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Cattle drive in the New Old West
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Board votes tighter controls for Town spen00g
by Pa Babcock
"Only you five people have to spend money;'
town attorney Len Smith cautioned the Pahrump Town Board
at Tuesday night' s meeting. Earli in the discussion he asked
for one minute on constitutional law. He said, "Under NRS 269,
the powefto spendpublic money is in the Town Board's hands.
You cannot delegate away the responsibility that goes with it."
No problem for Town Board Chairman, Charlotte LcVar.
Smith's remarks were part of a lively and lengthy discussion
resulting from LeVar' s motion for a written ig
for town employees.
Citing spending policies that are too vague and not under-
stood and/or followed by town employees including using vouch-
ers or purchase orders when making porchases for the town,
LeVar said there was a need for a written purchasing policy.
LeVar's motion would set a limit of $200 on employee
purchases. All purchases over $200 would require approval of
the town manager (or as is currently the case in the absence of
a town manager, the board would act in that capacity). All
purchases would require a requisition or purchase order signed
by the department head. Board approval would be required for
all Capital Improvement expenditures. Finally, all employees
would be required to read a copy of the purchasing policy and
to sign the policy stating that they read and understood it.
Board member Steve Rainbolt said there was no aeed for the
poticy as one was already in place. He said former town manager
Roger Baltz had a ing policy like LeVax
Rainbolt argued this wasan enfunment, not a policy lblem.
LeVar said she was not aware of the policy and was sure the
board had never acted on it. Board member and town clerk,
Charl/e Gnmda, said ha had looked for and was unable to iocate
any written purchase policy and doubted it existed. Town
sectary, Peggy Warner, was asked if she was aware of a
purchasing policy. She replied she had never seen one.
Board members, town employees and members of the
audience expressed concern the town would he unable to
function if they had to wait until town board meetings, held
twice a month, for purchasing approval. Smith said projects
with approved budgets would not he subject to the $200 Board
approval limit since the board had already voted to approve the
expenditure of a certain amount. He pointed out it would he
illegal to spend monies not approved including over spending
over the budget amount allowed.
Decreasing the town manager's spending limit without
board approval from $5,000 to $1,000 was also discussed, but
was not included in the final motion which was divided into two
motions. LeVar's first motion was m require approval of the
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LADIES FIRST-Pahrump Town Board Chairman[
Charlotte LeVar volunteered to be the first to sign the
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petition for voting for Commissioner s at Large during
the Town Board meeting Tuesday.
,, , photo by Patti Babcock
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