Las Cruces City Council Meeting - August 18, 2025
Las Cruces City Council Meeting - August 18, 2025
On Monday, August 18, 2025, at approximately 1:00 PM, the Las Cruces City Council met under the leadership of Mayor Eric Enriquez. The meeting included presentations, public comments, and action on several resolutions, including opioid settlement funding, a nuisance abatement, and professional service agreements. The council also heard a closed session statement and received updates on utility lead and copper compliance.
Presentations & Recognitions
- The council recognized the NM Texas Majors baseball team for an undefeated championship victory in Cooperstown, New York. Coach Sal Gomez highlighted the team's achievement as the first New Mexico-based team to win the tournament and the first to include a female player.
- Sarah Rainey, One Stop Coordinator, presented Jobs of the Week, including a City of Las Cruces Employee Assistance Program Coordinator at $66,000/year, a Deputy Director for Utilities Engineering, an Energy Engineer at $89,000/year, and other positions.
- Carol from the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley (ASCMV) presented Pets of the Week, noting that all adoptions are free for August and promoting upcoming adoption events.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lynn Morer criticized the city's lead and copper rule compliance, stating that the city's inspection technique (looking only in the meter box) does not meet EPA guidance, and that the city falsely characterized 28% of sampled properties as non-lead based on installation dates after the 1986 lead ban when they were actually prior. She noted the city's online inventory was recently removed, calling it a violation.
- Liz Rodriguez Johnson outlined additional problems with the city's pipe classification, arguing that "water sampling only with no records" and "field inspection only with no records" are not evidence-based and do not comply with EPA requirements.
- Loniman Gumpy urged parents to steer children away from gang life and expressed concern about anti-police sentiment, calling for stronger laws to deter crime.
- Lucas Herndon (District 2 resident) defended free speech and criticized the city's allocation of resources to police versus direct community aid.
- Jim Hurst raised issues with voting by mail and the state's online portal not functioning, and demanded action on crime and mental illness, expressing embarrassment about the city's condition.
- Doris Buchmann (resident of 422 East May Ave) requested a police camera on her street to address drug dealing and other criminal activity, citing a previous camera's effectiveness.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 26-025: Opioid Settlement Funding Strategy – Barbara Bencomo presented a two-year strategy to allocate 30% of the city's expected $10 million in opioid settlement funds (approx. $2.9 million). The framework includes medication-assisted treatment, warm handoff/recovery services, prevention programs, and data collection. The proposal allocates 60% to treatment and 40% to prevention, with $327,000 set aside for administration and evaluation. The council discussed the role of the advisory council, a potential naloxone distribution center, and the evidence-based "Keeping It Real" prevention program for schools. The resolution passed unanimously (6-0, with Councilor Flores absent).
- Resolution 26-026: Nuisance Abatement at 414 East May Ave – Chris Favor (Community Development) presented the case for demolishing a condemned historic adobe structure built in 1915, unoccupied since the 1980s, with no legal owner. The structure poses safety risks, has been a site for fires and crime, and is attached to a neighboring historic property. The Historic Preservation Committee recommended demolition with material salvage. The resolution passed unanimously (6-0).
- Resolution 26-027: Professional Services Agreement for Downtown Master Plan Phase 3 – Greg Gonzalez presented the award to Placemakers LLC (Albuquerque) for $199,875 for a one-year update to the downtown master plan. Sole source procurement was justified to avoid duplication. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-028: Contract with Advanced Network Management – Alicia Zamora Morales presented a $250,000 contract for Cisco telephone system license renewals, utilizing the New Mexico State Price Division agreement. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-029: Security Guard Services Contracts – Donnie Procise presented the award of combined armed and unarmed guard services to Security Concepts Inc. and Transcending Tactical LLC, for up to $3 million annually over five years. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Board Appointments – The council approved appointments to the Veterans Advisory Board (James Ashby, Luke Keith, Daniel Ashbach, Sam Bothern) and read into the record appointments by councilors to other boards.
- Council Reports & Comments – Councilors thanked the police department for a realistic training event, highlighted the new community school at Sunrise Elementary, noted a search for the ASCMV executive director, and discussed traffic calming concerns, especially on Lohman Avenue and Karen Avenue. The mayor expressed interest in exploring a minor league baseball team for Las Cruces.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 26-025 (Opioid Settlement Funding) – Approved 6-0.
- Resolution 26-026 (Nuisance Abatement at 414 East May Ave) – Approved 6-0.
- Resolution 26-027 (Downtown Master Plan Phase 3) – Approved 6-0.
- Resolution 26-028 (Network Management Contract) – Approved 6-0.
- Resolution 26-029 (Security Guard Services) – Approved 6-0.
- Board appointments: James Ashby, Luke Keith, Daniel Ashbach, and Sam Bothern to the Veterans Advisory Board – Approved 6-0.
- The council also noted a closed session earlier in the day (10:44 AM) to discuss opioid litigation and pending lawsuits.
City Manager Updates
- The city received the GFOA Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for FY 2024.
- Communications staff are finalists for six Natoa awards.
- Las Cruces was nominated for USA Today's 10 Best Cities to Visit for Fall.
- Assistant Utilities Director Carl Clark provided an update on lead and copper rule compliance, stating that the city's methods are approved by the New Mexico Environment Division and EPA, and that the inventory will now be updated annually rather than continuously to reduce confusion. He also noted that a consultant will be hired to conduct a full inventory using grant funds.
Meeting Transcript
Your life. Good afternoon. Welcome to City Council meeting. Today is Monday, August 18th, 2025. It's approximately one PM. I am Mayor Eric Enriquez. Before we start, I want to mention that we have. Do we have them today? I don't see them. The American Sign Language. I don't see them here today. Okay, they're not here today. So if you all rise and join me, we'll start with a moment of silence for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Force as they protect our interests, and as well as the courageous men and women of the Las Cruces and Police Department who keep our city safe twenty-four-seven three sixty-five. Please join me in the pledge. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. So the first item is presentations of certificates and proclamations. So we first want to recognize with a certificate of excellence to certify proudly presented to the New Mexico, Texas major baseball team in honor of their outstanding performance and recognition of their high standards of excellence. This certificate is issued in recognition of civic interest and of expression of appreciation by the mayor on behalf of the citizens of the city of Las Cruces, dated this eighteenth day of August, twenty twenty five. So I have a list of players here. The team showed great sportsmanship, determination, and gave up in reaching their goal of playing hard and winning this tournament. And we wanted to recognize them and congratulate them for their huge accomplishment and their undefeated championship victory. So congratulations to you, coach, and to all the players. I'll give the coach a minute to say a few words, but let's give him another big hand. All right, guys, hi there. My name's Sal Gomez. I'm the head coach of the NM Texas Majors. Um, I mean, to put it in perspective, we we set a goal to be one of the first New Mexico based teams to travel to Cooperstown, New York, and you know we we set a goal and expectation to let's finish in the top ten. And all of a sudden, our first two game two pool play games, one both of those. Next two won both of those. Next two won both of those. We're sitting six and oh in pool play, watching uh a national team called ZT Prospects, and say, all right, we're tired for run differential, and they ended up allowing a couple more runs, what put us in the first place seat. And when I found out that there's never been a number one first seed to win the tournament, I was like, oh no, I don't want to be number one thief. Uh but you know, these boys and lady did not let that phase them. Um we opened up with bracket play, and we there was a couple of times we were down, but I just told them, hey, I and I preached to them. I I've been coaching the majority of these kids since they were four and seven years old. So we've been together for a while. And uh, but every time we were down, I just told them, hey, baseball's like life. Sometimes it's gonna beat you down, sometimes it's gonna put you down, but you got one choice, and it's the battle back. And out of those two games that we're battling from the back, we came back and took it down. So it was such an amazing experience for the team for the family members to go and experience. Uh, they've all said it, it's nothing there isn't nothing like it out there, you know. So I'm proud to bring it home to New Mexico in Las Cruces and represent it just like how we said we set four records total. Number no, there's never been a number one seed to win it, never a team to go undefeated and win it. There's never been a girl on a baseball team to go and win it. And what was the last one, guys? Come on. No number one seed. First New Mexico team. Come on.
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