The Las Cruces City Council was updated on Monday, March 13, 2023, on the development of the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 budget for three Joint Power Agreement (JPA) entities for which the City is fiscal agent, the Fire Department, and Housing and Neighborhood Services.
The budget updates were presented to City Council at its Work Session, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
The three presentations from the JPAs included Las Cruces/Doña County Metro Narcotics, Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority, and South Central Solid Waste Authority.
As City Council continues to develop a budget for the City’s 2024 Fiscal Year another work session will be conducted April 24. A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for May 4, and a Resolution to adopt a budget is anticipated to be presented to the Council on May 15.
Also, during Monday’s work session, City Economist Monica Torres presented City Council with an updated economic outlook. The presentation provided an overview on the latest employment, unemployment, and industry data on the local economy.
Employment in Las Cruces slightly increased from December 2021 to December 2022. However, the city’s labor force slightly dropped, to 48,211, during the same time.
Las Cruces’ unemployment rate dipped 1.5 percent, to 3.5 percent, from December 2021 to December 2022. Also, total distributed gross receipts taxes increased 9.7 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.
Looking ahead, with solid job gains and an unemployment rate that remains among the lowest in recent years, Las Cruces continues to experience a robust job market and gross receipt taxes continue to follow an upward trend.
Additionally, at Monday’s work session, Tim Chappell, president of the Las Cruces Sister Cities Foundation updated City Council on a new project called the Urban X-Change Network. The Urban X-Change Network offers nine German Adult Education Centers and their counterparts in Great Britain, Ukraine, and the U.S. the opportunity to carry out cross-border cultural and educational activities.