The Las Cruces City Council will conduct a regularly scheduled meeting at 1 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, 2020 via video conference.
The meeting will be televised live at 1 p.m. Monday on CLC-TV, Comcast Cable channel 20. The meeting will also be available online at clctv.com and at youtube.com/clctv20.
Although council meetings are being conducted by video conference, the public is still encouraged to comment on any items included on the agenda. Public comments can be submitted by email to the Mayor, at mayor@las-cruces.org, or to the City Clerk at councilmtginput@las-cruces.org.
Monday, the council will consider adoption of a resolution approving an amendment to the City’s adopted Fiscal Year 2021 budget that would authorize an additional $520,255 to the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley (ASCMV).
During the City’s budget process for Fiscal Year 2021, in order to meet the ASCMV needs, ASCMV requested an overall budget increase of $1 million, which is an additional contribution of $500,000 for the City and Doña Ana County. The City and County have a Joint Powers Agreement that stipulates the two governmental bodies will equally contribute to the annual operations of the ASCMV. Annually, the City and County currently provide $1.25 million toward the ASCMV’s budget, in addition to revenue received from grants, other jurisdictions for taking their stray and lost animals to the center, and fees charged for services and adoptions.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis the County elected to adopt their 2020 Fiscal Year budget as their 2021 Fiscal Year budget, keeping its contribution at $1,250,000. The ASCMV Board of Directors approved the shelter’s budget on April 23, 2020 through ASCMV Resolution 2020-12, showing no increase in funding.
Those intentions were reflected when the City’s 2021 Fiscal Year budget was adopted by City Council on May 18, 2020, with a budgeted contribution of $1,250,000. However, the ASCMV Board passed a resolution at its June 25, 2020 board meeting requesting that the City contribute an additional $520,255 to better meet the needs of ASCMV.
The additional funding is proposed for a non-contract veterinarian; a grant writer; needed capital equipment, including a commercial grade washer and dryer; and other operating expenses.
If approved by the resolution to be presented to council, this additional contribution would bring the City’s 2021 Fiscal Year contribution to ASCMV to $1,770,255, while the County’s contribution would remain at $1,250,000. The ASCMV’s budget for the fiscal year 2021 will not be amended until after the City Council acts on this resolution, if at all.
Also, at Monday’s meeting the council will discuss and consider a proposed ordinance authorizing the issuance and sale of a remaining $17,600,000 in City of Las Cruces tax-exempt General Obligation (GO) Improvement Bonds, Series 2020. In August 2018, City voters approved $35.6 million in General Obligation bonds and $18 million of the bonds were sold in 2019.
The GO bonds approved by the voters will be used to construct improvements to City parks, including sports fields and other related facilities; a new animal shelter facility and related improvements; replacement of a City fire station on Valley Drive; and for improvements to recreational walking, jogging, and biking trails, including the acquisition of necessary land.
With this issuance of GO bonds, there will be no remaining authority to issue bonds as approved by voters in 2018.
The full agenda for Monday’s council meeting can be accessed here.
City of Las Cruces news releases are also available on the home page of the City website at las-cruces.org under News & Announcements.
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