LAS VEGAS -- In an effort to ease the pain of a massive budget shortfall, Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid announced what he called “sweeping changes” Monday, including the possibility of turning the area’s largest hospital into a nonprofit facility.

“Proposing these measures is the culmination of months of work to put the county’s financial house in order,” Reid said.

Clark County is facing a $70 million shortfall this year and a $126 million shortfall in 2011.

Reid’s plan for University Medical Center involves a transition to a nonprofit, a teaching hospital or another “financially viable model.”

The hospital is currently operating with 250 empty positions, Reid said, adding that there are more than 500 vacant positions county-wide.

County Commission salaries would also be cut through Reid’s plan, and he is pushing for more cuts during upcoming labor negotiations.

Other portions of the cost cutting plan involve prioritizing county projects according to the number of jobs they would create.

There would also be some expansion of job duties under Reid’s plan. He points out that managers could oversee multiple departments while some divisions could be combined.