City of Henderson seeks charter changes to ease special elections, streamline ordinance process and allow sale of improved property on time payments

CARSON CITY — The Assembly Committee on Government Affairs opened a hearing on Senate Bill 72 on April 18, 2025. Nicole Rourke, representing the City of Henderson, presented changes the city’s charter committee recommended to modernize special‑election timing, streamline ordinance enactment and permit broader authority for city real‑property sales.

Rourke said SB 72 was one of two bills filed by Henderson this session based on recommendations of the city’s charter committee. “Section 1 authorizes the council to pass a resolution to conduct a special election within 60 days of the vacancy,” Rourke told the committee, adding that the resolution would allow the council to specify an election date that would be no later than 90 days after the resolution. The change is designed to give the city clerk and Clark County Elections staff time to coordinate logistics; Henderson’s municipal elections are conducted concurrently with statewide elections.

Rourke told the committee the charter’s current text caused practical problems when a Ward 1 vacancy followed the election of Henderson’s mayor in November 2022. Under the current charter, the city was required to appoint within 60 days or hold a special election within 90 days of the vacancy, and the charter specified the election day in a way that made timely scheduling difficult. The proposed change would allow the council to resolve whether to appoint or hold a special election and then set the election date in a subsequent resolution, within the 90‑day limit.

Section 2 would make the council’s ordinance committee optional. Rourke said the current process requires the council to send ordinances to a committee of the full council for discussion before final council action, which she said had caused confusion for members of the public seeking to provide comment. Making the committee step optional would allow the same public input while providing flexibility and efficiency for the council.

Section 3 would remove a charter limitation that a city may only sell land conveyed on a time‑payment basis if the land is unimproved. Rourke told the committee this change was prompted by the city’s work with Nevada State University on the potential sale of the Dawson Building and adjacent parcels on the NSU campus, which the city has owned since February 2005 and leased to NSU. The change also would allow the city to sell property on a nominal basis (less than fair‑market value) when appropriate; Rourke said the change is intended to give the city flexibility for sales to nonprofits or educational institutions while preserving other statutory requirements.

Assemblymember Dan Flanagan asked Rourke to confirm that the charter change would allow the city to sell property for nominal consideration to nonprofits and similar entities. Rourke said yes, that “nominal is considered to be far less than fair market value,” and that the change was intended to remove provisions that “tie our hands.”

Supporters who testified included Wesley Harper, director of government affairs for the City of North Las Vegas, who said the bill is “a good governance bill that strengthens the city of Henderson,” and Kelly McNeil, executive director of the Nevada League of Cities, who said the League supports the bill because its provisions “will strengthen the city of Henderson's operations and promote efficient governance.” Representatives of the Urban Consortium and Nevada State University also offered support; NSU thanked the city for two decades of coordination and said it supports the bill.

Rourke identified city staff available as technical experts if the committee wanted additional detail: Louis Valdez, Henderson city clerk, and Brighton Podminick, real‑property manager. No committee vote was taken; after questions and testimony the sponsor offered final remarks and the committee closed the hearing on SB 72.

The bill as presented would change municipal charter processes for special elections, streamline an internal ordinance committee step, and expand the city’s ability to use time‑payment and nominal‑consideration sales for real property. The committee will consider testimony and any recommended edits in future meetings.