RTC board rescinds bus contract vote

The first order of business Thursday was rescinding a 4-3 vote taken May 19 to strip Veolia Transportation of a $600 million contract and award it to the lower bidder, First Transit. Commissioners voted 8-0 to follow a directive from the attorney general, who said the May decision did not constitute a majority vote because only seven members were present.

Commission Chairman Larry Brown, who was with the minority who voted in favor of Veolia, asked administrators to return in August “with a menu of options.”

It was unknown Thursday what those options might be, but prior discussions have included splitting the bus service into regions and offering two separate contracts.

Sources who are close to the process and have talked to commissioners envision a tie 4-4 vote if the contract is reconsidered. If that occurred it would be up to the board to give staff members direction on how to proceed. Representatives of the transportation agency said there will likely be three separate items on the August agenda.

First Transit initially won the contract with a bid of $50 million less over a seven-year period. Veolia attorneys immediately filed a protest contending that a 2001 state law says a majority vote is based on the number of members on the board, not the number of members present at the meeting.

Shortly before the May meeting, Oscar Goodman stepped down from his post and his replacement, Lois Tarkanian, could not make it.

Brown refused to sign the contract with First Transit until the attorney general’s office issued an opinion on the legality of the vote. That ruling came down late last week.

Also at Thursday’s meeting, the board voted unanimously to keep Brown as chairman and North Las Vegas City Councilman Robert Eliason as vice-chairman until June 2013. Also, Mesquite City Councilman Kraig Hafen joined the commission, replacing David Bennett, who was forced to leave office because of term limits.