Las Cruces City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026
Las Cruces City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026
The Las Cruces City Council met on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, beginning at approximately 1 PM, with Mayor Eric Enriquez presiding. The meeting included presentations, public comments, and unanimous approval of several resolutions related to financial audits, budget adjustments, capital improvements, and affordable housing. Key public concerns centered on surveillance technology, lead and copper rule compliance, homelessness, and public safety.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jason Smith urged the city to remove all Flock Safety ALPR cameras and cancel the contract, citing a 10% error rate, privacy violations, and a $1.9 million settlement in Aurora, Colorado.
- Lynn Morrer presented evidence that the city’s lead and copper rule compliance records are inconsistent, stating that only 26% of inspections the week of November 2–8 were at disadvantaged properties, and that inventory records for a 110-property mobile home community on Spruce Avenue fail to match city spreadsheets.
- Liz Rodriguez Johnson continued the analysis, noting that for 220 properties on West Hadley, inventory records do not match the spreadsheet; additionally, 44 properties are missing from the spreadsheet, and newer subdivisions on Silerado Loop and Blue Stem Street have inaccurate installation dates of 1936.
- A resident expressed concerns about illegal encampments at Burn Lake, reporting that after police and park rangers removed most of them, they are reappearing; he called for a designated location for the homeless and a public camping ordinance.
- Another speaker discussed medical malpractice reform, criticizing dark money groups and capping attorney fees, and urged the city to support Think New Mexico’s proposals.
- A speaker described a seed bank project for youth mentorship and asked for city support.
- Lucy Silva and Fred Miller separately opposed Flock Safety, arguing the cameras share data with ICE and that the contract should be canceled; Mr. Miller also urged the city to prevent Flock from moving cameras to private property.
- Donna Stryker thanked the police department for a recent town hall on juvenile crime and requested more transparency in the budget.
- Another resident thanked the police department for their service and expressed support.
- A final speaker raised concerns about protocols for using city hall facilities, liability insurance requirements for groups, and criticized national political figures.
Discussion Items
- Sister Cities Presentation: Tim Chapel and Councilor Cassie McClure presented a trip to sister city Lerdo, Mexico (November 14–17, 2025), highlighting cultural exchanges, a reaffirmed partnership agreement, and a plaque exchange.
- Jobs of the Week: Sarah Rainey listed current job openings, including a Grant Development Specialist ($49,000), 911 Call Taker ($20.25/hour), and heavy equipment operator ($32/hour).
- Closed Meeting Statement: The council met in closed session at 11:01 AM on January 20 to discuss real estate and pending litigation in Paris, Benya Lee v. City of Las Cruces.
- Resolution 26-094 (Craft Distillery License): Approved unanimously after a public hearing with no testimony.
- Resolution 26-095 (Annual Comprehensive Financial Report): The city received an unmodified opinion from external auditor Jesse Olivar (PBNH). Two audit findings were noted: internal controls over cash receipts at South Central Solid Waste Authority (approximately $100,000 in voided transactions) and use of premium fuel in 11 out of 25 tested transactions totaling $494.83. The resolution passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-096 (Budget Adjustments): Adjustments included increasing general fund revenues by $9.8 million, reducing transfers by $4.2 million, and reallocating utility environmental gross receipts tax. Approved unanimously.
- Resolution 26-097 (Capital Improvement Program Amendments): Included increases for Fire Station 4 remodel ($741,000), electric buses ($6.5 million), stormwater mapping ($100,000), and Sacramento Street reconstruction ($1.5 million). Completed projects highlighted: Fire Station 4 re-roof, Station 6 roof repair, Station 5 generator upgrade, and Station 2 bay remodel. Also included $1 million in capital outlay for Paseos Verdes housing and $8 million for a Mobile Integrated Health building. Approved unanimously.
- Resolution 26-098 (Pre-commitment for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit): Pre-committed up to $500,000 in impact fee and permit fee waivers for Golden Sands at Mesilla Valley, a 60-unit senior affordable housing project on Bataan Memorial West. The developer is TWG Development. The commitment leverages $18 million in private investment. Approved unanimously.
- Board Appointments: Councilor Kurran appointed Nancy Claypool to the Library Board; Mayor Enriquez appointed to the Community Schools Board; Councilor Harris appointed to the Transit Board.
- Notices of Proposed Ordinances: Council Bill 26-014 amends police service aides code; Council Bill 26-015 terminates a participation agreement with 828 Productions; both were brought forward.
- Council Member Reports: Councilors discussed concerns about Flock Safety and cybersecurity, the city’s budget retreat (scheduled for next Wednesday), utility employee appreciation, NAACP Dr. King luncheon, recognition of Las Cruces in APA zoning report, and the success of the Balloon Rally.
- City Manager Announcements: Las Cruces was named a top ten film town for the fourth year; a Parks and Recreation dual meet between NMSU and UNM will occur on January 31 from 8 AM to 2 PM; LCPD and Mesilla Valley Community of Hope are working to transition unhoused neighbors from Burn Lake to Camp Hope.
Key Outcomes
- All four resolutions (26-094, 26-095, 26-096, 26-097, 26-098) were approved unanimously by the council.
- Board appointments were made as presented.
- Two ordinances were introduced for future consideration.
- The meeting adjourned after a motion approved unanimously.
Meeting Transcript
Your life. Well, good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to City Council meeting. Today is Tuesday, January 20th, 2026. It's approximately 1 PM. I'm Mayor Eric Enriquez. Before we start, I want to mention that we have the American Sign Language Interpreters up front and available at every regular city council meeting. If you please join me in the pledge, I pledge allegiance to the flag, the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God and produce the law with liberty and justice for all. So anyone from the Catholic schools that want to come up and join me. It is an honor for us to know that our efforts as students are seen and often appreciated beyond our school walls. Thank you again for taking the time and support our recognized. Thank you again for taking the time to support and recognize our school and for your continued dedication to our city and its families. We are very grateful for this proclamation and the opportunity to be part of such a supportive community. Thank you and have a wonderful day. All right, again, thank you all. Thank you for being here and attending this proclamation, and we wish you all a great week. Thanks. Next, we have a presentation from our sister cities, and Katrina will come up and do the introductions. Community engagement is also the city liaison to the Sister Cities Foundation. Today, our Las Cruz's sister cities will be doing a presentation to mayor and council regarding a trip that uh Sister Cities and our counselor Cassie McClure took to our sister city Lerdo, Mexico. Um of our sister cities members that are in audience are Tim Chapel. He's the chairman of Lerdo Affiliation Committee. He's going to be doing the presentation. Cassie McClare, our city counselor, she attended the Lerdo Delegation to Lerdo. Uh Mr. Ron Burunda, he's the vice president. Also members, um Elaine McKinney, Hale Huber, Gabby Buckman, Joni Newcomer. Thank you. And you say this. Oh good afternoon. Um mayor and uh council members. Um let's see, here is their first slide. Um thank you for the introductory, Katrina. Let me start off here. First, I'm gonna talk about what Sister Cities is because I know some of you are are new to City Council, and I just want to give a brief rundown of what we do. We had an exchange, and we went um I'm gonna talk about that in just a second, too. Um in 1956, President Um Eisenhower started Sister Cities after going through two world wars and realizing that governments are not the best at making peace. Um he started Sister Cities International to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation. One individual, one community at a time, sort of created what we call citizen diplomats. Okay. Um, Las Cruz's sister cities, we have two, one in Lerdo, Mexico, which we actually formalized in 1982 and then Nienburg, Germany, which we did in 1993. Um Las Cruz's Sister Cities Foundation is a 501 C3. Um nonprofit, so if anybody wants to donate, you can write it off on your taxes. Um if you're not familiar, Lerdo is part of the Tri-Cities area down in Mexico with Torreon Gomez, Palacio, and Lerlo. It's about 550 miles as the bus flies. And uh you can see here from the picture, it's it's down there. Um beautiful spot. It's in the southern part of the Chihuahuan Desert, just like we're in the northern part. Um, the fourteenth to the seventeenth of November. Fourteenth was a travel day, and seventeenth was a travel day, so we're actually there for about two days.
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