News New Mexico - City Council Summary

News New Mexico offers a summary of the City Council work session meeting held on Monday, July 12, 2010.
Councilor Silva was not present.
1. The Mayor held a moment of silence for those who were killed in Albuquerque earlier in the day.
2. The pet of the week was presented.
3. The Council and Staff had reduced the Capital Improvements Project list from $480 million to $113 million.
· The goal is to develop a 10 year CIP strategy.
· The State has authorized the City the option to increase the GRT by ¼%. This does not require voter approval, just approval by council.
· The provisions of Change order Resolution passed in 1993 are still valid.
4. The City will meet with AARP to conduct a City wide pedestrian study. New Mexico is number 4 in the nation in pedestrian accidents. They are planning for the study to be conducted in the September-October time frame.
5. Impact fees: Brian Denmark, City Director of Parks and Recreation made a presentation on impact fees.
· He wants direction from the Council on how to develop and maintain City parks.
· Current impact fees are $800 per new lot and changes to this have to go through the Capital Improvements Advisory Committee (CIAC).
· He pointed out that some of the new parks (i.e. Desert Trails) have only completed Phase I and do not have the funds to complete Phase II or beyond.
· He anticipates a realistic impact fee should be $2000 per lot but understands the adverse impact this has on affordable housing.
· One option is to require the developer to completely build the park when they complete the development.
· One of the significant issues is that impact fees cannot cover ongoing and future maintenance of the park. This requires funding from the City budget.
· The Mayor wants all future parks to be at least the size of Sagecrest Park (approximately 2 acres) and wants to schedule a joint Council-CIAC work session
· Councilor Connor challenged the Mayor's idea and expressed a concern about the legality or appropriateness of a joint session with CIAC. The acting City Attorney told Connor this would not be a problem.
· Mr Denmark also advised the council that they could adopt a regional park concept and use impact fees to fund future parks outside of a specific service area.
· There are more than 100 parks within the City of Las Cruces.
· Councilor Thomas wants the Open Trails plan presented again to the Council and wants parks connected by bike/walking trails instead of more parks.
· They agreed to schedule the joint session for 8/26/10 and want input from the realtors, BIA, and the public on fee increases.
· Councilor Small acknowledged that the current impact fee system has not been fair to the developers or residents.
6. The RV ordinance was reviewed without change.
7. Asst City Manager announced the top 4 priorities for the Capital Improvements Project List. He will publish a complete list. The order of priority is.:
· Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Center (911 Call Center)
· Burn Lake development
· East Mesa Drainage
· City wide street renovation
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Keep Your Fingers Crossed

NEW ORLEANS — With a new, tighter-fitting cap in place on its runaway well in the Gulf of Mexico, BP prepared on Tuesday to test whether the gusher could be stopped completely.
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Armstrong Williams - Kagan Hearings

Columnist Armstrong Williams writes: Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan must be psychic. Fifteen years ago she called the nomination hearings “a vapid and hollow charade.” Last week, she ensured that her prediction came true. After more than nine hours of questioning, we still lack critical insights into how Justice Kagan would approach some of society’s most pressing questions before the court — let alone the slightest whiff of a judicial philosophy that would inform her decision making. Read more here:
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You Owe $618 For June

Are you a U.S. taxpayer? The Treasury Department reported today the federal budget deficit came in at $68.4 billion for the MONTH of June. With just over 110 million U.S. taxpayers we did the math to help stick to our diet. If you are a taxpayer, your elected officials in Washington D.C. spent everything you paid in taxes last month and borrowed another $618 on your behalf. See more of the gruesome details here:
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Martinez & Denish - Driver's Licenses for Illegals

What will the gubernatorial candidates do about the policy in New Mexico of issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens? Nobody can tell. The New Mexico Independent tried to find out and neither candidate seems to have decided what is next. Each has said she wants to end the practice. Read more here:
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Heath - Discussing The Richardson Problem

NMPolitics.net founder Heath Haussamen will be our guest on News New Mexico from 8:00 - 8:30am Wednesday. Haussamen has some very poignant observations on what he believes is the biggest obstacle Diane Denish faces in her November election race against Susana Martinez. His column, entitled "How Diane Denish Can Overcome the Bill Richardson Problem," is a very thought-provoking navigation through the ideas Haussamen thinks are most pertinent to her campaign. Read his column here:
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John Sanchez - On News New Mexico at 8:30am

John Sanchez is a candidate for the office of Lieutenant Governor in November. He was born one of eight children and grew up poor in his mother's single parent home. Sanchez has extensive executive experience as the owner of a small business in Albuquerque and legislative experience in Santa Fe. He is scheduled on the News New Mexico from 8:30-9:00am Tuesday July 13. Go to the Sanchez webpage here:
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Star Parker - Prosperity Requires Humility

Wow! Columnist Star Parker does it again. In this column one of our very favorite thinkers develops the interdependency involved in humility and prosperity. She talks about energy policy and you can read her latest common sense masterpiece here:
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David Brooks - An Economy of Grinds

If you go to business conferences, you know that at lunch it is definitely better to be seated next to a prince than a grind. Princes, who can be male or female, are senior executives at major corporations. They are almost always charming, smart and impressive. They’ve read interesting books. They’ve got well-rehearsed takes on the global situation. They can drop impressive names as they tell you about their visits to the White House, Moscow or Beijing. If you’re having lunch or dinner with a prince, you’re going to have a good time. Read more here:
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Thomas Sowell - Signs of the Times

Columnist Thomas Sowell laments the idea of "stimulus" and what it takes to enact one. He also talks about its effects and the media's coverage. Read his views here:
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Wilderness Issue is Controversial

Senator Jeff Bingaman was in Las Cruces last week during the short congressional recess. He spoke of a Senate proposal to set aside wilderness areas. Local resident Frank DuBois weighs in on the issues raised. Read his commentary here:
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