A staff report was submitted by City Clerk Tami McKay and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

A staff report was submitted by Finance Director Cynthia Sneed and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

A staff report was submitted by Finance Director Cynthia Sneed and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

A staff report was submitted by City Clerk Tami McKay and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

Dr. Deanna Jaskolski, Regional Superintendent, provided a quarterly update on the Clark County School District Municipality Report.  She reported the following:

Boulder City HS
Our Girls Basketball Team was recognized by the NIAA as the 3A Girls State Academic Team Champions. The NIAA, the non-profit governing body of high school sports in the Silver State, is proud to present a special award each year to the team with the highest-grade point average in each sport per classification. The NIAA considers this state academic championship award to certainly be equal to the athletic championship award. As the NIAA's coaches and administrators always stress, the participants are students first, then athletes. The Girls Basketball Team had a 3.82 GPA. Our Boys Bowling Team was recognized by the NIAA as the 3A Boys State Academic Team Champions. The NIAA, the non-profit governing body of high school sports in the Silver State, is proud to present a special award each year to the team with the highest-grade point average in each sport per classification. The NIAA considers this state academic championship award to certainly be equal to the athletic championship award. As the NIAA's coaches and administrators always stress, the participants are students first, then athletes. The Boys Bowling Team had a 3.54 GPA. Additionally, our Boys Bowling Team bowled against Losee in the state championship match but came up short, (2,116-1934). Leading the way for the Eagles, Bennet Forney bowled a 502, while Ben Porter bowled a 492. Brian Wainwright bowled a 483, while River Schenk bowled a 457. Great season Eagles! They were named the 3A Boys Bowling State Runner-Ups! The Girls Flag Football Team played in the State Championship Game at Allegiant Stadium. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Eagles to compete on a grand stage, elevating the sport and recognizing the hard work our athletes have put in all season. At the end of the game, we lost to Virgin Valley 19-6, but our girls played hard. Great season Eagles! We are proud of your accomplishments. They were named the 3A Girls Flag Football State Runner-Ups!
This past week, our Robotics Team was part of the alliance that placed 2nd overall at the FIRST Robotics Competition held in Orange County during Week One of competition. Their next competition will be in Flagstaff next week at the Arizona North Regional. Good luck High Scalers! Our Cheer leading Team was all smiles last weekend at competition at Knott's Berry Farm. They placed first in Stunt Cheer, second in Show Cheer, won the Spirit Stick for Best Spotters, and received a special award for their amazing choreography. Great job Eagles! Our Winterguard performed their show "Phoeniz Rising" at Sunrise Mountain High School last weekend and was awarded 1st Place in the HS AA Division. They perform again at Sierra Vista on March 15th and on March 29th they perform at Foothill High School. I hope that you will be able to watch them perform at one of these shows.

Garrett JHS
Garrett Junior High School was honored for their outstanding STEM education at the state capitol in Carson City. On March 6, teachers Mark Olson and Ryan Pusko, and principal Melanie Teemant traveled to Carson City to represent the school, as Garrett JHS was honored by the Governor and the State Superintendent of Education, as one of six new CCSD schools, for their efforts in bringing innovation and creativity to their students through STEM education. The staff and students have worked tirelessly, and throughout the application process we have increased and enhanced each of our STEAM programs to allow students choices and opportunities. In addition to their core classes, each day you will find students in robotics, hydroponics, design modeling, flight and space, environmental engineering, STEM guitars, fine arts, music, publications, and more. We celebrated our students who earned straight A's semester 1, and took them bowling at Boulder Bowl. These outstanding students had a wonderful time together having pizza and bowling!
Our students are beginning to build their STEM Guitar kits, which are generously sponsored by the Rotary Club of Boulder City. Guitar and band teacher Stacy Toal and Rotarian Larry Archuletta. work together to teach and facilitate learning the building of the guitars. Students start from a piece of wood and the neck and they sand, drill, study the physics of sound and eventually string an electric guitar. This is a huge highlight for our students as they are able to leave school with something they built from scratch with their own hands. Garrett Junior High has even more to celebrate! The Bobcat Cheerleaders recently competed in their first-ever cheer competition at Knott’s Berry Farm with the high school, earning 2nd place overall in their division. The team also received the Judges' Award for Showmanship and Spirit, and Emily Giampapa placed 4th in tumbling. These dedicated athletes have been training for nearly a year, showing determination and enthusiasm along the way. A special thank you to coaches Brandi Mozur and Lisa Vesley for their commitment to helping these students succeed both on and off the mat. Festival season is in full swing for our performing arts programs, as Garrett’s Advanced Band traveled to the CCSD Middle School Advanced Band Festival at UNLV. Under the direction of Ms. Stacy Toal, the students had an outstanding performance playing four challenging pieces that highlighted their skills and talents. After their stage performance, the band participated in a sight reading clinic. Garrett’s Advanced Band earned straight ones and a superior rating! Congratulations to our talented musicians and their dedicated director on this incredible achievement.
Chili Cook off Student Council hosted the first annual Chili Cook Off for the community and there were awards that were made by our STEM teacher Mr. Pusko with our 3D printers. It was a delicious award winning night! Student Council was invited by the Park and Recreation Department to work with the employees during one of their training sessions, and run team building activities to create a sense of community. The students shared some of their favorite activities they use in class and at school, and had a great time working together. It has been busy and exciting at Garrett, and next is volleyball, soccer, and so much more!

Mitchell ES
We have been busy celebrating Nevada Reading Week. Throughout the day, our librarian has organized activities to grow our students love of reading. Our Read by Grade 3 strategist has organized our Family Literacy Night focused on how written communication has changed over the centuries. Last year, we had over 300 people attend and we are expecting just as many this year. This event was supported by many in our community including the Sunset Rotary, Albertsons, the Friends of the Boulder City Library, and our amazing teachers who work this event for our families. Ms. Samons's class joined a contest sponsored by the Silver Knights to earn a reading presentation by the Silver Knights at our school. Our amazing PAC worked to make the event extra special by decorating the stage with a Silver Knights theme balloons. Preparing students to be ready to read by Grade 3 is the academic focus of our school performance plan. We noticed that students were struggling with non-fiction texts. To give students more opportunities to practice, our classroom teachers and specialists put together a plan to have the reading they do in Library, Art, and Science support learning how to effectively read non-fiction texts. This is another great example of the high level of professionalism of our staff. Our student lighthouse leaders are finding more ways to support our school by helping to keep up the school grounds, managing the lost coats, and speaking about the habits at morning ceremony.

King ES
Last month we held our annual Glow Dance, our annual Spring Family Event, at the Boulder City Recreation Center. Over 380 tickets were sold. We transformed the recreation center into an event space filled with Black lights and glow in the dark accessories. It was a great night of celebration for our entire community. The event raised over $400 which we used to start a school pantry to support students and families struggling with food insecurity. Hope Church of Boulder City has partnered with us to help stock and organize the pantry allowing students access to non-perishable food items that can be taken home on the weekends to ensure that our kids don't go hungry. King families participated in the Kids Heart Challenge, raising over $5,000 to support the American Heart Association. As a reward the kids were able to slime Ms. Fisher (PE), Ms. Corderman (PE), and myself. King is gearing up for state testing. Our most recent MAP testing shows a predicted proficiency of 61% in math and 63% in reading. That would be a 7% increase in math and a 5% increase in Reading from last year's SBAC Scores. To support us in reaching this goal, various student groups from BCHS and Garrett JHS will come together on April 7th to hold a pep rally for King students. The pep rally will take place in the gym at BCHS and will be attended by the school leaders from all four Boulder City Schools. The theme this year focuses on self-confidence, effort, and alleviating test anxiety. One of the key points that we want to stress to the community is that this year the SBAC contains nearly half of the number of questions that the 23-24 SBAC contained. We believe that this shortened test will alleviate stress and anxiety for our students and create a better picture of their overall academic performance.

She noted the data included in the packet was based on the school year 2023/2024.  She noted the reported chronic absenteeism in Boulder City were the lowest in the Clark County school district.  

Council member Booth asked why the 2023/2024 school year showed a decrease in proficiency and questioned why it was at the 50 percentile.  She also asked why the science proficiency was 6.7% for Grade 10.  

Dr. Jaskolski said she would speak to the Science question first.  She said if you took a look at the two years prior, she too, was not happy with the proficiency and achievements.  She said the school district was taking a look at the tier 1 materials used to teach.  She said the science curriculum had moved from more discrete memorization skills to really understanding the phenomenon of science so they were providing intense professional learning and support around the materials to address the gaps.  She mentioned the science test was mostly taken by ninth graders; however, the District was still not satisfied with the test scores. 

In response to an additional question by Council member Booth regarding enrollment in the advanced placement classrooms, Dr. Jaskolski said specific to Boulder City High School, the number of advanced placement courses may have declined because students had opted to participate in technical education or dual credit courses in place of advanced placement courses.  She noted all three options required rigorous work. 

Council member Jorgensen asked if more science materials resources were being provided to students and what was the difference between the old ones and new ones. She asked if the new material would prepare students for college.   

Dr. Jaskolski said the students now had an incredible amount of real world applications with simulations which provide an an opportunity to access real life situations.  She said the District would like to see growth at a much more rapid rate.  She said the previous materials were not consistent across the system, but it’s since been addressed.  She acknowledged that Clark County School District remained the 5^th largest district in the nation.  

Council member Jorgensen said that’s a large number of the nation’s kids being sent into colleges, trade schools, and the workforce.  She said it was hard work to keep such a large diverse group of individuals. She said it was critical to recognize the decrease to 6% and said it couldn’t go much lower.  She said Boulder City had teachers that do a great job and they had great students and  questioned the disconnect.  She said she was happy to see the decrease in chronic absenteeism.  She thanked everyone for their hard work to improve it.  She mentioned two of the four Boulder City schools received rural funding which provided a significant difference in funds which made a difference in what type of programs were offered to the students.  She said the schools may benefit if they were all classified as rural because it would provide additional funding for teacher salaries, programs and materials.

Dr. Jaskolski said she did not have the terms of the formulas and multipliers at hand, but said she could get the information and get back with it.  

Council member Ashurst thanked Dr. Jaskolski for the report.  She said having looked at the report, obviously the elephant in the room were the African Americans, Latino and Native American students whose test scores were all down.  She said she talked to some teachers who explained the numbers could be down from COVID and suggested the numbers reported from 2017-2021 should be examined. She referenced “leave no child behind” and expressed concern about some students doing even worse than the other kids who were ahead of them.  She asked what was being done in terms of after school programs or reading programs to increase their proficiency so they’re not left behind. She asked if there was parental participation such as the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) which she believed may be beneficial. She asked if the report could reflect what the District was doing to support the three groups of children to ensure they’re not left behind which was really important to everyone. 

In response to Council member Ashurst, Dr. Jaskolski said the state test was a smarter, balanced assessment that students take in the spring.  She said the assessment in elementary school had changed by decreasing the number of questions which was good for the students.  She also noted early childhood education was not part of this report, but she could find specific information about it.    

Council member Ashurst said she knew about legislation that passed for early childhood education and wanted to know more about it. 

Dr. Jaskolski said the schools were working very diligently with their interim assessments which provide information for each individual student. She said the teachers were working diligently to purposefully plan their lessons utilizing tier one materials that address the standards that are assessed on the test. She said they provide interventions to specifically target the needs of the students.    

Council member Jorgensen asked how many fewer questions per test. She said she had a daughter with test anxiety and she was placed on a 504 because of it.  She said the length of the test did not matter because it was stressful regardless of the number of questions. She said it was important to be mindful of test anxiety, but to not forget the goal which was academia and preparing kids for life after 12^th grade. She mentioned her daughter had been placed in a smaller group and became proficient because someone took the time to help which could be a solution too.   

Mayor Hardy said legitimate questions had been raised and looked forward to hearing back with the answers.    

A staff report was submitted by City Planner Nakeisha Lyon and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

THIS ITEM WAS REMOVED FROM THE AGENDA.

A staff report was submitted by City Clerk Tami McKay on behalf of Council member Cokie Booth and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

Mayor Hardy noted this item had been requested by Council member Booth.

Council member Booth said the matter for discussion proposed to direct Staff to prepare an amendment to Title 11 of the City Code which would allow the City to negotiate with a developer for the development of land pursuant to NRS 278.201.  She asked Attorney Jeff Barr to approach the podium so he could explain the process to the City Council.    

Attorney Jeff Barr said he was a former City Attorney at North Las Vegas and currently represented clients who may benefit in the change of this ordinance.   He said development agreements were a flexible and useful tool for the City to have when working with a developer.  He said a development agreement was a legally binding contract between a property owner and governmental entity.  He said the developer would gain certainty about applicable regulations and requirements throughout the project’s lifecycle and the government entity can secure public benefits and infrastructure improvements beyond what might be required through standard regulations.  He said he had negotiated and enforced dozens of development agreements as his time as city attorney.  He said one of the things he previously negotiated for a municipality was asking a developer to pay for a fire engine.  He said there was nothing in law or the standard development code to allow a City to ask a developer to pay for a fire engine.  He said it was important to keep in mind that the Council was ultimately responsible for negotiating these agreements. He said, they were asking for a general enabling ordinance to allow for general development agreements.  He said in the City’s current Title 11, there were zones for special recreation, senior housing and research and development.  He said outside of those cases, there was no general development agreement ordinance in the city code.   He said Nevada law allowed the City Council to enter into these types of agreements. He said they were not asking for specific development concessions nor were they negotiating a development agreement at this time.  He said they were requesting the City Council consider passing a general development agreement ordinance.    

Council member Jorgensen referenced the controlled growth ordinance stating no developer can take more than 30 allotment in any given time.  She questioned how the City could negotiate a fire truck with a developer limited to 30 allotments.  She said she understood the incentive for really large developments.

Mr. Barr said the beauty of a development agreement was for a City to get things they may not otherwise be able to get.  He said while it may not be a fire engine, it could be a contribution to an aquatics center or electrical upgrade. He said a development agreement was limited only by imagination and the City’s needs.  He said he would defer to City Attorney Walker who was very competent, stating he didn’t think it was possible to circumvent the controlled growth ordinance except in theory because the development agreement must be approved by the City Council.  

Council member Jorgensen expressed great concern about the possibility of the controlled growth ordinance being circumvented.  

Mr. Barr said a development agreement could waive or modify requirements of an ordinance, but if the Council didn’t desire something in the agreement, it wouldn’t be approved.  He said, in theory, something could be waived, but in practice it probably wouldn’t occur.   He made reference to the sale of City property which could not be waived by a development agreement because it required voter approval.  He said a development agreement was about trading benefits.  He said the benefits did not have to be tied to the development and provided an example of a different area receiving benefits such as a trail in an underserved area in the city.  He said negotiations would determine what was open for discussion.     

Council member Ashurst asked what the City was lacking that would warrant the need for a general development ordinance. 

Mr. Barr said the current City Code only authorizes the negotiation of an agreement for development of recreation, senior housing and research and development. He said his client’s project did not fit into those categories.  

Council member Ashurst said she was having a difficult time understanding the need for the change.

Mr. Barr said there was not currently a mechanism under the City code to allow for a general development agreement.

In response to Council member Jorgensen, City Attorney Walker said the City had the ability to negotiate with Toll Brothers for the development of Tract 350 because it was City-owned land. She said the City had the ability to ask for certain improvements in the land sales agreement; whereas the City did not have standing with a privately owned parcel.

Mayor Hardy said it was important to note the draft ordinance included in the packet was not prepared by Staff.  

Mr. Barr said it was a draft ordinance and requested by City Attorney Walker for a separate process and his client decided not to continue that process.

City Attorney Walker said the City Code had a process that a property owner can request a text amendment, but they chose not to go through that process.  

In response to Mayor Hardy, City Attorney Walker said directing staff to draft an ordinance, and if approved, would enable the City to enter into a development agreement and negotiate its terms.  She said the entitlement process would still have to be followed.  She said things like building density, road width, development standards, etc. would be set forth in the development agreement ahead of development.    

Mayor Hardy expressed concern about a development agreement short circuiting the public process.  

City Attorney Walker said the typical requirements for development agreements were less stringent than the requirements for a zoning change. She said the property owners wouldn’t necessarily get noticed before the development agreement was approved unless Council directed the ordinance include noticing requirements for development agreements.     

Mayor Hardy attributed the success of the sale of Tract 350 because of the public process and public input about the project. He questioned why the City needed an ordinance change.

Council member Booth said she brought this ordinance forward because it would allowed the City to ask for improvements from a developer for things such as running utilities to a new fire station site. She said the property in mind was private so they weren’t obligated to give anything to the City. She said it was a negotiation process that may benefit the City.    

Mayor Hardy asked if there was a law that prevented the City from asking a developer for certain amenities before the development is completed.  

City Attorney said there was a process the developer had to follow so there was no opportunity for the City to negotiate without a development agreement. She said developers had to make improvements under the existing City code such as offsite improvements and infrastructure at their cost if they don’t have access to build on it. She said a development agreement is the “law” that allows the City to ask a developer for something.  She said under Dillon’s Rule, the City only has the powers given by the state.

Council member Walton referred to the bullet points included in the overview of the staff report, which indicated development agreements were tools used for the development of large or problem parcels. He asked if there were any privately owned parcels in Boulder City that would be considered large or problematic.      

City Attorney Walker clarified that the language included in the staff report came from Council member Booth.  She said when she talked to other municipalities, she was told development agreements were used in really large developments such as for the development of 2,400 homes or more.  She said negotiations occur to build a better development and offer more amenities for the residences which is a benefit to the public and the developer.  

Council member Walton said privately owned parcels were zoned and based on the city attorney’s comments, would the parcels in Boulder City be considered as large as the developments in the valley that she referred to.      

Acting City Manager Mays said a vast majority of land in Boulder City was owned by the City and said none of the privately owned parcels were the size of the parcels in the surrounding cities.       

In response to Council member Walton, Acting City Manager Mays said he did not have the specifics about private land but reiterated a vast majority of the vacant land in Boulder City was owned by the City.  He said there were very few privately owned vacant parcels in the community.

Council member Walton asked what the City would potentially give up when they enter in to a development agreement.

City Attorney Walker said the City could agree to changes in the permitted use, allow a higher density, possibly adjust the maximum height and size.  She said it was essentially a private zoning code for that parcel.  She said it was customizing the zoning for that particular parcel ahead of time.  She said while they still have to go through the entitlement process, those provisions would have already been agreed to.     

Council member Walton said, if the provisions are already agreed to, the notification requirements were less stringent.  He said negotiations take place with staff and only the completed development agreement is presented to the City Council and to the public. 

City Attorney Walker said the ordinance language was up to the council so it could include more public involvement in the earlier stages if that was their desire.

Council member Walton said he appreciated the Mayor’s earlier comment about the public participation of Tract 350 and the comments about the allotment process.  He expressed concern about changing the process that the Boulder City community had been accustomed to. He said the Council may have honorable intentions about changing the city code, but expressed concern about unintended consequences that may occur in 5 or 10 years from now or with another developer or another council.  He said he questioned the wisdom and value of changing it.  

Council member Jorgensen said the thought that any five people serving the community could circumvent the process was alarming to her.

Council member Ashurst said she believed it was important to continue the transparent process and notify the public as they are accustomed to.  She asked what the City was lacking and what was the purpose of changing the code. She said she did not believe the change was needed.  

Council member Walton said if a developer had the desire to the change the density or zoning of a parcel, it could be done through the process that’s currently in place.    

Acting City Manager Mays said a developer had the right to submit an application and go through the due diligence process to rezone or request additional density, but it required review by staff and the planning commission and approval by the city council.

Council member Booth said Boulder City didn’t have vast amounts of land nor would it have vast amounts of development; however, she believed the change would allow the City to ask something of benefit from the developer to add value to the City.

Council member Walton said he appreciated the discussion and said the conversation was productive and valued.  He thanked Council member Booth for bringing the matter up.

Council member Booth made a motion to direct staff to draft an ordinance amending Title 11 to authorize the City to enter into an agreement for the development of land pursuant to NRS 278.02011.

No second was offered and the motion FAILED.

A staff report was submitted by City Attorney Brittany Walker and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

City Attorney Walker said Mr. Thomas had requested additional time to start his tenure to on or around April 15.

A staff report was submitted by City Clerk Tami McKay and included in the March 11, 2025 City Council agenda packet.

City Clerk McKay provided an overview of the Staff report noting Allotment Committee members were drawn by lot.

Gary Dahlia’s name was selected as the member to serve an unexpired term ending June 30, 2025.