Las Cruces City Council to discuss bus fares, plastic bag fees revenue and capital outlay priorities

Staff Reports
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LAS CRUCES - The Las Cruces City Council will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St., for a regularly scheduled meeting.

City Council will consider suspending fares for RoadRUNNER Transit services through June 30, 2023. An initial zero-fare period began Nov. 28. The purpose of the demonstration project is to assess the feasibility of an extended or permanent zero-fare program.

RoadRUNNER staff will provide the city manager a report in April 2023, that will be shared with city council, outlining the results of this demonstration project. The report will help council determine if the program should be ended, continued, or made permanent and will outline if additional resources may be needed to extend the program beyond June 30, 2023.

Also at Monday’s meeting, city council will consider amending the city’s 2023 fiscal year budget for environmental service fees collected for plastic single-use carryout bags.

The ordinance, which began Jan. 1, 2022, established an environmental service fee of 10 cents for each paper grocery bag provided to customers. he estimated Fiscal Year 2023 revenues for this ordinance are $200,000. The city is now consider establishing a specific fund to budget revenue and expenses for this ordinance.

Additionally, during Monday’s meeting, city council will consider approving the city’s top capital outlay project priorities for the 2023 New Mexico legislative session beginning in January. Possible capital appropriation projects include:

  • A sewer installation project to provide wastewater access to those areas of the City utilizing septic tanks.

  • Continued development of East Mesa roads and drainage.

  • Completion of the improved traffic flow infrastructure and signal improvements at the Telshor Boulevard and Spruce Avenue intersection.

  • A Complete Streets Plan and implementations for the University Avenue Corridor.

  • Lift Up Las Cruces street lighting.

  • Lift Up Las Cruces roadway improvements.

  • The purchase of body cameras for Las Cruces police.

  • Construct, renovate and improve various fire stations throughout Las Cruces.

  • Park improvements for Gomez Park and the Pioneer Park gazebo and plaza area.

  • Improvements and infrastructure at Las Cruces International Airport to allow for passenger service, construction of a new maintenance facility and a new fuel farm, rehabilitation of a water tank as a primary water source, and improvements for Runway 4-22.

  • Improvements to city museums, Veterans Park, and city trails to increase tourism.

The full agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting is available at https://lascruces.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=375.

Monday’s City Council meeting will be televised on CLCTV, Comcast Cable channel 20, and in high definition on Comcast Cable channel 928. The meeting also will be available at YouTube.com/clctv20.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces City Council to discuss bus fares, plastic bag fees revenue and capital outlay priorities