The Clark County Council can now direct its members how to vote on boards and commissions and can remove a councilor from a board for any reason by a simple majority vote, and Michelle Belkot said that proves the council was wrong in removing her from C-TRAN last year

Paul Valencia
Clark County Today

Michelle Belkot gave an emotional rebuke to what her colleagues on the Clark County Council were about to do, saying that their actions Tuesday proved that they were wrong to kick her off the C-TRAN Board of Directors back in early 2025.

Michelle Belkot

Members of the Clark County Council voted to amend its Rules of Procedures on Tuesday, and several changes were clearly motivated by the Belkot/C-TRAN board situation.

Among the changes to the Rules of Procedure, the council can now direct an individual councilor on a board and/or commission exactly how to vote on specific policy items. And the council may remove a councilor from an appointed board and/or commission with a simple majority vote.

“This is so wrong,” Belkot said at Tuesday morning’s Clark County Council meeting. “To me, it admits there was something wrong with the removal of me from C-TRAN.”

In early 2025, Belkot, while on the C-TRAN board, announced her intention to vote to protect Clark County taxpayers from footing the operations and maintenance costs associated with light rail. She would have been the deciding vote on returning to older language in the Modified Locally Preferred Alternative (MLPA) for the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program. That older language clearly stated C-TRAN would not pay for O&M costs.

To her colleagues on the council, protecting taxpayers from paying for something most do not want, was a serious offense.

The C-TRAN vote did not take place that night. It was tabled. The next day, the rest of the Clark County councilors removed Belkot from the C-TRAN Board of Directors.

In the ensuing months, the language for the MLPA was put up for a vote again, and this time, with Belkot out of the picture, the newer language remained: C-TRAN “may participate in funding” O&M.

Belkot argued that the council never had a rule that forced a board member to vote a certain way. And once appointed to a board or commission, she said, the council had no authority to remove her.

Now, a year-and-a-half later, the council has changed its Rules of Procedure. Whether the rest of the council acknowledges it or not, this does show that what they did in 2025 was not part of any previous protocol.

“If you just don’t like somebody, you can just remove them whenever you want,” Belkot said.

Belkot also noted that her intention to vote to protect taxpayers was her way of representing her district.

Councilor Glen Yung said he never envisioned being a representative of a district when one is part of a board. Instead, one is representing the county as a whole, he said.

Belkot then wondered what the issue could have been back in 2025 because she clearly was representing most of the county.

“The county does not approve of light rail,” Belkot said. “They’ve voted against it three times. So in that instance, I did represent the county.”

Clark County Chair Sue Marshall did not like the direction of the conversation.

“OK, well, the topic that we’ll be voting on is Rules of Procedure,” she said. “Not light rail.”

Belkot also noted that, once again, the county council is just copying the city of Vancouver. She has said in the past that her colleagues just want to follow Vancouver’s lead. By changing the rules to force a board member to vote a certain way, it will be easier for the council to direct someone to just do whatever the Vancouver mayor wants them to do.

There were a few who voiced their opinions during public comment, all in favor of Belkot’s stance.

Rob Anderson of Reform Clark County called out Yung for his arguments on this day, and in the past year, in regard to the positions on board and commissions.

“You talk about these as if they belong to you,” Anderson said of the positions. “They don’t. They belong to the voters.”

Anderson said by making these changes, the council is empowering itself over the will of the people.

“You are taking away the voice of thousands of voters,” Anderson said.

After public comment, Councilor Wil Fuentes moved to approve the changes. Yung seconded. Marshall, Fuentes, and Yung voted in favor of the changes. Belkot voted no.

Matt Little was absent from the meeting and did not vote. That, too, is fitting in a way. Little initially voted to remove Belkot from the C-TRAN board. At the very next council gathering, he changed his vote, acknowledging that Belkot was correct in her assessment that the council did not have in its rules a mandate to direct a vote nor a process to remove a councilor from a board and/or commission.

Other changes to Rules of Procedure included the order of meetings as well as encouraging councilors to attend meetings in person when possible. There is also new language regarding behavior at meetings and instructions on how to trespass those who are unruly.