We generally expect our leaders to be educated, smart, and well-informed. More often than not, we support, elect, and follow those who appear to have an answer for everything. But good leaders don’t know everything. And the very best ones know that they don’t know everything.
Opinion
Boulder City residents occasionally ask how the city is able to have one of the lowest property tax rates in the state, and still provide needed functions such as police, fire, and public parks. In addition to land leases that provide 35% of our general fund budget, we also look at ways to keep costs down. As the city’s Purchasing, Grants and Risk manager for the last eight years, I have seen the city make decisions that keep us lean.
I have a lot on my heart these days. The good news is that my heart is in great health. So… allow me to start with that.
Living in Southern Nevada, we know there comes a point each summer when opening the front door feels more like opening up the oven.
Where does the time go?
With a focus on maintaining Boulder City’s close-knit community and offering preferred improvements, we are always eager to hear from engaged Boulder City residents. Because of this, I encourage staff to find ways to keep residents involved and active in providing feedback. In the past two years, we’ve made greater use of surveys and suggestion forms to hear what the Boulder City residents would like to experience. Surveys have assisted in many ways, such as confirming the allocation of funds received, gaining a grassy dog park after several years of consideration, and deciding if short-term rentals are appropriate for the city.
This week, I’d like to take some time to appreciate Boulder City’s Utilities Department, which provides power to residential and business customers.
Just about everybody remembers their first car. It was that first real sense of independence while feeling like something between still wanting to watch the occasional Saturday morning cartoon and being an adult.
I moved to Boulder City with my family in 1981, 20 years after the city became incorporated. Boulder City had about 8,000 people at the time while Clark County had less than half a million people. Do 8,000 citizens constitute a small city? I don’t know.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, volunteers donate more than 4.1 billion hours annually, contributing $122.9 billion each year to the U.S. economy.
A wise man (OK, it was George Carlin…) once said that life is just a series of dogs. I told my wife before that it may be easier to gauge the length of our union by the number of boxes of doggie ashes on the shelf than to remember exactly how many years (39 days short of 35 1/2 years as of the date of this issue of the newspaper for those keeping track at home).
It’s Christmas this month. I know it’s only September, but still, it’s that time of year as far as the Marine Corps is concerned. That’s because the organization has been mailing out its annual charity letters, asking for donations for the Toys for Tots campaign.
Boulder City’s fire department has been busy lately. Busy, that is, preparing. Like any good firefighters, the best work they’ll ever do doesn’t involve actual fires. Rather, it involves prevention, education, training, and readiness, just in case those rare emergencies arise.
Policing is a career that requires men and women with skills, patience and understanding. The Boulder City Police Department is filled with officers who truly care for this community and the people in it.
The recent articles, along with a letter to the editor concerning the newly-adopted airport hangar leases, gave the impression to the reader that the citizens of Boulder City are being cheated out of potential airport revenue.
Talk about perfect timing.
When walking into the Boulder City High School cafeteria last Wednesday, it was almost like stepping back in time nearly 100 years.
Featuring a roster full of key returnees, Boulder City High School girls volleyball is looking to make an extended postseason run this season.
Coming off a state championship, Boulder City High School girls tennis is coming into the season with some question marks.