The Las Cruces City Council will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 24, 2022, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St., first as the Tax Increment Development District Board of Commissioners and then for a Council work session.
As the Tax Increment Development District, the board will receive updates on the financial status of the TIDD followed by an update on current projects. The agenda for the TIDD Board Meeting is available online at https://lascruces.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=347.
After a brief pause, City Council will convene for a work session. The Council will discuss homelessness in Las Cruces. The discussion will focus on the growing number of individuals experiencing homelessness locally and across the U.S.
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 New Mexicans are experiencing homelessness in New Mexico each year. The New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness estimates approximately 6,548 people experience homelessness each year but do not get adequate assistance to help resolve the situation.
City staff and partners will provide a presentation that will define homelessness, overarching policy solutions, existing local resources, and recommendations on how the Council can assist efforts to reduce homelessness in Las Cruces.
Also, City Council will receive a progress report on “Realize Las Cruces.” In March 2021, the City contracted with Freese and Nichols, Inc., (F&N) for a project to amend the City’s Development Codes. The project is called “Realize Las Cruces.” The project is anticipated to take two years to complete and consists of three phases.
The first phase, which has been completed, consisted of code user interviews, a virtual open house, and the gathering, review, and analysis of applicable codes and policies. A resulting deliverable for Phase One was the Code Diagnostic which outlined structural modifications to the existing code and recommended various content changes. The findings of that report were shared in August 2021 with City Council.
Phase Two of “Realize Las Cruces,” which is currently underway, consists of the drafting and initial review of individual chapters of the code. City staff and F&N consultants will update City Council on Monday of the progress thus far and the next steps.
Additionally, Bryan Baker, Director of the Dona Ana County Detention Center, will provide a presentation on prisoner care at the jail to City Council. The overview will include Detention Center operations, the roles of jail leadership and staff, housing and capacity, services offered, the jail’s environment and the scope of medical and mental health services available.
The agenda for Monday’s City Council work session is available online at https://lascruces.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=378.
Monday’s TIDD Board Meeting and City Council work session will be televised live on CLC-TV, Comcast Cable channel 20, and in high definition on Comcast Cable channel 928. The TIDD Board meeting and Council work session also will be available online at cictv.com and at YouTube.com/clctv20.
Prior to the TIDD Board meeting and Council work session, City Council will conduct a Closed Meeting at 11 a.m. at City Hall. The Council will discuss pending litigation.