Harbison: End The Rhetoric, It’s Time to Act

Jim Harbison

The elections are over, the new council has been sworn in and now it’s time to confront their campaign rhetoric. We heard them discuss the importance of public safety and how critically we needed a new 911 Call Center and Crisis Triage Center. Las Cruces City Manager Garza’s November 18th Weekly Newsletter to City Council discussed the mutual interests of Dona Ana County and the City of Las Cruces on three specific projects. Interestingly enough they were the Crisis Triage Center, the Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority Facility (911 Call Center), and the East Mesa Public Safety Complex. He listed the cost for the Crisis Triage Center construction at $2.5 million plus an annual operating budget of $1.5 million. The 911 Call Center is estimated to cost nearly $1 million to design and another $5 million to construct. Finally, the East Mesa Public Safety Complex is estimated at $9 million. Added together they cost approximately $17 million which totals far less than the new $32 million City Hall complex.

Las Cruces City Hall

I commend him for his focus on these important and essential community needs. These facilities are critically needed and support the common good by protecting the citizens rather than providing some new or enhanced special interest group program.

Public safety projects only seem to be important during election cycles and in the 2009 elections candidates pledged to resolve them. Instead of addressing the public safety issues our previous Councils funded, in addition to the new City Hall, a new multi-million dollar Aquatic Center (without an actual swimming pool), a Convention Center which adds additional burden (and costs) on our public safety resources, and a new municipal court complex. read rest of column here: News New Mexico

Harbison: End The Rhetoric, It’s Time to Act