Note: Corrects the date of the Las Cruces City Council meeting to Feb. 6, 2023, in the headline of the news release.
The Las Cruces City Council unanimously adopted a Resolution accepting the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the City’s fiscal year that ended June 30, 2022.
The Council’s acceptance of the report was done at its regularly scheduled meeting Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St. Acceptance of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report included a standing ovation to the City’s Financial Services Department, who was introduced to the public at the meeting after the Council vote.
On Dec. 1, 2022, Pattillo, Brown & Hill, a certified public accounting firm, submitted the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (AFCR) to the Office of the New Mexico State Auditor on behalf of the City’s Financial Services Department. The independent audit to the state was a “clean opinion” and was praised for its thoroughness and transparency.
“The preparation of the ACFR could not have been accomplished without the efficient and dedicated service of a highly qualified staff in the Financial Services Department,” said Josie Trevino, Comptroller for the Financial Services Department. “I would like to thank all personnel who helped and contributed to the preparation of this report.”
In January, the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded the City’s Financial Services Department the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its annual comprehensive financial report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021. The report was judged by an impartial panel to meet the highest standards of the program, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.
As of 2021, the City of Las Cruces has been presented with 18 consecutive Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting (ACFR) awards, nine consecutive Popular Annual Financial Reporting (PAFR) awards, and 21 consecutive Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards. In recognition of this accomplishment, the GFOA has awarded to the City its special Triple Crown medallion.
Additionally, at Monday’s meeting, City Council voted against a Resolution that attempted to reverse the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission approval, in July 2022, of a Special Use Permit for a cannabis retailer to operate less than 300 feet (218 feet) in distance to a single-family residential zoning district.
The proposed cannabis business will be allowed to operate at 750 S. Main St., at the northeast corner of south Main Street and Alameda Boulevard. The property is zoned C-2, commercial retail, and has been used extensively as a gasoline/service station, and in recent years, as a retail car dealership.