AREA BRIEFING

New county ordinance would allow civil penalties against businesses

A new ordinance is being proposed that would allow Clark County to levy civil penalties against businesses that fail to comply with county codes.

The measure is designed to encourage compliance by businesses in the unincorporated area of the county. A public hearing regarding the recently introduced ordinance was scheduled to be held by county commissioners at 10 a.m. today at the Clark County Government Center, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Residents can find out if the hearing date has changed by visiting www.accessclarkcounty.com or calling 455-4431 beforehand to check the meeting agenda.

The new ordinance would allow the county to fine offending businesses as much as $1,000 per day for each violation. A first offense can result in a fine of no less than $250 per day; a second offense, $500 per day; a third offense, $750 per day; and subsequent offenses, $1,000 per day. Additional fees for investigation and administration also may be assessed, the county said. The county was not authorized to levy such fines prior to the passage of Assembly Bill 49 by the state Legislature earlier this year.

Any civil penalties that may be assessed would be imposed by a hearing officer after consideration of the facts and an opportunity is afforded to the business owner to be heard. This ordinance is consistent with similar ordinances of Southern Nevada cities and other jurisdictions, according to the county.

The ordinance requires the hearing officer, in assessing a penalty, to consider certain factors, including the economic impact to the violator, the seriousness of the violation, the impact of the violation on the business community and on the public's safety, health and welfare. The levying of a civil penalty would be in lieu of a criminal penalty unless there is a state law that provides a criminal penalty for the same act or omission, the county said.

Safe Place Sign Sale fundraiser under way through Sunday

Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, one of Nevada's largest nonprofit organizations providing support for homeless, neglected and runaway youths, is having a Safe Place Sign Sale through Sunday at all Terrible Herbst convenience store locations in Southern Nevada.

Donations can range anywhere from $1 to $10,000. Donors will receive a Safe Place sign with their name, which will be posted at Terrible Herbst for the duration of the campaign.

Safe Place is a program sponsored by the Terrible Herbst Corp., whereby young people can receive emergency assistance 24 hours a day. Any youth can walk into a Terrible Herbst convenience store for any reason and get assistance.

If the youth is in need of shelter, a Safe Place counselor from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth will arrive to transport him or her to safety or help with immediate counseling.

For more information, visit www.nphy.org or call 383-1332.

Get FREEWAY ALERTs SENT TO YOUR CELl

The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada's Freeway and Arterial System of Transportation now offers up-to-the-minute alerts and information regarding Interstate 15, the Las Vegas Beltway and U.S. Highway 95 traffic incident reports to help motorists plan their trip before getting into their car.

Within seconds, participants can receive alerts via e-mail and/or text message on a cell phone.

Currently, the system supports any e-mail address and the following cell phone providers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel, Boost Mobile, T-Mobile and AllTel. A standard text messaging fee may apply.

To get started, visit http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/mpo/fast/freewaytraffic.cfm.

Express lanes open to all drivers

With the new express lanes opening up on Interstate 15, motorists need to know when they can pull into and out of those lanes, according to Bob McKenzie, information officer with the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Anybody can use the express lane -- cars, trucks and motorcycles -- and unlike HOV lanes, they can be used even if there's only one person in the car, McKenzie said.

The double white line cannot be crossed over at any point. With the express lanes, motorists are obligated to go from Sahara Avenue to the Las Vegas Beltway, or vice versa, and cannot get on or off at any point in between. The double line is a temporary barrier, McKenzie said, and permanent wall barriers are expected to be erected in the future.