Editor’s note: In July, the Clark County Charter Review Commission passed 10 amendments to be sent to the voter in the November General Election. One of those amendments was adopted by the Clark County Council, leaving nine to be determined by the voters.
Clark County Today wrote about all of the amendments back in July. In this updated series, Clark County Today is reposting highlights from those reports in July as well as noting some arguments for and against each amendment that appear in the Voters’ Pamphlet.
Proposed Charter Amendment No. 23: Concerning a Required Annual Report Publication by the County Manager
This would change language in the charter to say the county manager “must” provide an annual report and “publish broadly” and be made accessible to the general public.
Voters’ Pamphlet Argument for:
“Amendment 23 makes two key updates to the Charter. It creates a clear requirement to produce an annual report of what’s happening in our County government, and it requires the report to be published broadly. These requirements strengthen a foundation of government transparency and accountability.”
“Putting this in the Charter ensures that this reporting doesn’t depend upon who’s in office or on staff and that the public will always be made aware of this information.”
“We ask for your vote for this common-sense update.”
Voters’ Pamphlet Argument against:
“The … concerns are that the board publishing mandate is not restricted in relation to County elections. … this proposed ‘publish broadly’ mandate could be used to mail out information prior to the election that favors county incumbents or county ballot measures.”
“Mandating broad publishing ignores election restrictions that should apply … This amendment should be Rejected. The Charter Review Committee can fix it next year if they deem it necessary.”
Here are some of the highlights of what Clark County Today reported in July, when the commission passed the amendment:
This amendment was sponsored by Patrick Adigweme of District 1. It passed 14-1.
According to the charter’s description, if passed by the voters, this would require an annual report from the county manager.
There would be two changes to the charter. One, replace permissive language that now says “shall have the power” with the mandatory “must.” Currently, the county manager could choose to publish a report. If this amendment is approved by voters, it would be required of the county manager.
Second, it adds the words “and publish broadly.” That means the report must be accessible to the general public, not just presented at a council meeting.
“This amendment strengthens public transparency,” Adigweme said.
When he was campaigning on this amendment, he heard from several residents that they could not find the annual report.
“We need to do our best to guarantee access to this critical and regular accounting of the county government’s performance,” he said.
One person in public comment feared that an annual report could be used by the county to push an incumbent, for example, during an election year.
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