Your Tax Dollars at Work - City Council Notes for Monday

City Council meeting held on Monday, October 4, 2010.

Presentations and Proclamations:
· The “Pets of the Week”, two young “pugs” were presented.
· A proclamation was read in the memory of Emily Silverstein that declared October 2010 to be Domestic Violence Awareness month.
· A proclamation was read that declared October 2010 as Polish American Heritage month and NMSU President Barbara Coulture and Artist Virginia Romero were recognized for their Polish heritage.

Barbara Couture

· October 3-9 was recognized as National 4H Awareness week.
· National Fire Prevention Week was proclaimed for October 3-9. All fire Stations will be hosting an open house.
· US Navy Training Air Wings 4 & 5 were recognized and the Mayor declared Monday, October 4th as Navy Pilot Training Day. He also recognized the positive financial impact that the training has here in Las Cruces.
Mayor Miyagishima recognized artists Noah McDonald and Michael Grant for the mural they painted at Lions Park.
Public Participation: None
Resolutions and/or Ordinances for Consent Agenda
1. Item #10 was removed by Councilor Silva from the consent agenda and all others were approved by a vote of 7/0

2. Item #10 concerned a zoning change for the property at the corner of N.Valley Drive and W.Picacho Ave to allow the construction of a Tractor Supply Co store. Councilor Silva wanted to know if this was actually a store or an internet business. He was informed it was a retail store. He then asked what the sales projections for the next three years were. The representative said that this was information that he did not have access to. Councilor Sorg wanted the property located closer to the street with the parking in the rear. He was informed that the farm equipment would need to be displayed in front of the business similar to an auto dealership. It was approved by a vote of 7/0.
Resolutions and Ordinances for discussions
1. Item #11 concerned the selection of a voting delegate and alternate to the annual National League of Cities business meeting in Denver, CO December 4, 2010. Councilor Connor was selected as the delegate and Councilor Silva was selected as the alternate. it was approved by a vote of 7/0
2. Item #12 concerned an amendment to the Community Development Block Grant to secure $84,000 in additional funding for mortgage buy down for the affordable housing located at 1843-1845 Sexton St. It passed by a vote of 7/0

3. Item #13 allowed the City to accept a Cash-In-Lieu of Commodities agreement from the State of New Mexico for the Nutrition Service Incentive Program (similar to meals on wheels). Councilor Pedroza mentioned that she has concerns that the Community Food Bank may not be able to continue (this was not part of the resolution and is a separate issue). Councilor Connor said she understood that there were discussions to turn the food bank over to “Roadrunner Food Bank” base in Albuquerque for management. It was approved by a vote of 7/0
4. Items #14 concerning the contract for the design of the Museum of Nature and Science. After some discussion the resolution was amended to correct the contract to reflect the approved amount of $407,942. This is only one of many contracts of the $5.3 million project which is funded by Federal and State grants. The resolution was passed by a vote of 7/0.
Board Appointments or review of any proposed ordinances

Mayor Ken Miyagishima

· The Mayor appointed Diane Lions and Irene Oliver Lewis to the Downtown Revitalization Board.

· He also appointed Ali Amad, Ryan Dailey, Christopher Cruise and Tom Whatley to the 4th of July Celebration Committee.
Status/Updates on Current Project List
· There was no discussion on any items on the project list

· Mayor Miyagishima read an unsolicited proposal to purchase artwork. There are no federal funds available and none budgeted by the City. Councilor Thomas thinks local art should be displayed in the Convention Center and wanted the Mayor to appoint a committee to consider this. Robert Garza, Assistant City Manager reminded the Council that the Contract with Global Spectrum for operations of the Convention Center allow the contractor to obtain sponsorships to help fund Convention Center operations and that the City must discuss this with them. The Mayor also mentioned that the Whole Enchilada Softball Tournament was held in the City last weekend and there were 256 teams that played more than 500 games. It is the largest softball tournament in the nation and thinks it brought in between #25-30,000 directly to the Convention & Visitors Bureau fund. He underscored the need for the City to do a better job in cleaning and maintaining the ball field complexes. He suggested that there be a separate budget line item specifically for this tournament. Las Cruces competes with Tucson and Phoenix for this tournament and he doesn’t want the City to lose it. He suggested that City employees be allowed to take 1 to 1½ hours off (with pay) each week to mentor young people. He also wants to pursue flex-time scheduling for City employees to save money(?). Finally, he mentioned that Public Safety is the most important issue and that they cannot sustain any more budget cuts.

· Councilor Thomas stated the El Paseo Corridor project meeting last weekend was very successful. The next meeting will be Oct 18-19. She mentioned that Secretary of Transportation LaHood will be here for the October 13 Transportation Summit.
· Brian Denmark led a general discussion on the maintenance status of the soccer fields. The Council was flooded with emails from irate and concerned citizens about their poor condition. He stated he has repeatedly informed the Council that he does not have the staff or financial resources to maintain all the City owned recreational facilities. This year’s budget for field maintenance is $125,000 less than last year. One of the solutions he recommended is to decrease the use of the fields to allow his staff to make some intermediate repairs which will cost approximately $60,000. They plan to close the Field of Dreams fields 6 thru 16 and establish temporary use fields at PAZ, MAAG and Legends West. To do a total renovation of all the athletic fields will cost more than $650,000 which is not in any budget. Additionally he wants control over the management and scheduling of all fields. Finally, he recommends a split season so that they can work on the field in the summer.
· Councilor Small praised the City staff for implementing some of the recommendations to resolve the recreational facilities issues. He thanked everyone who participated in the El Paseo workshops and stated the City needs to find new ways to get the public involved even if it means going door to door.

· Councilor Sorg requested the City Council consider a resolution condemning trapping of animals on public lands. He feels that it is a cruel practice and the loss of livestock does not justify allowing trapping. Mayor Miyagishima informed there is currently an ordinance within the City prohibiting trapping of animals. He also expressed his pleasure that the Attorney General’s office would make a presentation on the Open Meeting act because he believe the resolution passed by the Council to prohibit the use of cell phones, texting and emails (he voted against it) was poorly worded and not needed. Finally, he announced that there was an open position on the Public Utilities Board and encouraged the public to apply if interested. Councilor Thomas stated that someone in her District had already applied for the position. Dr Garcia informed the Council that all positions are appointed by the Mayor and that there are only two positions that can filled by City Council recommendations. The other vacant positions are recommended by the Public Utilities Board. (Fortunately this precludes Councilor patronage)

· Councilor Pedroza who also voted against the cell phone/texting/email ordinance also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to revisit this ordinance with the Attorney General. She stated her pet project is school gardens and is looking for Federal funding to support them and expand the goals to include “food production.”

· Councilor Connor expressed concerns about the next State legislative session in regards to preserving the “Hold harmless Tax provisions”. If the legislature eliminates this the City may lose up to $7 million in revenue annually. She also asked the staff to review a new State regulation that has forced apartment complexes to close their swimming pools. Both she and the Mayor agreed that it should be an URGENT priority for the Municipal League to preserve the “hold harmless” provisions. In anticipation of budget reductions she suggested that any future proposed budget cuts must not be across the board but by individual project or line item. Robert Garza concurred that the staff must come up with contingency plans in anticipation of any reversal of the “hold harmless” provisions.
· Councilor Silva reminded everyone of Breast Cancer Awareness month and that the Aggies will be participating in this program this weekend. He also announced that we are the number one contributor nationally and last year contributed more than $750,000 and that the second place contributor only contributed slightly more than $100,000.

Your Tax Dollars at Work - City Council Notes for Monday