Las Vegas City Commission Minutes, February 17, 1937 to August 4, 1942, lvc000004-260

OFFICE OF THE CITY CLERK CITY OF LAS VEGAS CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA. APRIL 4th, 1940 Minutes of a regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the City of Las Vegas Clark County, Nevada held on the 4th day of April 1940 at the hour of seven thirty P.M. Present Mayor Russell, Commissioners Gilbert, Krause and Corradetti, City Attorney and City Clerk. Absent Commissioner Ronnow. Minutes of recessed regular meeting of March 29th read. Commissioner Gilbert ask that the statement of Mayor Russell make to the Board at that time be incorporated in the minutes. Mayor Russell handed the Clerk his witten statement as made to the Board at the meeting of March 29th so that minutes of said meeting be corrected to read as follows: In preparing a budget for the City of Las Vegas for the year 1940, we must have a true statement of the actual Dec 31, 1938 bank balance, which is $49,733.89 as shown by the Annual Financial Report of the City of Las Vegas dated Dec 31 1938. We must then take the amount of money collected by the City in 1939 which is $192,829.00 and add $49,733.89 ( the 1939 bank bal­ance) which would give us $241,162.89. All the money handled by the City in 1939. The City spent $179,736.00 in 1939. To get our bank balance for Dec 31, 1939 you would have to deduct $179,736.00 (the money spent by the City in 1939) from $241,162.89 (which is the 1938 bank balance and the money collected in 1939) this would give you $62,826.89. The correct bank balance to start the 1940 budgeon , as I see it. The proposed budget for 1940, (prepared by Mr. Ronnow, who was at that time Finance Commis­sioner and Mr. Blackman the City Auditor) does not make sense. In the first place our bank bal­ance as of Dec 31, 1939, taken from the fund statement was $62,826.69. The bank balance used by Mr Ronnow and Mr. Blackman is preparing the 1940 budget for Las Vegas was $53,785.83 a discrepancy of $9,040.70. A financial report on file in the City Clerk's Office, shows the City balance as of December 31 1939 to be $51,092.61 a discrepancy of $11,754.08 A fund statement prepared by Mr. Blackman as of Dec 31,1939 is as follows: Bank Balance Nov 30-39 $47,575.67 Taxes 4th installment 31,162.06 Dec Receipts 9,032.25 Making a total Bank account of 87,769.98 Dec Expenditure (which includes the $11,754.08 item) was ____24.943.29 Bank balance as of Dec 31 1939 62,826.69 Now if the sum of $11,754.08 is again taken out of the bank balance of $62,826.69 as of Dec 31,1939 we would have $51,092.61 as shown by the financial statement on file in the City Clerk's office. This item of $11,754.08 has been taken out of the bank balance at least twice since Nov. 80-39 as I figure it. I do not believe in padding our budget. If I can read this is what has been done. At this time I am going to insist that an audit be made of the City books so that we will not be in the dark. If not, I think a grand jury investigation would be in order. As long as I am mayor of this City I am going to insist that all our City business be conducted out in the open. We will make mistakes, and many of they but I hope they will be honest mistakes. The business of adopting a Resolution empowering the City of Las Vegas to make an emer­gency loan in the sum of $20,000.00 was next considered and on motion of Commissioner Gilbert seconded by Commissioner Corradetti the following Preambles and Resolution were duly adopted: WHEREAS the City of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, did on the 12th day of September A.D. 1935, enter in to a lease with Las Vegas Post Number 8, the American Legion, Department of Nevada, a corporation, which lease was on the 3rd day of June, 1936 recorded in the office of the County Recorder of Clark County, Nevada, in Book 12 of Miscellaneous, at pages 8 and 9 thereof, and by the terms of which said lease the said City did lease and let unto said Post for the term of fifty years from and after the let day of September, A.D. 1935, at the annual rent of $1.00, the following described land; Commencing at the northeast corner of Block thirty-three (33) of Clark's Las Vegas Townsite as per map of said Townsite on file and of record in the office of the County Recorder of Clark County, Nevada, thence east along the prolongation of the easterly line of said Block 33 N 28?13' E. eighty (80) feet to the point of beginning; thence N. 61? 47' W. 275.0 feet; thence nother 28?3' East 300.0 feet; thence N. 68?1' 20" E. 117.15 feet; thence S. 61?47' E. 200.0 feet; thence S. 28?13' W. 390.0 feet to the point of beginning, comprising a net area of 2.385 acres; and WHEREAS the said Post did then and thereafter cause to be erected upon said land a large building known as the War Memorial Building, at a cost far in excess of the sum of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000.00), against which there are now outstanding some ten thousand dollars in bonds, including interest, all of which are now due, and WHEREAS the City of Las Vegas did during the month of February, A.D. 1940 enter into nego­tiations with the said Post for the purchase by said City of said building, including equip­ment therein contained of the appraised value of five thousand nine hundred seventy-nine Dollars ($4,979.00) and WHEREAS the said agreement was duly executed by both said Post and said City, and according to the terms thereof the sum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) has already been placed in escrow with the First National Bank of Nevada, Las Vegas Branch, for the purpose of retiring said bonds; and WHEREAS pursuant to such agreement of purchase, the said City of Las Vegas has agreed to pay unto said Post the additional sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) on or before the 31st day of December, A.D. 1940: and WHEREAS the said City of Las Vegas does not at this time have the said sum of fifteen thousand dollars available for such purpose; and