The Las Cruces City Council adopted a Resolution approving a $515.4 million budget for City government’s 2022-2023 fiscal year.
City Council’s approval came at its Monday, May 16, 2022 regular meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
The proposed budget is a 9 percent decrease from the City’s revised budget of $565.5 million for the current 2022 fiscal year. The City’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget includes a 3.5 percent salary increase for unrepresented, non-union City employees, a .5 percent increase in state Public Employee Retirement Association benefits, and a 4 percent increase in healthcare and dental benefits for employees.
The budget also will include the establishment of “Lift Up Las Cruces,” a multi-departmental effort by the City to combine resources to improve neighborhoods one at a time. “Lift Up Las Cruces” identifies needs or concerns within a neighborhood and will allow the City to focus the resources in one place to make a larger impact.
Fiscal Year 2023 City budget changes include an increase in General Fund expenditures to $130.1 from $118.1 million allocated in the City’s revised 2022 fiscal year budget. The Vehicle Acquisition Fund has budgeted $1.5 million in Fiscal Year 2023 as the City begins conversion of its fleet to electric vehicles
The City’s 2023 Fiscal Year General Fund budget also allocates $87.7 million for personnel costs, $37.1 million for operating expenses, and $5.3 million for capital expenses.
The 2022-2023 fiscal year budget will be filed with the State of New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration by June 1, 2022 for approval, as required by state law.
Additionally, City Council adopted a Resolution approving the City’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Fiscal Year 2023 through Fiscal Year 2028. The CIP is a six-year program that identifies the city’s infrastructure and capital funding, and funding needs.
There will be $1.16 million in Newly Funded CIP projects which will include: $500,000 for downtown parking lot renovations; $200,000 for facilities parking lot renovations; $125,000 for the pavement maintenance program at Las Cruces International Airport; $100,000 for downtown callecitas shade structures; $85,000 for the first phase of improvements to be made at Meerscheidt Recreation Center; $75,000 for exterior repairs at the Juvenile Citation Program Learning Center; and $75,000 for a dehumidifier and heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements at the Las Cruces Regional Aquatic Center.