City of Las Cruces Work Session on Active Transportation, Cultural Properties, and GO Bond - May 11, 2026
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City of Las Cruces Work Session
Overview
On Monday, May 11, 2026, at approximately 1:00 PM, the Las Cruces City Council held a work session chaired by Mayor Eric Enriquez. The meeting included presentations and discussions on the Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero, the establishment of the City of Las Cruces Register of Cultural Properties, and proposed options for the 2026 General Obligation Bond. Council members present included McClure, Matisse, Harris, Bencomo, Coran, and Munios. Councillor Bencomo attended via Zoom after a unanimous motion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jennifer Cry, a community member and library user, spoke in favor of the library expansion and renovation project. She noted that over 170,000 people have accessed the library in the current fiscal year (online and in person) and recited poems urging support for the project. Council thanked her for her testimony.
Discussion Items
1. Active Transportation Plan & Vision Zero
Presenters: Kyle Arn (Interim Public Works Director), Vanessa Morales (Interim Engineering Manager), and Brent Crowt (Kimley Horn).
- Overview of ongoing active transportation coordination with stakeholders (Parks & Rec, LCPS, DOT, NMSU, MPO).
- Vision Zero: a strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. National and state trends show elevated fatalities post-COVID; New Mexico DOT adopted "Target Zero New Mexico."
- Data: In Las Cruces, 22% of alcohol-involved crashes resulted in a fatality; 30% of drug-involved crashes resulted in a fatality; nearly half of pedestrian-involved crashes resulted in a fatality. Maps show high-crash corridors like Lohman and Telshor.
- Safe System Approach focuses on reducing kinetic energy (e.g., speed management, roundabouts). Example: A pedestrian hit at 50 mph has a 75% fatality rate; at 23 mph, 10%.
- Council comments: Councillor Matisse emphasized coordinating with law enforcement and judges on repeat offenders and speeding on Telshor near Memorial Medical Center. Councillor Harris supported design changes (narrower lanes, stop signs) and noted cost savings. Councillor McClure highlighted MPO data collaboration. Councillor Coran noted historical design inequities and urged immediate low-cost actions (e.g., signage, paint). Councillor Bencomo called for reframing crash reporting from "pedestrian error" to predictable and preventable factors.
- No formal action was taken; the Safety Action Plan is under development through the Safe Streets for All grant.
2. City of Las Cruces Register of Cultural Properties
Presenter: Caitlin Beasley (Historic Preservation Specialist).
- The register, established via ordinance (2019-2021), is part of the city's Certified Local Government status.
- Properties can be nominated under criteria: A (events), B (persons), C (architecture), D (archaeology). Owner consent is required.
- The inaugural nominees will come before Council next month; no properties are currently listed.
- Council reactions: General support. Councillor Harris asked about age eligibility (50-year rule of thumb). Councillor Coran praised the work and noted the absence of a city register previously. Councillor Bencomo appreciated the equity lens. No formal vote.
3. 2026 General Obligation Bond
Presenter: Cynthia Lamillo (Capital Improvements Program Manager).
- The city has $26 million in bond capacity for the next cycle, to be approved by voters in November 2026.
- Three options were presented:
- Option 1: Allocate full $26M to library expansion and renovation (Phase 1 and 2). Additional $9.3M from other sources totals $35.3M; project shovel-ready by end of 2026.
- Option 2: Split: $16M for library Phase 1 (new entrance, atrium, first floor) and $10M for multi-use gymnasiums (land, site prep).
- Option 3: Split: $16M for library Phase 1 and $10M for general park improvements (e.g., Young Park, playground replacements).
- Council discussion: All seven council members present expressed strong support for Option 1. Mayor Enriquez emphasized the city's track record of completing GO bond projects (2018, 2020 cycles) and the importance of trust and accountability. Councillor McClure noted the library's role in democracy and workforce development. Councillor Matisse supported option one but flagged the need for recreation facilities. Councillor Coran highlighted the symbolic power of a single high-impact project. Councillor Bencomo appreciated staff's options reflecting community needs. Mayor Pro Tempore praised library staff and Friends of the Library.
- Public comment from Jennifer Cry reiterated high library usage.
Key Outcomes
- Consensus on GO Bond Option 1: Council unanimously supported allocating the entire $26 million to the library expansion and renovation project. Staff will refine ballot language and return with a resolution for adoption at the July 20, 2026 City Council meeting to meet the August 25 deadline for the November 3 general election.
- Active Transportation & Vision Zero: No formal decision; staff will continue developing the Safety Action Plan and will report back. Council requested prioritization of low-cost, quick-win safety improvements and improved crash reporting.
- Register of Cultural Properties: No vote taken; inaugural nominations will be presented at a future meeting.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned unanimously at approximately 2:45 PM.
Meeting Transcript
You're live. Thank you. Well, good afternoon. Welcome to the work session. Today is Monday, May 11th, two thousand twenty-six. It's approximately one PM. I'm Mayor Eric Enriquez. We will start with a moment of silence for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces that protect our interests around the globe as well as the courageous men and women of the Las Cruzes Police and Fire Department. One nation undergo this with liberty and justice for all. Okay, we have three items on our agenda today, but before we get started, we need a motion and a second to allow counselor Bencomo to attend via Zoom. So moved. Second. This is on the motion to allow Councillor Bencomo to attend via Zoom. Counselor McClur. Yes. Counselor Matisse. Yes. Counselor Harris? Yes. Counselor Bencomo? Yes. Counselor Coran? Yes. Counselor Munios? Yes. Mayor? Yes. Okay, so item number one on the agenda is active transportation. Kyle. Mayor, Council, good afternoon. For the record, my name is Kyle Arn, your interim public works director. What you have here today is a presentation on where we're at with the active transportation plan, as well as some discussion about vision zero, which you have patiently waited for us to bring to your attention. With that, I will introduce Vanessa Morales from Merrill, the engineering manager, and she's going to introduce the rest of the team. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council. Today I'll be giving a brief overview of our active transportation team, our coordination efforts, and then we'll as well be going over Vision Zero. Our active transportation team within public works consists of myself, Vanessa Morales Romero. I'm currently the interim engineering and serving manager. Oscar Carrero is our main point of contact. So anything after transportation goes to him, and he routes it all to the rest of us. He's an engineer with Public Works. And then we also have Jeremy Varela, he's an associate engineer with Public Works. And he also sits on many of the meetings that we have. Natasha Bailey, who is not here today, is a senior engineer with Public Works as well. She's the project manager for our Safe Streets for All Grant. And just to go over some of the coordinate coordination efforts that we have, Parks and Rec and Community Development. We work with them monthly. We have monthly sitting meetings with them where we go over, you know, our different projects and how they align. We also have quarterly meetings with Las Cruces Public Schools and the DOT. Any DOT projects within city limits, they provide those to us and we review those, as well as the county and NMSU and the DOT. Those are all stakeholders in many of our major projects, providing input, and so we align a lot of revisions.
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