The Las Cruces City Council adopted a Resolution approving an amendment to an agreement between the City and Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH) for the Mano y Mano Day Labor program.
City Council adoption of the Resolution was at the Tuesday, July 5, 2022 regular meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St.
The program will ensure that people experiencing homelessness are connected with services and referrals while also reducing negative impacts that occur in the community.
The Resolution allows City staff to amend the agreement between the City and MVCH to be executed by the City Manager on the City’s behalf. The Resolution authorizes a $93,000 budget adjustment to the City’s adopted Fiscal Year 2023 budget to cover costs of the program’s expansion.
Mano y Mano is a public health and safety initiative that provides employment and social service opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, near-homelessness, and housing insecurity in Las Cruces. Mano y Mano day laborers currently assist the City with landscape beautification, garbage removal, and other tasks on City property.
The Council agreed the program has been successful. Due to that, MVCH and City staff will acquire an additional truck that will be deployed to homeless encampments that have been identified as “hot spots” in the City. The hot spots include encampments on El Paseo Road, Idaho Avenue, West Picacho, and at several canals in Las Cruces.
The new truck and its crew, as well as the two vans already in operation, will work with various City departments, including Parks and Recreation, Codes Enforcement and the Las Cruces Police Department. The truck crew will focus its operations and services through constituent referrals. Additionally, the crew will utilize as many as five passengers, including a driver, a person who will spearhead street outreach, and as many as three-day laborers who will each be paid $12 an hour.
Additionally at Tuesday’s meeting, City Council adopted a Resolution approving the City’s Fiscal Year 2023 Internal Audit Plan. The Resolution was on the Consent Agenda.
The City’s Internal Audit Office has prepared a risk-based Internal Audit Plan for Fiscal Year 2023. The Annual Internal Audit Plan outlines the activities that are expected to be performed by the Internal Audit Office during the fiscal year. The annual audit plan must be approved by City Council Resolution.
Institute of Internal Auditor (IIA) standards require that internal auditors develop an audit plan based on risk exposures that are assessed at least annually. City government’s audit universe is a subjective assessment of auditable areas, which is comprised of 13 departments and several key sections and partnering agencies.
Risk factors that are measured include: management interest/management risk; budget risk; strategic risk; reputational risk; compliance risk; legal claims; the time last an internal audit was conducted; changes in management; and cash and inventory controls.
An annual risk assessment survey was completed by City Management in May 2022 and potential audit topics resulting from the survey were gathered for discussion with the City Manager’s Office and the City’s Oversight Committee. The process of preparing the annual Internal Audit plan included an evaluation of those areas within the audit universe considered to be the most important by management and ensuring that activities with the greatest risk are audited to the extent that Internal Audit resources allow.