Las Cruces City Council Meeting – February 2, 2026
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Las Cruces City Council Meeting – February 2, 2026
On Monday, February 2, 2026, at approximately 1 p.m., Mayor Eric Henriquez convened the regular City Council meeting. The meeting included presentations of jobs and pets of the week, public comments on various topics, and action on several resolutions and ordinances. The council voted to terminate a project participation agreement with 828 Productions and approved amendments to the police service aides ordinance, among other items.
Jobs of the Week & Pets of the Week
- Sarah Rainey (One-Stop Coordinator for America's Job Center) announced job openings including a permit technician, library manager, and others. Upcoming events included a job core meet and greet and a mentor opportunity for local juniors/seniors.
- Carol Nelson (Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley) highlighted dog Willow, a red-zone animal at risk of euthanasia, and provided adoption statistics for long-term residents. Upcoming events: a Posen Bruce event and a drive-thru clinic.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Lynn Moore criticized the city’s noncompliance with the federal lead and copper rule, arguing that the city improperly classified high-value properties (e.g., $300,000–$670,000) as disadvantaged while older, lower-value properties remain uninspected. He provided examples of incorrect piping installation dates and urged prioritizing truly disadvantaged areas.
- Juan Garcia spoke about personal responsibility, citing recent incidents and criticizing immigration enforcement and proposed legislation like the Immigrant Safety Act.
- Tommy Black defended Chief Story and called for community collaboration to support youth, urging citizens to stop complaining and work together.
- Yoli Diaz read from a 2024 public input statement, reiterating requests to address hospital access at Memorial Medical Center and to create a joint powers agreement with Doña Ana County for health oversight. She also addressed Vision Zero goals, quoting an MPO staffer who said the state avoids setting zero-fatality targets due to fear of punitive sanctions.
- Jim Hurst defended the human right to migration, criticizing immigration enforcement actions.
- Tim Jenkins thanked the council for park ranger hiring and expressed concerns about safety issues related to the homeless population, advocating for a hand-up rather than hand-outs.
- Chris Apadaka (former child actor and talent agent) stated he has connections in Hollywood and proposed bringing TV/film productions to Las Cruces, but noted lack of paying opportunities.
- Fred Huff suggested that if the 828 Productions project fails, the city should consider using the Amador property for homeless services.
- Several additional speakers (Candice Nanco, Kathleen Ruiz, Gerard Munoz, Derek Pacheco) spoke either in support of or against 828 Productions, with some praising the company’s job retention and others alleging mismanagement and blight.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 26-099 (Strategic Plan Update): Authorized a $145,000 contract with Single Space Strategies of Albuquerque to update the city’s strategic plan over 12 months. Councilor Curran asked about the relationship to community development. Passed unanimously (6-0-1, Councilor Bencomo abstained).
- Resolution 26-100 (Grant Awards): Accepted three grants: $1.28 million for Animal Services Center kennel repairs, ~$380,000 for the Mesilla Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization, and a $95,000 increase for the HIDA grant (police). Passed unanimously.
- Resolution 26-101 (CIP Amendments): Approved amendments to the Capital Improvement Program, including $43,000 for skate park improvements, $1.1 million for playground renovations, $2.5 million for gas development, $15 million for water projects (lead and copper), and $16 million for wastewater projects. Also corrected $445,000 for the Museum of Natural Arts and Science to fund upgrades to the nature center. Passed unanimously.
- Council Bill 26-014 (Police Service Aides): Amended ordinance to allow police service aides to issue citations for minor traffic crashes (up to minor injury) without arrest authority. Rationale: reduce strain on commissioned officers and improve efficiency. Councillor Matisse asked about speed camera enforcement; Chief Story confirmed state law requires commissioned officers. Passed unanimously.
- Council Bill 26-015 (Termination of PPA with 828 Productions): Extensive discussion. City staff (Elizabeth Teters) detailed concerns about misaligned expenditures, lack of documentation, and missed benchmarks. The city had disbursed ~$1.8 million of its own funds plus $3 million in state money. Staff identified two clawback grounds: a 10% clawback for late economic impact analysis and 100% for facility closure ($1.3 million total). 828’s attorney (Joseph Dwarak) argued the company faced industry-wide challenges (strikes, 40% production drop) and had achieved significant local spending (over $100 million in production). 828’s CEO Todd Lundbaum and employees defended the company’s progress and job retention. Public comment included both support (e.g., Gerard Munoz citing local hiring) and criticism (e.g., Derek Pacheco alleging blight and misrepresentation). After debate, the council voted 6-1 to approve termination and authorize staff to seek clawbacks. Councilor Matisse voted no.
- Board Appointment: James Bentley appointed to the Veterans Advisory Board (unanimous).
- Notice of Proposed Ordinance: Introduced ordinance amending Chapter 2 regarding the Veterans Advisory Board (no vote taken).
Key Outcomes
- Approved Resolution 26-099 (Strategic Plan) 6-0-1.
- Approved Resolution 26-100 (Grant Awards) 6-0.
- Approved Resolution 26-101 (CIP Amendments) 6-0.
- Approved Ordinance 3106 (Police Service Aides) 6-0.
- Approved Ordinance 3107 (Termination of 828 Productions PPA) 6-1 (Matisse dissenting). Authorized staff to seek clawbacks of approximately $1.3 million.
- Appointed James Bentley to the Veterans Advisory Board.
- Council members announced budget retreat outcomes, youth engagement, and upcoming City Day in Santa Fe. Staff reported on park enhancements, street improvements, and new visitor guides.
Meeting Transcript
You're live. Good afternoon. Welcome to City Council. Today is Monday, February 2nd, 2026. It's approximately 1 p.m. I'm Mayor Eric Henriquez. Before we start, I want to mention that we have the ASL American Sign Language up in the front and interpreters available. They're here at every regular council meeting. Council McClure, if you'll lead us in the pledge here. So there are no presentations or proclamations today. We'll start with jobs of the week, Sarah Rainey. Thank you, Mayor and Council. My name is Sarah Rainey. I'm the one-stop coordinator for the Southwest Region of America's Job Center. For jobs of the week this week, we have a permit technician starting for the city of Las Cruces starting at 1877. It closes on the 9th. We also have a library manager for support services for the city starting at 60,000, and that one closes on the 9th as well. We have for Pinnacle Institution an institution liaison and receptionist. We have an account supervisor for La Clinica de Familia, starting at 90,000 and that one closes on the 20th. Starting at 30,000 and that one closes on the 20th. An animal control officer for Donana County, and that one starts at 16 and closes on the 19th. Also, just to let everyone know, today we actually have an onboarding for all subs in our office. So feel free, anybody can stop by and get more information on the all subs opportunities. On the 10th, in our office, we have the job core meet and greet. If anybody's interested in the job core program out of Roswell, that um the representatives will be there on the 10th in our office. That is the farm worker program. Um we have more information on the farm worker program for those that are out there in the fields working hard. Um we have information for support services for them. That one will be going on, like I said, in hatch. And then we have an employer in office meet and greet. That's for all employers that are looking for employees. You can come and you can sit in our office and meet the potential job placements there. Um and then anybody looking for a position can come in and meet the employers. And again, just another plug for the mocket tell you rocket. I know it's a little bit early because that one starts, that one is in March, but we're still looking for volunteers to do interviews. Um if anybody's interested in being a part of that, it's for our local juniors and seniors, just being um mentors for them and showing them how interviews go. So if you'd like to volunteer and be a mentor and do some interviews with our kiddos, um, you can sign up on EmployeeNM. And again, all of our information's on Employee and M. Anybody can scan the QR code and make it to all of our social medias as well. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Sarah. And on that uh interview and mentors, uh, what what time is that exactly? That one's gonna go on from nine to two. Because we're gonna try to get all of our juniors and seniors across the county there. Okay. Thank you. But you can also, I do want to mention you can also sign up in shifts. So if you want to do like a morning shift or an afternoon shift, and that's better, that's fine. We have some people that are able to stay all day, so it's up to you. Okay.
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