NORTH LAS VEGAS (KSNV MyNews3) – For the first time, the North Las Vegas Police Department is considering the idea of blending certain parts of its force with Metro to save the city money.
Though a decision between North Las Vegas Mayor Shari Buck and Metro Sheriff Doug Gillespie is months away, North Las Vegas police are prepared to turn some services over to Metro. NLVPD SergeantTim Bedwell said his force cannot afford another slashing, which is why they're open to sharing.
“We don’t believe we can go any lower,” Bedwell said. “And that's why if there are going to be further cuts, someone might have to come over and take over that service.”
North Las Vegas City Manager Tim Hacker echoes the Sgt. Bedwell's statements.
“[We're asking] what can we do to maybe save money on our side but still contract out with another entity to provide that level of service to constituents.” he said.
North Las Vegas officials are facing a $33.3 million hole that must be filled by July 1. Balancing the budget will come down to concessions with collective bargaining groups.
Officials said a shared services agreement between Metro and North Las Vegas would be a last resort.
