LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A neighborhood’s cracked water main appeared to fracture Henderson City Council members Tuesday as allegations of suppressing information have put a solution in hot water.
The problem underneath Somerset Park, located near Sunset Road and Boulder Highway, has caused parking issues, water outages, and headaches for tenants for three years. City staff notified residents three weeks ago if their HOA did not fix the issue in two weeks their neighborhood might be condemned.
During an afternoon news conference, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero revealed the city’s plan to save the neighborhood’s 40-year-old system if the HOA doesn’t present a solution by Sept. 10.
“The city will front the cost to the system ensuring that it is fixed properly without displacement to homeowners,” Romero said. “Everyone will remain in their homes while the new system is installed. There will be minimal disruption and water services will remain available during repairs.”
Romero said city staff estimated the costs from $400,000 to $600,000 in order to bring the system into compliance with city code and Nevada state law.
“Quick fixes are not going to work,” she said. “This needs to be done properly with the backing of all or teams at the city who have been working so hard to address this situation for the residents.”
City staff told residents in a special meeting the neighborhood will have to pay back the work through taxes equating to $7,000 per unit for under $300 per month, however, Romero noted the specifics of a tax lien have not been finalized.
“These people’s lives were flipped upside down because of an issue they weren’t even aware of. Somerset Park is home to young mothers, young families, people working two jobs, people taking care of elderly people,” Romero said. “We are unwilling to accept that they have had to deal with this much stress.”
Rick Martinez, a Somerset Park resident, said he was happy the cost for residents was less than what he was expecting.
“Originally I thought that we were going to be paying a lot over the course of five years,” Martinez said. “It was looking like a thousand dollars more we would have to pay a month, but now it’s going to be just a one-time special assessment.”
Leaving the special meeting Ramirez said he and his wife still wanted to attend the city council meeting during a public comment period to make his concerns known.
8 News Now asked Romero during her news conference about questions surrounding why she and Councilwoman Carrie Cox appeared to hold dueling events and statements regarding a fix for Somerset Park and asked who was leading this announced solution.
“This is something that we have been working on as an entire city,” Romero said. “Every department had to research how this was going to be done, how we were going to recover the costs, what the right approach will be.”
“Oh my god”
Following the mayor’s news conference, the Henderson City Council gathered for a regularly scheduled public meeting, and Romero once again addressed the possible solution to residents in attendance.
“We look forward to having a resolution to this problem,” Romero said. “And not having another problem after that.”
Seconds after finishing her speech Henderson Councilwoman Carrie Cox leaned into her microphone and addressed the council chamber.
“For the record, I need to put on the record,” Cox said.
“You cannot,” Romero replied.
Cox continued speaking over Romero alleging she was not briefed on the possible solution for the water main break and the statements made by the mayor.
“I was not briefed on anything that was just said,” Cox said.
“Oh my god,” Romero replied.
Cox noted the Somerset Park neighborhood is in her ward, and as the representative of those constituents she should be briefed on matters and solutions for the area—alleging she was not informed.
“For me to be going into this meeting blindly is unacceptable when I have worked closely with the residents of Somerset,” Cox said. “They do have other options and I could have at least been briefed so I can be on the same page. You will not silence me.”
“You were not silenced,” Romero replied. “You were briefed on this on a call.”
8 News Now requested a statement from the City of Henderson regarding the contradiction to previous statements made by Mayor Romero regarding the solution being worked on as an entire city, and the clash between elected officials. City staff referred those questions back to the statements made during the city council meeting and also provided the following statement:
“City staff has been working tirelessly for the residents of Somerset Park. Our primary concern has always been the health and safety of our residents.
We took immediate action to assess and mitigate safety hazards. City staff also gathered resources and held three information sessions to assist residents, including connecting them with representatives from Legal Aid. Mayor Romero called on the State for assistance.
As the complexity of the issue evolved daily, long-term solutions were studied and evaluated by our engineers and experts in the field.
The only viable long-term fix is to repair the private water system.
In emergency situations, such as this, the City has operational oversight, and Council approval is not required. This City management decision is common practice.
As the designated spokesperson for the City, Mayor Michelle Romero has been transparent by providing updates on the progress and solutions being made for Somerset Park.
We should not lose sight of the great progress we made today for the benefit and safety of the residents of Somerset. I commend City leadership for their due diligence and for putting our residents first.” – The City of Henderson
Due to apparent disunity between elected officials regarding Somerset Park 8 News Now requested a statement from Councilwoman Cox and Mayor Romero.
“I had no idea Romero was going to read that statement nor the contents of that statement today. I would have not known about the meeting had residents not let me know. I feel it’s very important that a ward representative be completely briefed and kept in the loop when dealing with issues that involve that ward representative’s constituents. It is equally important that transparency be a priority. We met with city officials including the mayor, Assemblywoman Danielle Gallant, State Senator Jeff Stone, Henderson Public Response Manager Ian Massy, Henderson Utility Services Director Priscilla Howell, the property manager, and the board to see where they were at on a solution. I hope that the city stepping in for the work, raising fees for the residents to pay back the cost is going to be what will be in the best interest of the residents.” -Councilwoman Carrie Cox
