (motion passed).
- Item 45: Appointed Jennifer Jiron to the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Board of Trustees.
- Item 46: Set the minimum compensation for Clark County Constables effective January 4, 2027.
- Item 47: Received the Title 10 update; directed staff to continue programs and proceed with the southwest shelter.
- Item 48: Directed Public Works to proceed with the revised overpass option for the Tropicana-University Center intersection.
- Item 49: Directed staff to implement School Traffic Safety Working Group recommendations and report back by September 15, 2026.
- Item 50: Directed staff to research data center regulations, including land use and legislative options, and report back to the board.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. If everybody would like to take their seats. Welcome to the Board of County Commissioners. Today is July seventh, twenty twenty-six. Since coming to Mount Charleston in two thousand, Ray has devoted his career to protecting our forests and keeping our community safe. Many of us also know Ray from his appearances on local news, where he's helped keep the public informed about fire restrictions, wildlife, and recreation in the Spring Mountains. Ray has also been there when our community needed him most, responding to emergencies, helping those in need, and serving as a trusted first responder. In 2017, he received the Braun Smoky Award, the nation's highest honor for wildfire prevention. He was only the second person in Nevada to ever receive this award. Yay. Ray's dedication, leadership, and passion for public service have made a lasting difference in Clark County. Ranger Ray, on behalf of the Board of County Commissioners, thank you for your incredible service. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor, and here's to 25 amazing years. I was going to have him say something. You want to? And all the fantastic people I've got to work with. And in addition, uh we work closely with many of the other agencies, and some of them are Clark County agencies. The relationship we have had with Clark County Fire Department in particular, uh, and their uh rural division of all the volunteer departments throughout Southern Nevada has been fantastic. More recently, we have uh worked really well with the Mount Charleston Fire Department. They are doing a great job. And uh I also have to thank the Clark County uh school district where uh they allowed me to go to the schools and talk to these hundred thousand first and second graders about fire safety. So we have had great relationships with the Clark County agencies and some of the others up at the Mountain Metro, of course. They they always do a fantastic job. So once again, I just want to say thank you, everybody, and I have been blessed to work up at Mount Charleston. And thank you, Ranger Ray, I'm not sure what's the city, and I'm not sure what's the same, and I'm not sure what's the same, and I'm not sure what's the same, and I'm not sure what's the same, and it's a lot of the city of the United States, and the city of the United States, the United States, and the other thing. Please state your name for the record, and you may speak for up to three minutes. Good morning. Good morning, Commissioner Stephanie Phillips, political affairs director with Veterans in Politics. I'm speaking on item 37. I strongly oppose this promote proposed amendment to the resolution because it would allow the board of county commissioners to eliminate the justice of the peace nominating committee and undermine the important role that committee serves in the appointment process. Under this amendment, the board would have the authority to waive the appointment of a nominating committee or any of the procedures established in the June 16, 2015 resolution, and instead fill a judicial vacancy through an undefined alternate process. There are several serious concerns with these proposed changes. First, as written, this amendment effectively gives the board the power to never use a nominating committee again. The language allows the board to waive the committee for good cause. Yet it never defines what good cause means. That standard is far too broad and could be interpreted however the board chooses. If you're worried about time constraints with a vacated seat before you can have time to convene a nominating committee, this is why we have Judge Pro Tems to fill the spot while you're going through the nominating process. Second, the amendment allows the board to waive any procedures established under the 2015 resolution. Again, this language is overly broad and grants virtually unlimited discretion without meaningful standards or accountability. Third, the amendment uh authorizes the board to fill a vacancy through an alternate process, but it provides no explanation of what that process would be. The public deserves to know exactly how judicial appointments would be made before granting any such sweeping authority. The current appointment process was designed to mirror the judicial selection commission. It provides transparency, public participation, and a structured evaluation of qualified applicants. These proposed amendments could eliminate those safeguards entirely. Without a nominating committee, the public may lose the opportunity to provide testimony in support of or opposition to applicants. Taxpayers would lose transparency in a process that directly affects our courts. Most importantly, these changes concentrate significant appointment authority in the hands of a few elected officials without adequate checks and balances. Our system of government works best when there are safeguards against the concentration of power. Judicial appointments should be based on an open, transparent and merit-based process, not one that can be altered or bypassed at the discretion of the board. I respectfully urge each of you to reject these proposed amendments and preserve the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the judicial appointment process.
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