[Music]
thank you
[Music]
thank you
we're now live
okay good afternoon everybody Welcome to
our work session of the Las Cruces City
Council today is Monday March 22nd 2021
it's approximately 101 PM before we
begin if you please join me in the
Pledge of Allegiance please
pledge allegiance to the flag the United
States of America and to the Republic
for which it stands one nation under God
indivisible with liberty and justice for
all
okay now we're going to start off with
our pets of the week and Holly Wells I
believe will be introducing them
I hope
maybe not
do we have anyone from the from our
Animal Services
okay we'll listen here okay let's go is
Darlene Lopez here for jobs of the week
yeah she is on okay
okay Darlene we'll go ahead and jump to
you
Perfect all right thank you Mr Mayor
Darlene Lopez for the record
um I'll go ahead and go over our jobs of
the week thank you Francisco
um okay so we we have right now uh
active transportation coordinator that's
with the city of Las Cruces and that
closes on April 11 2021 we have access
and visitation monitor families Youth
and Incorporated and that closes on 4 12
20 of 21 and just a little side note we
actually do have a couple of uh
different positions that are posted on
our on our
um our employee M website under
um look for search for jobs
um for FYI so we'll check those out
um security officer Allied Universal
Security Services and that closes on
April 23rd 2021 and we have dialysis
patient care technician with the U.S
Renal Care Inc and that closes on April
9th 2021 we also have some teller
positions with Citizens Bank of Las
Cruces there are six of them and that
closes on 4 11 20 of 21 for a full list
of jobs internships and volunteer
opportunities please visit us at
employee name.com and
governmentjobs.com forward slash careers
forward slash Las Cruces and if you need
anything else job related employment
related training related or even just
employer support please reach out to us
at our local office phone number at
575-524-6250
thank you Mr Mayor
all right thank you Darlene okay so now
we're gonna go to covid-19 update and I
believe assistant manager Enriquez
Who present
yes good afternoon mayor and Council
Eric Enriquez assistant city manager uh
bringing the covid um 19 update
um so our
next flight yeah uh the covered report
in Dona Ana County we've had 23 532
cases uh total deaths deaths were 410 a
total recovered 21 588 and total that
have been tested is two thousand nine I
mean 279 058 currently the correctional
facilities have zero
a report from doniana county is uh the
percent of residents with at least one
shot is 31.8 percent this is from the
vaccine
newmexico.com uh dashboard which shows a
total of 54
683 vaccinations uh so fully vaccinated
17.4 it is an increase it is getting uh
better and as far as recent residents
that have registered in Dona Ana county
is 49.2 percent
other things to report Dona Ana county
is still in the yellow and it's it's
looking pretty good to remain there uh
registrations for the vaccine campaign
is ongoing there's been over 600
residents that the uh campaign uh group
has connected with and probably about
200 uh residents that they've registered
they also received some good uh media uh
recognition through Telemundo uh
recently so it was a good a good uh
press release video that Telemundo did
on on the registration campaign that Las
Cruces is doing uh the vaccine
distribution has moved now to phase 1C
which is adults 60 plus and other
essential workers so we should see more
people uh getting vaccinated also with
that news Las Cruces fire department is
now an approved provider so we will be
able to to order the vaccines and be
able to work with OEM which just
received a grant for a million dollars
to contract with us so that we're able
to provide that vaccine for uh doniana
County uh again working with the
Department of Health as well and teaming
up the local vaccination sites are uh
donana County East Campus doniana
Community College East Campus site the
convention center and NMSU the
convention center is doing about seven
to 900 vaccines on Wednesdays and
Thursdays so total anywhere from 5500 to
6 000 and then what the hospitals are
doing as well at this point we had a
very good meeting with the vaccine task
force uh last Wednesday and I'd like to
uh give this time to our chair person uh
counselor
Alberta Stewie to to give an update on
that meeting
okay
thank you Mr Enriquez
um and yes uh we met last uh Wednesday
for our vaccine task force and we had a
couple special guests uh Mr Dan Burke
who has the communization for Doh and Dr
Thomas macero who's the chief medical
officer for the department of health
during this time I think it was a great
Showcase of the
collaboration that the task force has
been able to bring and to answer some
questions and concerns from our
community members to the state
department and for them to also gain
better understanding of what we're able
to provide and I think um as Mr Enriquez
mentioned we have that provider
application approved for our fire
department and when Mr Enriquez was able
to let them know that our prior
department has the capacity of doing 600
to 800 vaccinations a day I can tell
that it really change the Outlook of
what they realized the capacity of our
city was and our ability to work with
different providers and with their
community so I do want to thank all of
our city staff that has also been
working on this issue and for the
community a couple of the items that
were uh kind of shared with us was in
terms of the rankings and the numbers of
vaccines delivered to us in around
February 4th we were receiving about
6125 doses as of last week the numbers
reported out to us was 12 590 for a
weekly total so we are seeing those
changes and it's very good so it is a
bit uh it's been about an 82 percent
increase in terms of rankings we have
not still moved as far as I think we
should
um our report out last week was our
ranking on how many vaccines we've uh
distributed uh per population per county
has only gone
um we were at the bottom fourth now
we're at the bottom eighth
um so we've moved up a little bit but
there's still I think room for progress
and Improvement and that sustained look
at what Equity looks like and so I'm
very appreciative of the increased
dosages and for everybody taking those
deeper looks at what equitability means
here in doniana but this does need to
still stay as a sustainable effort and
in continued effort
and thank you Mr Enriquez for giving me
some time to report out and thank you
Council
or but the suvi looks like we have a
couple of questions you can you take a
few questions yes okay councilor sorg
and then councilor Vasquez
uh thank you mayor and thank you
councilor beta subi as well as
city manager Enrique
um
I
I was wondering
um does anybody here have an idea I mean
you you too
um I have an idea as to how many people
that can and want to register online
have registered online as you say there
is 49 of the population doniana county
has registered online now
um do you think there's many more that
could register online
or is or are we going to have for the
other half of the people that try to get
them to
get the vaccination
um by another means or
or something uh
some other way I should say
um thank you for that question
um one of the items that we did have was
a little bit of data regarding who's
registered
um and I
let's see I am looking at a slide here
so
um there is a percentage of Dona Anna
and about 11 of
um the registered people have actually
indicated that they would not receive a
vaccine but I do think there is still
work to be done to make sure that we are
registering all individuals and that's
why they continued campaigns to reach
especially special populations those
that might not have access to Internet
or computer
um or those that still may be taking
their time to gather more research about
the vaccine or may have some hesitancy I
think there's still more work to be done
in those areas and enrich is if you have
anything to add to that I'm happy to
differ
yeah I
mayor and Council Eric Enriquez I'd like
to say that I think it's going to be a
challenge but yet there's a lot of
individuals residents that are waiting
until they're eligible and now that
we're moving into the 1C I think we'll
see more people registering as well but
uh this is something that the community
and our task force is going to
engage and and promote and still
continue to Advocate and get out there
especially with our local businesses so
that we can remain uh open and and
continue to to thrive as we're capable
is to get out there and get people
registered thank you
yeah sure um I um my my internet
connection here went a little Haywire
while Consular beta stuby was talking
and I might have missed it but
um I know for a fact that drugstores are
giving out vaccinations too besides the
uh Convention Center Etc
um
go ahead yes uh yes uh counselor sorg a
bit of a report out on that um there are
uh our Public Health office has uh for
the last uh two and this isn't with a
two-week span here has given out about
uh 13 of the
um immunizations uh private providers
had about 13 hospitals had a little over
12 percent are pharmacies that's what
you're talking about yeah delivered
about 19 as well and so all together
um each portion really does help
um to get those full uh 12 000 and so
you're gonna see
um a little bit more of a pickup from
those pharmacies and then we'll have
different
um
uh private providers and uh
that are able to give those
right oh good thank you
um the reason I mention is because
that's where I got my vaccination is
that a
green uh Walgreens
okay that's all I have Mr Mayor and and
counselors
okay thank you
um Council sword if I could just get a
little bit of clarification before I get
to councilor Vasquez so either a
assistant manager Enriquez or counselor
beta stuvi so if a few days ago the
Department of Health
made an announcement that they were kind
of opening up vaccinations can you all
expand on that I got I was of the
impression they were opening it up
to to everyone over 16. because I said
something about over the age of 16. was
it
was it just for those subgroups or was
it for everybody because they they were
talking about it was like one point it
was 1.6 million
um so I don't know can you all clarify
that for me please
and Mr Enriquez I'll defer this one over
to you for um the clarification of
criteria 1C
yes thank you Marion Council mayor yes
that is correct that uh once we get into
the 1C you're looking at the 60 plus and
then any other essential workers that
cannot work uh remotely and that's the
number that they came up with in the
state of New Mexico about 1.6 million
individuals would be eligible under the
1C and that that's where we're at now
okay thank you
uh councilor Vasquez
councilman Cuomo councilor Forest
uh yes thank you mayor um just a couple
quick questions here uh either for the
city manager Enriquez or counselor beta
stuvi
um regarding the approval of the
um uh of our Las Cruces fire department
to
um uh to be able to give these vaccines
to the public
um I I heard that they that some of the
issue around that application lay with
the city um that some there was some
delay in paperwork on our part and I
just want to make sure I have that
straight because that's what I that's
what I just heard recently and if that's
not the case I don't want to make that
assumption but I know that we were
delayed for several weeks in getting
that application approved and just
wondering if you could comment on on
exactly what the delay was and if it was
City the state or both or
um just want some clarification on it
it was a state
councilor Vasquez our application was
delivered online and with I would say
robust checking in from many individuals
including myself on that status of that
application during our uh City uh during
our meeting we were able to um hear
about the approval of the application
and work on the next steps that needed
to happen as well and there are some um
you know extra training consideration
and those um I believe are already being
worked on and I'll defer to Mr Enriquez
now
yes thank you mayor and Council
um yeah there was some questions as far
as some signatures because it was an
online application and our medical
director I think uh one of those issues
took place and then just the training
that had to be taken place online as
well and all that has been fulfilled and
and we're ready now to receive but we
will work with the Department of Health
and OEM to get a good solid plan so that
we're not duplicating services and we're
able to expand the teamwork in the
county but but uh it was uh yeah maybe
it was that's what they were talking
about one of the signatures because it
is an online application but it was it
was taken care of immediately
and
um with that uh councilor Vasquez like I
said there have been many people
checking in on this application and
we've made it very clear especially um
with our guest if there are any
questions issues or problems
um to please reach out immediately that
we are happy to correct any issues that
may be seen
thank you I'm I'm happy to hear that um
I I would assume absolutely
um that the state would treat this as
the emergency the public health
emergency that it is and notify the city
um of any remaining or outstanding items
as it pertains to getting that
application approved
um but what I did hear from the state
was some uh some delays in signing some
online paperwork as you mentioned
um that seemed to put the onus back on
on the city for not having this
application done in time
um I don't think we should point fingers
I just think we should make sure that
yeah definitely you know if the state is
not following up in a timely manner on
some of those issues
um that obviously uh you guys are on it
as the vaccine task forces as are you
assistant city manager Enrique so thank
you so much for that
um super critical to have the Las Cruces
file Department fire department involved
in this effort so thank you so much for
all your work on that
um and then the other question I had is
around the providers
um we had I think it's several private
providers now um coming on board do we
expect to have more private providers as
far as you know in terms of being
eligible and and participating in in the
vaccine rollout I know especially as the
federal stockpile
um starts to the renewed Federal
stockpile starts to make its way to New
Mexico with additional vaccines
thank you um counselor Vasquez I do know
La Clinica de Familia also had received
additional Doses and we're going to be
working with specific communities and I
think throughout this process we're
going to see other providers about a
month ago on one of our vaccine task
force meetings there was a call for
those additional providers and they're
going to fluctuate
um I think throughout this process
um and so I think it'll be a moving
issue
okay thank you so much for yeah for that
and um being prepared um I think I hear
that both more Johnson and Johnson
vaccines are going to be
um available I think 20 million or so
more in the next couple of days and then
um I think the Astra Seneca trials are
starting or the expedited process to get
that approved by the FDA is in order as
well so
um yes having the provider Network to be
able to get those out is important but
um those are all my questions uh more
than anything just show gratitude thank
you all um I think we're seeing the
vaccine really help turn the tide here
in New Mexico even with the the rates
that we have now
um I think we're seeing uh already a
huge impact in our state so thank you
assistant city manager and thank you
councilman
yeah thank you counselor
um before I get to councilman Cuomo uh
assistant manager Enriquez or counselor
beta stuvi is Astra Seneca one of the
four is that going to be another type
brand or is it still just the Pfizer
moderna and Johnson
I don't know I've heard some things
about the Astra Seneca
as of now uh and please feel free to
correct me Mr Enriquez but as of now we
just have the uh we are just utilizing
the Pfizer moderna and Johnson and
Johnson
um here in our community good okay good
Eric Enriquez I do believe that we did
get a notification on that through the
Department of Health and the other
vaccine will probably be a late spring
if available but moving forward
okay thanks
Council bencomo thanks mayor and yes
thank you so much
sitting in general
um yeah I just have one question I'm
wondering if you for those of us
listening if you can for those of us who
are ready for the vaccine but not yet on
any of the
um groups eligible can you give us a
timeline for when you think
um we'll be ready for
um for that
foreign
thank you
um councilor Ben Cuomo um I believe some
of the items that we have seen in the
past have that aim for general public
around
um the early summer
um and so there was you know and we are
still working uh on our phase 1B as well
to um Beyond uh this new uh onesie that
is opened up so it will need to take a
little time just to make sure that we're
grabbing all those uh individuals
um on the report that we got
um last week we did have
um still about 20 pardon me for my dog
um we still had about 23 000 individuals
that were still in that one category 1B
that still needed to be vaccinated and
so and then we still have one C after
that but I believe the aim is for
um that early summer for General Public
[Music]
okay thank you counselor Flores
thank you mayor and and thank you
um assistant city manager Eric and Vegas
we report and thank you
um counselor beta stuvi for your
leadership
um in the um
uh insofar as well not limited to but uh
regarding the uh the task force covered
task force
um
you know I yeah the perception or the
the rumors that the city uh lagged uh
wasn't entirely uh Fair uh or accurate
that's why it's a rumor
um and
um and I think that uh Mr Enriquez has
fully explained uh where the glitches
were what's interesting though is that
uh we had our meeting Wednesday
afternoon I believe it was maybe
Thursday afternoon anyway so between
Wednesday and today oh magically lcfd is
now
um a certified approved to be a provider
so um
where I'm going with that is that the
task force I think has been really
really uh powerful in so far as giving
southern New Mexico
and the southern New Mexico the
communities uh that surround us here in
donana County a voice at the table so as
uh chair uh beta stubey reported with Mr
Burke and Dr Massaro present they were
very receptive to the information that
was presented to them uh the questions
that were asked um
who's a board member of Las Cruces
Public Schools was present and she
wanted to know
um why teachers weren't being part of a
a special group so
um
I just uh wanted to add that um
they've gone up to phase one one C uh
prior to that Dr Collins had had been
the distribution or the registrations or
the appointments were going to those who
um were in the in the 1A and the 1B
so those phases were explained so uh Mr
Enriquez can you please explain
um
uh briefly of course
um what these phases mean and the groups
and then my other question to you is
were the teachers included in Phase 1C
especially now that the schools are
opening up and some of them are going
100 open
yes uh thank you uh mayor and councilor
Flores yes the the criteria that the
state the tier effect was the of course
the the way they had it was the 1A 1B
and now the 1C and the 1A was for health
providers uh nurses and then uh uh First
Responders and then the 1B went into the
75 and older and those with chronic
illness and they did include the
teachers in the 1B so teachers have been
getting vaccinated and they'll also fit
into the 1C criteria as essential
workers but they there was a a
um
a reckon recommendation by the state
that they did allow the teachers to be
vaccinated during the 1B
right because uh
only the upper the upper something of 1B
I mean the upper strata of the strata of
1B was
um or stratum was uh was being
inoculated right and they will they
moved the teachers up right good and I
and I think I I would I I believe that
um the task force the work that you've
been doing and our chair
um and the input from everyone and
particularly that day by um Miss Den
audio
um I I think it impacted I think I think
we finally got
um the uh doh's ear and I also want to
add that uh Melanie Goodman
who works with uh Senator Ben Ray Lujan
is a member of the task force and was
present and distributed information
and also representative state
representative Joanne Ferrari was
president who asked many many questions
um regarding services to the outlying
communities so I just wanted to add my
two cents there and thank Mr Enriquez
and thank again our chair of the task
force uh councilor beta stuvi for
running a really really really running a
very good meeting very good meetings and
the outcomes were Dynamite based on that
meeting I I think it was a result of the
leadership there so thank you very much
that we that we got that those phases
still they're crazy but thank you thank
you all right thanks counselor so I have
just a couple questions so on the 49.2
percent registered I don't suppose
that's broken into city and county is it
that that should be uh sorry mayor Eric
Enriquez that should be the uh whole
County
I wonder if um what's concerning me a
little bit is the
it's moving along quite quite well we've
made some pretty good strides in the
last couple weeks and if it continues
we're going to probably we're going to
be getting into the 40s and until unless
we increase the um
amount registered then we're gonna
we're gonna run out of people to
inoculate so
um and I'm sure there's an aggressive
plan for that and as soon as I said that
um oh I thought counselor made the
Stewie raised their hand I did to get
myself off mute mayor to to respond a
bit sure
thank you mayor we did talk about that
stalling issue
um other communities are starting to see
it too where um you've released uh
yeah you're hitting your levels and
Peaks for certain criteria
um I think that's probably one of the
reasons why they've released the
criteria 1C as the next option so we
still have a little ways to go
um when we talked about what does it
look like for our community in Dona Ana
um we did hear out from uh our OEM uh
interim directors Stephen Lopez
um that if we were to reach about 15 000
doses a week that by that summer time we
would be able to get that majority of
our community that is registered and
we're looking for that uh 70 80 percent
uh we know that not every single person
is going to register to receive the
vaccine but if we can get those higher
numbers and so it is something that we
are considering um and us working now on
those aggressive uh campaigns for
registration is something that we're
looking at we have a section in our
meetings that talks about Community
Communications
uh that specifically is looking at that
and I have to commend our city
departments for being uh creative and
really Innovative on how that they're
reaching other uh people for these uh
registrations
um I did talk to a news station in
Albuquerque actually last week about one
of the programs and that is
um us having those booths and stations
at local Grocers and other community
spots and that is something that we can
really help answer questions help with
the technology issue and get people
registered and it's something I don't
believe in anywhere else in the state is
uh starting these programs so we're
really uh I believe
um
starting out strong and if we continue
those programs to reach those special
communities
well thank you for that uh counselor has
there been any discussion about possibly
even a small little flyer on how to
register
for the vaccine on the state and put
that in our utility bill has that been
discussed at all
um
I am jotting it down to make sure that
we can work with our Communications
Department how about have we Enlisted
the Communications office to produce
some some small videos that can not just
be shown on CLC TV but even if we have
to buy some air time on the channel uh
you know kvia or KFOX or CBS
um that might be one and then on you
know with with if they make that little
video or maybe then we can also send
that out on social media as well
because I I just I'm like you I'd like
to see 75 percent would be a good number
to be
um vaccinated and and also I'm sure you
all have heard that um
the ones that
you know they did a little poll the ones
that they feel most
um comfortable with endorsing the
vaccine is someone from the medical
field and then the least is uh public
officials so you know uh you know we'll
just uh
maybe we can find a doctor who's willing
to endorse that maybe put them on there
Dr Gupta and um as we're looking we do
have individuals
um uh students actually from NMSU as
well that have been working on
Communications and making sure that uh
all Communications that we are doing are
bilingual okay great perfect
uh looks like uh we have a couple more
questions there Pro tem and then
councilor Vasquez
thank you mayor thank you again Madam
chair Stevie I bet this to be for your
leadership to include Eric
um really appreciative of staff and all
that they've done
um I think what I what I do want to say
is I don't know if Mandy's on the line I
see her yes she's in front of me mayor
is we have those
um all that all those kind of media
Outlets have been identified there's
stuff running through them Mandy
um at least I don't remember if last
week but the week a couple weeks before
sort of outlying what our campaign looks
like there's just so much work around
that I like the idea of putting it in
our inserts but as you know
um staff is out there registering folks
and identifying a lot of you know over
700 people and registering about 150 or
so of them who may not have been able
able to do so for various reasons
and so I just want to remind
Council and staff and the public that
there you should be hearing radio spots
TV spots and all the all the interviews
that councilor I bet that stuvi has been
doing
um it is also one via Telemundo that I'm
just hearing lots of positive positive
remarks on and then I I do want to say
that
um I read an article in PR article I
believe that it used to be where you
know our Latino are our people of color
were lagging way behind in terms of
getting registered and and they're up
there now they're registered and many of
them have received their vaccines so to
me that's a a very hopeful hopeful thing
um
and so I I just want to say that and
then my question is to Eric
um once you know and honestly and I want
to be very clear it was extremely
um beneficial to have our Doh
Representatives that were mentioned on
the call because during that call
is when they approved I'll see uh fd's
application literally during that call
you could see it all happen with the doc
on the phone and the representative and
they were like we just want you to know
that you know you've been approved kind
of thing so my question is because I was
asked where are we storing the
where are we storing the vaccine
proud mayor councilor Gandara thank you
uh yes we will we have a pharmacy at the
fire department so we're capable of
storing we've we're purchasing the the
freezers and the refrigerators that are
needed but we've also talked to Don and
OEM and they have storage
capabilities and capacity for us as well
so if we want to order a large amount if
if the vaccine is available between the
hospitals between OEM and between the
fire department we can all share that
and be able to store it in our
pharmacies and work together
[Music]
could you repeat that what you just said
about in your meeting
I I couldn't understand it
in the vaccine task force meeting
um it was beneficial to have the Doh
representation because while we were
meeting and talking about our concerns
and gaps and barriers one was the
application to lcfd right the Las Cruces
fire department and while
we were on the call the the application
got approved
you could you could see it clearly they
were on the phone and making sure that
it it got
um it got got approved so
um
the application was the application to
be a provider counselor sort oh for our
fire department yes okay okay okay thank
you yes and and so
um Eric and we also consider about this
movie and I went to a very nice open
house on the new helicopter
um
last week and
um we met the EMS person coordinator
um from Mountain View and he was very
um interested right to hear where we
were storing that and so we might want
to reach out in the event that we are
needing more storage it sounded like he
was hopeful helpful and and wanted to
coordinate um with you all and I know
you guys go back a long way
um and so just wanted to to to make
mention of that
um
I thought I had a last question but I
I've
kind of spaced it at this point Sorry
mayor I think that that's really it I
just want to you know just give a lot of
gratitude and thanks to both Eric and
counselor bate this to be there's a lot
of work happening
um good questions and feedback for the
next couple of weeks we'll make sure
that we that we um ask those questions
as it relates to
um the vaccines and
um you know time frames I think those
are all really important items how to
register because we are starting to see
some experiences of of
um kind of the stalling not having
enough people registered right to to
move forward
um but but not here please understand
not here but in other places in the
state so
um we have a good group everybody's
really been very actually very
transparent oh I know what it was
um also I I've been really bit on this
and pushing this mayor as you know this
issue with the the the
recording of the vaccines with MMC that
was asked and they were going to find
out
um I just want to make sure Eric and
Tessa that those are questions right
because
MMC was not using the same platform they
were told no that they could not I don't
know why that happened but I I think you
know when someone is up to 15
000 being
um you know inoculated and not being
able to put that on the same platform
um to make sure that we're getting
counted is a big problem so that during
that time while we were on the on the
call or on the zoom meeting
um Dan did reach out and and find out
that MMC does have the certain platform
that talks to ours but it's going to
require
um you know data entry so I don't want
to lose sight of that because I think
that's important and I want to make sure
that that data is being incorporated
into
um the Doh web platform to get our those
vaccines counted for because because
they they do count and there I think
what we were finding out is that some
people weren't registering on the system
and the vaccines were happening
um and so I know that there's a problem
there and so
um again I I I don't I don't know what
happened
um and I I it it made me feel that there
was conflict between Doh and MMC
and I'm carrying a few things along
those lines
um now whether that's true or not I'm
not sure but I again want to make sure
that MMC gets
um you know
that we're able to
um receive that information to get it
plugged into the platform
does anybody have a
have any updates on that particular item
no mayor Pro tem that is something that
we'll make sure to follow up on and make
sure that we are reporting out with the
meeting too but I'll get with you
afterwards okay thank you
um
mayor and Council mayor Eric Enriquez
I'd just like to add to that that now as
being a provider and part of the
training that we receive uh we have to
report every vaccine to what they call
the nemis uh
uh website and so anyone that receives a
vaccine as a provider is obligated to do
that we want to make sure we stay on the
portal with Doh so everything's
accounted through the the vaccine
dashboard that Doh uses but so so the
hospital if they didn't use it the
numbers are still there with the nimus
uh website uh that only providers have
access to and that's why Mr Burke came
out with a different number about 69 000
so actually we we are doing a little bit
better but our dashboard doesn't show
that but nemis as a provider you are
obligated to report that and that's what
we'll do as well and I think that was
one of the things he did find out Eric
is that they are and they do have the
same Nemesis and they're hopefully um
plugging that in I make mention of it
because it might mean that we might need
to help with some resources to ensure
that the data you know gets into
whatever program they they need to get
into
um so I don't know how that all works
out but I just want to make sure that we
don't that doesn't get lost and I
appreciate I won't belabor the point
um but I I wanna
I just want to make sure that that we're
on the same page moving forward thank
you
okay thank you councilor Vasquez thank
you mayor two quick questions here one
is um just around the
um the numbers that we've seen uh
trending up in dunyana County the last
week I think it's almost a 20 increase
in cases over the previous week
um which I think is maybe pointing us
towards perhaps a
uh designation back into the red level
um uh and so I'm just wondering if
there's any thoughts on that um from
Chief
um or from sorry from assistant city
manager Enriquez or counselor beta
stuvee um are we are we kind of on that
line uh as far as you know with the with
the recent increases of being back in
the the red this next time around uh
which I assume is this Wednesday or
Thursday when the new numbers get
released
Mr Enriquez I'll let you begin
oh okay thank you mayor councilor
councilor Vasquez yes that's that's
correct uh we did see a spike last week
and there always is a concern but the
numbers that uh we're looking at
currently it looks like uh will still
remain in the Yale low I mean it's all
it's it's it's close but it looks like
we still will and we're we have the
campaign with the local businesses with
NMSU the county the city of all jumped
on board to get people to get out there
and get tested and so we are we are
working on that as well as one of the
campaigns
um the numbers will be I I believe uh
tallied on Tuesday and we'll get the
results on Wednesday
thank you and with that in mind it is a
good time to uh remind everyone that we
still do need to uh make sure that we're
practicing the best possible hygiene
um mask wearing is very important
um and it's important for our business
Community to keep running and for us to
hopefully move into these different
phases
um so that they're able to expand to and
for the sale health and safety of others
that our actions during this time do
affect others and can um and so it's
great to still keep up those um safe
practices
Mr Mayor
yesterday yesterday we only had 20 new
cases in doniana county has it been low
in since last September yeah that's that
was good okay so anything else Council
Vasquez uh yes just one more quick
question uh mayor thank you uh uh this
is just around the enforcement
um of State uh regulations or state
orders
um is it I just want to make sure that I
have this correctly uh for the
enforcement of large Gatherings
um that go against State regulation
um uh assistant city manager it's the
state that has jurisdiction State Police
right or or state agencies over the
current regulations and not Municipal
law enforcement is that is that correct
since we're no longer under a local
Health order
yes sir that's correct
we can follow up we can assist but the
state is the one that do the actual
enforcement
okay thank you thank you I appreciate it
um I I know recently there have been
some
um you know some expressions of of
frustration um in the public uh sphere
with a lot of folks Gathering unmasked
and not socially distant
um especially on city property and so I
just want to draw attention to any of
those
um uh that you know uh may require just
notifying at least the state that some
of these gatherings are happening
um I know that the doniana county rodeo
was usually was recently held as well
with a large number of people in
attendance and so
um if if us if we see that as a
potential public health issue just want
to make sure that we are notifying um
the state as as appropriately
um of of those events that may endanger
the health of our community so thank you
so much um assistant city managers thank
you
thank you counselor Flores
thank you uh thank you mayor
um so just as a follow-up to councilor
vasquez's questions uh city
um the city so if someone's uh this is
directed to Mr Enriquez so
um there were uh there was a big
Gathering of people
at our Johnson Park over the weekend
and
um so that city property so does the
state have jurisdiction over the city
property could they have been called and
and perhaps uh you know
uh try to enforce the the regulation
mayor and Council Eric Enriquez I would
I would say that you know as the local
we go out and we seek voluntary
compliance I'd have to defer to uh Chief
Dominguez if he's on if they can
actually do any citing but really we
refer to the state because it is a state
emergency right but I I deferred to
Chief Dominguez if he can give further
explanation on that I know we go out
there and seek further I mean seek
voluntary compliance in every issue
oh thank you
Chief Dominguez did you want to respond
to that
perhaps here's an on
it always shows he's on he's got
something else going on yeah so uh so
this question is also for Mr Enriquez uh
in the data that you showed us at the
beginning of your presentation or your
reporting
um you indicated that there were
um 23 23 532 cases
um there's a certain amount of deaths
there's a certain amount of
um but there's still like 2 000 people I
think who still have covid I mean based
on the numbers that you showed
and is there any information on those uh
numbers are they recent
um
people have come down and order the
stats on them are they in a hospital are
they being cared for are they at home
um you know that's is there any
information regarding uh any data
regarding that information Mr Enriquez
yes uh mayor council I know that our
Hospitals now have uh limited the number
of people they have in the hospital we
still do have some might have to
research those numbers exactly to see
where we're at and then yeah there are
still individuals that are quarantined
and have tested positive and are still
out there
uh but this is the latest number from
the state dashboard that they've
provided as a tally who's still
um who has been tested positive and who
has recovered thus far that they're able
to follow up with
and those who have recovered do you know
whether they
um are still
um getting the uh covet inoculation
do you know does anybody know
I I wonder about that because you know
we do have different strains going on I
mean hopefully so and and there isn't
any assurance that once you've had covid
you become um inoculated or immune
so yeah mayor council Eric Enriquez
initially they said if you had tested
positive for the coronavirus to wait 90
days before you receive the vaccine but
now it's it's uh you can receive the
vaccine at any time so these people are
receiving the vaccines even if they
recovered
oh great okay thank you Mr Enriquez and
again thank you uh chair beta stewby
okay I think that concludes it don't
always uh
great uh conversation and questions and
answers when we have this
up there yes yeah Erica because one more
thing I just wanted to comment that you
know Carlo Walton she provided a great
presentation last week and uh we're not
done uh putting her to work either so uh
she is working on the Flyers currently
both in English and Spanish so we can
put in the utility bills she's also
working on the bus reps uh social media
uh and uh videos as well so uh that is
being in in the works right now as we
speak for the vaccine and the
registration thank you fantastic thank
you
okay so
um with that we'll go ahead and get
started with our
agenda items and looks like the first
one 4.1 the arms quarterly update
ifo did you want to introduce Our Guest
good afternoon mayor and Council yes I
appreciate
the opportunity uh mayor and Council to
introduce Mr Richard
deyube and arms the alliance for
regional Military Support as you can
recall or you may know this agreement
was well underway
uh before I begin with the city and so
you may have more background than I do
but from what I understand the purpose
for us entering into this agreement uh
primarily is to leverage our
relationships and our Resources with
uh with our regional military
installations
uh
specifically in the area of Economic
Development providing some mutual
benefit between the city and the
military
um and as a part of the deliverables in
the out in the agreement as outlined
uh a quarterly report
is to be given and that's what that's
what this is
uh quarterly report uh Slash update
uh that's what this could be presented
today so uh with that I'll turn the time
over to Mr Richard deyu I I apologize Mr
Dave if I'm not
pronouncing your name correctly but I'd
like to turn the time over to you and
your team to present
that's how I pronounce it so if if you
know
if I if you if it's wrong then I
apologize too
Richard
so what is it how do you say your last
name
Richard stepped away just for a moment
if uh if we could uh turn it over to Mr
Gus Rodriguez who is the uh chairman
uh Gus I will start uh sharing my screen
with the group so that they have the
slides that we're going to use
thank you Lance uh Mr Mayor members of
council uh Mr city manager thank you so
much for giving us the opportunity to
present our quarterly brief
um you know to um
do you mind uh stating I know we we
already called you by your name but can
you state your name and and your
position please certainly Mr Mayor
Castro Rodriguez I'm the chairman of uh
of the alliance for regional Military
Support
so so again uh thank you to you all and
uh I'm gonna go and proceed with our uh
presentation and by the way you did
pronounce it uh correctly so Mr Mayor
you are correct so so in terms of
pronouncing Richard's last name so thank
you okay
um so looks like IFA owes me a lunch so
it's good
right I apologize for having to step
away for a second so go ahead guys
Richard yeah Richard I believe you have
the first the first slide
yes sir so
I'm going to go through this despite the
fact that you've seen this before
uh
because it's been so long since we've
presented to you so it's critical to
touch on these these areas the mission
itself excuse me Richard I need you to
state your name too and your position oh
I apologize uh for the record Richard
I'm the treasurer for the alliance for
regional military support thank you
so we are
we are focused on ensuring that Fort
Bliss White Sands Missile Range and
Holloman Air Force Base
what we commonly refer to as the Triad
remain an integral part of America's
national defense strategy
and we'll talk a little bit more in
detail as we go to the other slides on
the background of that information the
vision is to maintain the relevance and
enhance the military value of our region
and our joint Regional military complex
and support our defense Workforce which
is critical to our economies
sustain and strengthen our nation's
defense Technical and Industrial base
the strategies simply to develop
actionable initiatives to address goals
and collaborate locally regionally and
nationally to achieve those results
excite
gentleman Lance Lehrer from uh Secretary
of the alliance for regional Military
Support
I'll explain all of our focuses our
Focus areas of which we've limited them
to five
and then I will turn them over to others
to brief and so our main focus areas are
assisting and coordinating with local
edcs to grow and attract new defense and
Aerospace Industries to leverage higher
education Partnerships to attract r d to
retain and attract a holly highly
qualified Workforce improve our Region's
appeal for future station and identify
and influence infrastructure needs in
the region so I'll turn it over to Mr
Gus Rodriguez our chair for assistant
coordinate with Local Economic
Development
thank you Lance
um
so just to highlight some of the efforts
that we've been that we've been doing so
we are working with the Army test and
evaluation command and and uh White
Sands uh leadership to discuss
um
the uh the ease of the use of the
airspace uh quarters for testing and uh
indirect fire capabilities which is
critical to a lot of the uh testing and
modernization missions that White Sands
is very much a part of so we are working
closely with them in regards to this so
that we can take a look at expanding
that capability so bottom line just for
everyone's information what they will be
doing is they will
they will utilize White Sands as a
location for the testing any any
missiles or any type of equipment that
is being utilized through that quarter
you know allows that freedom of of
expansion of capability as as we start
to grow distances in uh in the work in
some of the things that the equipment is
doing
so we're also working lines of effort to
secure a new industry uh we've been
meeting with some of the defense
industry folks to discuss to show them
our capability and provide them with
defense related growth opportunities
within the area
uh we are also working on funding for
the upgrade to the Holloman high-speed
test track to make sure that uh as a
capabilities grow that we continue to
see Holloman Air Force Base is one of
those locations where that that effort
uh you know will will continue we have
been working with NMSU in particular
through uh Brigadier General retired
Eric Sanchez an awareness of uh various
opportunities that have come up not only
at White Sands but also at Fort Bliss to
see ways that New Mexico State can
engage uh with with those individuals
and uh finally we are working on a
memorandum understanding with mavita and
the Border industrial Association so
that our efforts can truly be a regional
partnership you know as we go and
present to the Department of Defense
next slide please hey gus before you
change it it looks like you may have had
a minor working on UTEP minor working on
that it's NMSU I'm oh I'm sorry
[Laughter]
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm just messing
with you you know we still have that
relationship with the UTEP so long well
Mr Mayor Lance Lair
um yeah that's me uh I prepare all the
slides so good catch I don't know how
many we've briefed when I've done this
and screwed it up so uh
are you are you a UTEP Alum I I am not
okay well okay then we'll give you
I I am not Mr bear I'm not I'm a
Villanova sort of fell out uh I'm gonna
move on to leveraging higher educations
and that's Mr Richard Damon
yeah
okay I feel good that's all right thank
you Lance so we can now start referring
to UTEP as you pet
to compensate for the
misspelling of NMSU for which we all
apologize and are embarrassed that aside
we have been very focused in
incorporating an effort to bring
students
into a program with the various
installations including White Sands
Missile Range
to set up a program where they are
enabled to get clearances at a slightly
quicker rate so that when they do
graduate they're able to be brought on
board after they complete their
internships
and this is a critical component because
from the time a student graduates with a
bachelor's degree if that's when they
begin the process of applying for a
security clearance it can take 12 to 18
months to get that completed and we know
these students are anxious rightfully so
to get into the workforce
so if they have a choice between taking
an opportunity
with a company outside the region
that will hire him immediately and pay
them well or go through that rather
laborious process
of getting their clearance before they
can work within the government
environment it's an easy decision for
them and usually goes in to the expense
of our region so we're trying to work on
that in fact we're working with New
Mexico State as well as UTEP
in those areas to try and facilitate
that effort and move it up critical to
all this though is our efforts in
working with the installations and the
universities to ensure that the
curricula that's being utilized enables
these students
to learn better learn more quickly and
be more focused and on those specific
areas so that when they get these
internships they're already being
educated while they're being trained in
the same disciplines and are then able
to go to work full-time as soon as they
complete their bachelor's degrees
and of course if they choose to go on
beyond that so as Gus mentioned earlier
we're working with General retired Eric
Sanchez and we're also working with Dr
Wilson as I think all of you know
Heather Wilson is the former Secretary
of the Air Force and is the president of
UTEP right now so this has been a a
great opportunity for us to build on
that relationship and help to support
the Air Force initiatives uh as well
uh and with that we can go on to the
next slide
and uh this is Lance Lair for the record
again
um
our third area is retaining a attract
highly qualified workers so
um this is a very large area but to try
and meter it down we we've got four
comments here and I'll I'll talk you
through them
um the regular recurring meetings with
all the bases
helps us to determine needs for our
transitioning service members and
families and and and Veterans and so as
an example uh part of our Outreach for
these has been directed to some of the
community colleges and one in particular
which is Western Tech down here uh has
started an Aeronautics uh and defense
Aerospace type uh associates degree that
that prepares a a soldier who is
transitioning an Airman who is
transitioning from service to be able to
have the qualifications and
certifications and electrical and so
forth that allows them to be able to get
an entry-level job uh uh that also
matriculates to four-year universities
so that's an example of where we're
working and they're supporting us with
the uh third bullet there working
through the county of El Paso's secure
grant funding to build up the Fabens
airport and build a transition Center
for Hands-On training using some of the
companies that we've been in discussions
with to bring them in keep them here and
allow them to continue to work
post-graduation whether it be at the
associates bachelor's Master's or so
forth uh level and uh we're going to
work Communications with Las Cruces
airport to work on that as well we have
not done that yet but I wanted to put it
in there because that's in the plan
we meet with the national director of
the soldier for Life transition
assistance program we call it SFL tap uh
because the Air Force and the Army both
have credentialing capabilities and
opportunities that are happening out
there so we're trying to work to get
credentialed uh Airmen and soldiers out
into our aging Workforce as quickly as
possible because they already have
invested that 12 to 18 months of time
and are cleared and that that's a major
hurdle uh and finally we're we're using
our completed veterans assessment which
we did uh completed late last year to
determine how to better address our
needs so
um
this was a 100 plus question
um veterans assessment done by the same
company that did it for Austin Dallas uh
and so forth Fort Worth that really dug
in deep to what veterans want and need
and so we use that as kind of a Baseline
and those areas that are most important
clearly are employment along with
information
and with that I'll go down uh to
improving the Region's appeal for future
stationing
foreign
for the alliance for regional military
support and I'll I'll talk about the
appeal for regional uh stationing
initiatives we continue to meet with the
three court Commander uh Fort Bliss the
whispering commanders and the whisper uh
hierarchy to work on making sure that
people understand what uh
um assets are available at Fort Bliss
White Sands and Holloman it's one of the
largest training areas in the United
States Army and we need to make sure
that the Pentagon is continually
thinking about White Sands and in the
region for additional stationing we
continue to work on mfgi and that is the
mobilization Force generation
installation that is the place that
sends all of our soldiers downrange and
then when they come back from deployment
we redeploy them back into the United
States and back to their uh their home
front last year Fort Bliss and the
Donald and range up in New Mexico did
about 70 000 soldiers through here and
coming up here in the in the very close
future we're going to have so many
soldiers at Donna Anna that it's going
to become the largest military
installation in uh New Mexico for a
short period of time that's how many
people we have stationed there it's a
critical aspect of making sure that that
we're taking care of that and we have
soldiers coming through and then we're
working them so we're working things
like making sure we get the the barracks
taken care of that we're working on a
rail head for uh Fort Bliss areas so we
could bring these soldiers in and out
and make sure they're they're
continually working we meet with DOD
leadership on Manning and how to
increase the troop strengths here in in
the region
we spent a lot of time talking to our
legislative folks about milk on Military
construction and the sustainable
Readiness funding we need to make sure
that we're taking care of White Sands
and making sure all their equipment and
all their buildings are
up to date and are usable is a big
example is the uh Barracks that Donna
Anne arranged I mean those some of those
are pre-World War II barracks and it's
got to the point where they don't even
put soldiers in them anymore they they
bring in log cap which is tens and we
want to make sure that we're taking care
of the region that we're building those
to take care of our soldiers to get them
back into Barrett said that are worth
standing
uh we also want to take advantage of the
regional appeal for Holloman and our Air
Force partners and make sure that the
F-16 block is actually going to stay
here and then we also can move red air
aggressive Squadron into the Holloman
area which would create more
opportunities within our our whole
community
and we work with the regional military
leaders to advocate for New Missions
here in our region we're constantly
talking to the Air Force about
opportunities at White Sands uh over at
Fort Bliss and obviously Holloman is a
great place and then we're also looking
at you know is there things that we can
do with the Navy bringing the Navy into
the Las Cruces area into the White Sands
and what are some of the things you can
do with that so one of our big focus is
really trying to make sure that we're
top of Mind in the Pentagon for any new
missions that come into the army or the
Air Force or any of the other uh
branches that are out there and with
that next slide
and Mr Gus Rodriguez will identify and
influence and structure need
infrastructure needs sir
thanks Lance
so some of our lines of effort is uh you
know in terms of the infrastructure is
that we've conducted various meetings to
bring in Greater awareness to the
capabilities that we have in our
regional military complex one of the
challenges that we have in the region is
just a lack of understanding of how
large uh White Sands and together with
Fort Bliss and Holloman is in terms of
utilization for training for National
Defense so we have met with individuals
leaders in the various
um Secretariat positions to be able to
bring greater awareness to that we're
also working with elected officials in
both the house armed services committee
and the Senate armed services committee
to advocate for increased uh milcon and
SRM
funding across the region uh recently we
last week we met with uh the senators
from Texas this week we're meeting with
adult with the senators from New Mexico
we've had an opportunity to meet with
congresswoman Harrell's team and also
Congressman Gonzalez so uh we're making
that connection between those teams uh
in this cross you know support on both
sides of the aisle to support White
Sands and the regional military complex
so we're we we're pleased with the
effort that's that's taking place there
uh an area big concern to us is the
impact of the uh all of the military's
Medical Services being moved under the
Department of Health Agency uh that is a
major concern to us because it impacts
how our veterans within the region are
going to be cared for in addition to how
our service members are going to be
cared for
um there's uh some in the earlier in the
early part of this transition
William Beaumont was going to lose you
know somewhere in the area of about 400
plus personnel and that is going to be
placed into the community we know that
William Beaumont handles also the
medical services for White Sands and
Holloman Air Force Base so that's a
Major Impact but the other con area of
concern is is it's being pushed into the
community uh those three those three
areas I you know Alamogordo Las Cruces
and El Paso all are under medically
served communities that now you have the
influx of additional service members
that were normally being treated by the
military
uh we continue to push for funding for
the Fort Bliss spur
um as uh John mentioned we have a large
number of service members that come in
and out of Fort Bliss and toon train and
Dona Ana and McGregor range in order
Grande uh and uh the challenge is that
we have one Railhead that you know moves
them in and out in addition to moving
service members from all three locations
and through that rail head all it takes
is one um you know little glitch and and
you have uh you've jeopardized the
movement of these service members and
they need to get pushed out quickly uh
and we're working to support the the
range sustainment the long-term quarters
that I mentioned earlier
um the those are things that are are
critical for continued opportunities for
White Sands to grow missions in terms of
testing and training uh most of the
almost all of the training that's being
done the testing that's being done for
Fields artillery and air defense is
being done through White Sands and I'm
improving grounds so those are great
opportunities in terms of modernization
and the role that White Sands will play
in the future of that effort by the
department of the army and working uh
with Holloman Air Force Base to increase
the housing and spousal employment and
the Improvement of this of the schools
and the expansion of the Roswell Airport
next slide
so very briefly these are the
organizations the public entities that
are engaged with arms and right now we
are entering our second year with El
Paso County in fact we just finished
making a similar presentation to them
two weeks ago and they've decided to
renew their agreement for another year
which would pleased to announce and we
completed as well presentations to the
city of Alma Gordo and Otero County both
of whom also have extended their
agreements with us for the next year as
well same with Horizon City Economic
Development Corporation
of course we're working with you now and
we hope that through this presentation
today that we can then proceed and begin
to have the city of Las Cruces
contributing financially to the
agreement per the mou that we have with
you we are in the final stages of a new
memorandum of understanding with the
city of El Paso another mirror Oscar
Lisa is in office and we are working
with Donata County in fact we had
initially scheduled a presentation later
this week with them but the county
manager asked to push us back a few
weeks so we're getting ready to make a
similar presentation to the County
Commissioners we've actually made a
presentation to both the county manager
and the assistant County Manager a few
weeks ago virtually as well next slide
please
so here are the private sector
organizations who are Financial
contributors partners with us
in these initiatives that we've just
presented to you noticeable by their
absence
our representations by the private
sector in both Alamogordo in Las Cruces
so far that's been by Design we wanted
to make sure that we have a strong
working relationship a trusting working
relationship with each of the
governmental entities that we're working
with
and now that we do we will begin and
we've already started working with Ella
mcguardo to identify some mostly defense
contractors but private sector
organizations in the Alamogordo area to
become participants as well and likewise
with you mayor and Council we will be
reaching out to you in the near future
to have you help us Identify some
organizations that you feel
should be participants in the arms
partnership and we'll reach out to them
with your permission first and foremost
next slide
I believe that's you guys
uh yes so as we said um some of the
notable accomplishments that we have is
uh you know our continued meetings with
the Army uh medical command and the
defense health agency to bring awareness
to the impact of the transition the
transition plans and how that's going to
impact our our regional communities uh
we are in the process of uh holding
meetings with the medical center of the
Americas develop a defense medicine
center of excellence that would support
William uh Beaumont and on a broader
scale all Department of Defense branches
in particular those service members that
are training within our region we've
conducted uh two-part multi-town Hall
meetings uh emphasizing that the testing
that's taking place at uh White Sands
with uh major with Excuse me Brigadier
General tribula and also with army test
and evaluation ban with General Gallivan
we've conducted town halls with army
Futures command which has the oversight
of all modernization efforts that are
taking place at White Sands uh the
command being in Austin but it has a
major Presence at Fort Bliss and White
Sands and we've hosted Town Hall
meetings with the Fort Bliss Garrison to
discuss the economic impacts that uh the
missions uh the military Mission have on
on our regional communities I'd like to
take the opportunity to extend an
invitation to members of council the
city manager and the mayor have
participated in some of these briefings
so whenever the opportunity presents
itself we'd like to extend that
invitation to all the members of council
so that you can also participate in
these uh briefings and have a better
understanding of some of the effort
that's uh that's moving forward next
slide please
we are as I said working closely with
army Futures command uh to uh get some
of those get experts to the regions to
deliver
needed information on opportunities for
small business within uh within our our
region uh we have coordinated meetings
with the commander not only with
congresswoman uh uh Harold and former
congresswoman Gonzalez uh Taurus uh
small but also with Congressman Gonzalez
and Escobar and uh we've been meeting
with the professional staffers of all of
these elected officials within our
within our region uh to discuss the way
forward on supporting some of the milcon
needs that our military installations
have in fact we're going to continue
those efforts we're meeting this
afternoon to further discuss that as I
said earlier we've briefed Congressman
Harold and Senator luhan's office in
terms of the priorities and how
regionally we can work on
um supporting the regional military
complex and then we are working with the
county of El Paso who is applied for and
is going to be receiving uh it looks
like they will be receiving a
multi-million dollar Grant to expand uh
the airport but from the aspect of a
transition Center where service members
can train and prepare themselves to go
out into the workforce most of this work
is going to be done uh virtually and
then there'll be a component that's
going to be Hands-On where folks will
have to go into the transition Center in
Fabens but for the most part these
efforts will be taking place virtually
which is a good opportunity for
transitioning service members to still
be serving as they prepare to get out
and be ready
to go once once they've exited from the
military you can start working
next slide please
Mr Dave
sir before I go in detail on the slide I
think it's important to note this
morning just this morning Mr Rodriguez
was notified because of our efforts and
our meetings with our various
Congressional Representatives as a
direct result of that congresswoman
Harrell's office is now connected with
Senator Cruz's office working on
priorities for the region for Holloman
White Sands and Fort Bliss in the
upcoming National Defense authorization
act which is critical to our ability to
raise the necessary funds to get the
construction work we need done to get
funding for the various programs testing
programs
Etc that are essential to this region so
we continue to modernize Fort Bliss as a
mobilization Force generation
installation you've heard the term mfgi
mentioned several times it's a tongue
twister for which we apologize but it
really is the critical piece that Gus
just spoke about a few minutes ago with
regarding the ability to mobilize and
demobilize units as they depart Fort
Bliss or return back to Fort Bliss White
Sands and Holloman I were proactively
pursuing our continuous Improvement
efforts for the regional medical
capabilities now this is really
essential to the region because if this
had gone unnoticed and if the defense
excuse me
medical had gone forward with its
original plans we would have lost a lot
of really critical positions at
William Beaumont which would have
impacted your community and our
community as well in terms of the
ability to take on that extra workload
for what they consider to be
non-essential medical services so we've
been able to reverse that and thankfully
we hope that we'll stay that way we're
working with all of our Congressional
delegations in both New Mexico and Texas
to ensure that the defense health agency
does not take the steps that they had
originally planned that can only be a
detriment to our region we are staying
engaged with both Army Futures command
and the Air Forces version of army
Futures is Air Force works and so we in
fact we just had a a great briefing with
the commander at Holloman just two weeks
ago as a direct result of of these
efforts and we continue to work on the
capabilities for White Sands as Gus
mentioned earlier a general tribula
participate is an active presentation
that he made to our region we had a
number of business people as well as the
public sector engaged in the discussion
with him on his Focus areas for White
Sands we continue to advocate for the
joint modernization command which I
think you may know that one in the 32nd
air and missile defense command as well
as Joint Task Force North are
headquartered in Fort Bliss they're not
branch locations these are their
headquarters
and so we need to protect and preserve
those
sustain and improve the defense
Workforce by building a pipeline well I
won't go into that because Gus and Lance
have already covered in detail what's
being done in that Arena
and of course to sustain safe desirable
affordable off-post housing to continue
to grow that I will tell you as an
offside
when we made the presentation John
Bailey and I did in person actually and
both done
Otero County and the City of Alamogordo
what we were surprised to hear from them
and we're glad you shared with us
is they have a major housing shortage in
Alamogordo so we're going to work with
them to try and find ways to expand that
effort so that they do not have any kind
of a of a lost opportunity for a new
Mission as a result of affordable or
available housing in that area and of
course encroachment is always a big
issue and I know that you are abundantly
aware of it
in Las Cruces because of White Sands and
some of the efforts that have gone on in
the past that would have
on the surface been appealing for the
region but would have put serious
encroachment issues in place that would
have damaged the capabilities of White
Sands for testing and training so that's
always Paramount in our minds and of
course while you want and we want to
continue to grow the Las Cruces Airport
as a as a major airport El Paso
International Airport continues to be
that centerpiece and so it's become even
more challenging this last year with the
issues of covid because we know almost
all of the airlines if not all of them
have cut back Flight Services numbers of
flights haven't even modified some of
the equipment that they've been using to
use smaller size aircraft
which is not good for anything and it's
certainly not good for the nation and we
need to continue to get them to reverse
that and
post coven go back to their plans for
expansion like they've been talking
about for some time so we can continue
to be an easy access point uh plus
frankly we need better service to watch
white uh Washington DC
we've been encouraging a Non-Stop
service and in fact I've just made a
recent presentation to the management at
the El Paso Airport to work with the
Albuquerque Sunport
because Albuquerque has the same
challenge we have a lot of people who
work with and or for the government have
a hard time getting to Washington DC and
they have no direct service either so
we've been trying to encourage is a
partnership where one of the airlines
preferably a Southwest or American
would have a One-Stop flight from El
Paso into Albuquerque and non-stop from
Albuquerque to Washington and the same
in reverse
we have a lot of work to do there I'll
be honest with you it's an uphill climb
but because of that we think there's a
much better opportunity to demonstrate
to the airlines
the profitability they can have from a
not with a non-stop flight from
Albuquerque to Washington
and the bottom line there was our
political leaders in the area
is to develop which we have done uh
talking points for each of your
communities to have a cheat sheet if you
will so they're all using the same sheet
of music to speak to the critical areas
of importance and the priorities
and the assets that White Sands Holloman
and Fort Bliss have and we'll be getting
those into the hands of the mayor and
city manager in the very near future
next slide
thanks thanks Richard can you do me a
favor can you go back to the slide where
you had the the different
um
no not that one the one with the
different members
the city the county yes sir
Lance is taking his name there we go
okay
yeah so do me a favor just for example
because I don't think my colleagues know
this how much you all charge the city of
El Paso to be part of this organization
okay what's on the table for them right
now is twenty thousand dollars
and in the new in the new agreement the
county of El Paso has just committed
their second year at twenty thousand
they were the first to step up at twenty
thousand uh the city of Alamogordo is at
10 the county of Otero is at 10 and
again they've each approved their second
year commitment to us
and they they pay us annually up front
just so you know by way of comparison
Horizon City economic development is
also in a 10 000 and they just approved
their second year with us as well
yeah it does I'll be real candid with
you the the two reasons I wanted to be
part of this and the first and foremost
and you didn't touch on it and hopefully
that means that then there's no
discussion on it but I would think that
especially now with the government the
way it is with the the I don't know 24
25 trillion in in debt
is the BRAC and and I think that's
really
as far as I'm concerned that's the value
you all bring
and that opportunity the the access that
you have to the Pentagon uh you know all
the other stuff that you have is good
good information
but when it gets right down to it I
don't want to lose White Sands Missile
Range and and back when BRAC was
discussed we still had Senator domain
and she's Senator bingaman uh
Congressman Richardson Manuel Lujan was
the Secretary of the Interior uh we had
Congressman scheme and um I mean we had
some heavyweights here we don't have
that now and that's why I'm just being
real candid with you why I I think it's
important to have you now please talk
about your relationships with the
Pentagon and the and the retired the the
lieutenant generals or maybe full
generals that you have access to that
the average person doesn't because I I
know that those discussions go on that's
that's first and foremost and then the
second one is
he touched on it a little bit is um
the relationship with PSL that that's
that's huge that's something there that
the current Chancellor is wanting to
bring back years ago PSL had a lot of
influence in the city of Las Cruces they
hired a lot of Engineers and they
brought a lot of good paying jobs to Las
Cruces previous administrations uh for
whatever reason they didn't want to do
that and now uh Chancellor or arvisu
through the hiring of retired Brigadier
General Eric Sanchez this is kind of is
moving in that direction which is great
and then the third thing
is William Beaumont you know we have a
lot of veterans here in Las Cruces that
and doniana County that utilize William
Beaumont for their VA care and if and if
they do anything to remove that that's
going to put that's their that's for for
those veterans or that live here in Las
Cruces and have no other health means
they can and and my I don't know if my
colleagues know this but if they have a
certain amount of if they're a veteran
in the United States Army or military
they have access to that hospital and
and so that's huge and so those are
three things uh reason why I I support
this relationship with you with you all
so I just I think there's three
questions
I just wanted to I think it's important
for us to highlight for you and for the
members of council if you like with your
permission I'll touch on the first one
and then I will have uh the team touch
on the PSL in Beaumont well let me do
this because I know she's been waiting
is
I'm familiar believe me I've I've
researched you all I know who you have
access to in your contacts which is very
impressive uh um and and yeah and it
would be nice that when the military is
talking about removing a particular uh
regiment or so or so and they can put it
at at uh I was going to say Fort White
Sands at White Sands Missile Range
uh that's good because Fort Bliss has
plenty already they got more than they
can handle you know people talk about
how great Economic Development Al Basel
does I tell them yeah bring us 70 000
people like they did when they brought
forward lists and you'll see this place
you know it'll go pretty good anyways uh
mayor Pro tem you have a comment and I
know you've been waiting but I
appreciate you letting them finish their
presentation
thank you mayor
um I appreciate you all being here today
I do remember you coming and presenting
and I'm a little concerned and Confused
um I thought then Council and just so
you're aware probably every two years we
have a new Council so you're presenting
to people that have never heard your
your presentation before and I
appreciated the the the depth of of it
and and the detail but I do remember
um you all coming and and I thought we
gave the non-mayor to have then former
city manager
um you know
provide the funding to next steps moving
forward so I remember the mou but I
don't know if we've if we provided that
funding
um at 20 000 but I I have always felt
um that this was a necessary
relationship
especially when our Economic Development
Department is specifically addressing
Aerospace we have our own priorities so
it would it would fall in line and we've
been doing a lot of updating to our
airport so
um I I too am in in support
um I think as as much as we can do to
help our our former military or the to
in transitioning into military life and
just having that that kind of access to
the Pentagon is so important so
um you know I I have been so I'm a
little confused so my question is did we
agree to provide twenty thousand and am
I hearing that we didn't or is this a
renewal of the twenty thousand
ten thousand
ten thousand okay ten fifteen twenty
whatever it is so is it a renewal
uh ma'am
where the agreement is written unless I
misunderstood it and we've all signed it
and I will defer to the to the city
manager to speak to this our
understanding is the way our agreement
is set up is each quarter and this is
one of the quarters that we're
presenting to you following our
presentation and the acceptance of our
presentation by Council then the city
issues us a quarterly check for
one-fourth of that amount we have not
yet received that first installment so
unless I'm I'm misunderstanding then
following today's date we should be
getting a check from the city of Las
Cruces for 2500 and then we'll get 2500
each quarter uh and this will be then
the first year of our full agreement
unless I misunderstood no no in mayor
Pro tem you're absolutely right um but
remember there was a transition there
and and then you know ifo uh came on
board and that's why this has been
scheduled so that he can as you
mentioned there's a couple new council
members but um you know it appears that
we're moving forward with it and that's
why it hadn't been
hadn't been consummated yet so mayor if
I may add to this conversation with
regard to the comments you made a
question a moment ago about our
connections with with the Pentagon and
also with mere Pro tems questions and
concerns
it's imperative I think especially for
the new members of council to know that
the five of us who make up the executive
committee for arms are all volunteers
we don't draw any paycheck none of the
monies that we collect are utilized for
any personal expenses it's all to fund
one thing the consulting firm that we
have in Washington that represents us
now
Cypress International
who is populated from the top down
with three four-star generals retired
two star generals in all four branches
of the military who give us that
immediate access into the Pentagon the
ability to have meetings both in person
and when necessary virtually with them
and help us with the critical talking
points to convey to those leaders in the
Pentagon as well so I think that's a
really critical piece of this
conversation that we have and that also
relates back to your earlier
conversation with me by prank okay I'm
gonna have to just stop you just for a
minute Richard when our attorney puts
her hand up I need to kind of see what's
okay Jennifer
thank you Marion Council um just to
clarify the agreement has been entered
into this is just part of that agreement
where there is a report there had to be
some deliverables met before payment was
made
okay and I think I believe that's what
they're reporting on the deliverables
okay thank you Miss Vega Brown
so what
they they reported okay so thank you for
that because that helps me
what are the deliberate deliverables
specific to Las Cruces
can you point them out I mean I read I
heard you and I understand but it felt
like there was a lot of work being done
in El Paso Roswell or excuse me El Paso
Alamogordo what has specifically
been done in relation to the city of Las
Cruces
that to me or the attorney
no no well to you all I don't think our
attorney knows that so
Richard
yes ma'am I'd be happy to answer that
question I think one of the main the
main focuses
yes
Rodriguez again um
Mr Mayor again uh in in reference to
that effort one of the main things uh I
guess if you want to put it lonely some
of the low-hanging fruit is some of the
missions that we have going on at White
Sands you know currently so this is
trans conversation that's taking place
in regards to those those opportunities
our engagement with um when Mr Sanchez
out at New Mexico state is critical
mainly mainly because 50 of the White
Sands Workforce is at as a retirement
age and at any point could choose to
retire and and we're having a challenge
White Sands in particular is having a
challenge filling filling those those
positions uh what a great opportunity
for our young people within the region
to take a look at these opportunities so
a lot of that work that we're attempting
to do right now is to try and fill in
those gaps that are taking place at
White Sands and utilizing the resources
that we have at New Mexico State also
donana Community College uh you know New
Mexico Tech to be able to bring those
keep those good paying jobs with
citizens of uh you know within within
our region the other effort that we're
pushing that we keep talking about in
terms of army Futures command is is
Major efforts that are taking place at
White Sands Missile Range when we talked
about the the presentations and the
interaction that we're having with
Brigadier General Gallivan he's the one
responsible for all of the testing
that's taking place at White's White
Sand Missile Range he is the higher
headquarters to bigger General type
tribula so those those efforts are
coming into our community uh the the
deceptive
thing that when we talk Fort Bliss when
many people don't realize is that uh
two-thirds of Fort Bliss resides within
New Mexico so all of the training that
we're talking about with the mfgi
mission and the fact that uh that
training in this summer will make make
uh that training area which is a part of
Fort Bliss but it is in New Mexico the
largest military installation in in New
Mexico at for that period of time again
is an opportunity for us regionally for
the city of Las Cruces to take a look at
how do we capture some of that some of
those opportunities that are taking
place that normally you're bringing
people from outside of the region to be
able to support those efforts you know
for example some of the evaluators
coming in from Colleen Texas you know
why why are we doing that some of the
tests some of the folks that are doing
the testing coming out of Huntsville
what are those things that we can do to
capture some some of those opportunity
entities within the Las Cruces in
particular Las Cruces area because you
have New Mexico state and you and you
know what what are those things that we
can do to assure that we're keeping our
young people here within the region you
know to to be able to fill those
positions to be able to become a part of
that and then also the opportunity that
we're we're one of one of the things
that we're going to be doing this coming
April is a briefing from General
Gallivan in regards to the value and the
importance of stem education and how it
presents opportunities for young people
not just by becoming service members but
also by taking a look at Government
Contracting positions uh good jobs or
also government service jobs and we're
going to be engaging with the Las Cruces
Independent School District as one of
those folks that participate in that
briefing so that they can get a good
sense of those opportunities within the
Department of Defense you know for young
people within the Las Cruces area yeah
so ma'am just um you know initially I
mean it's just um you know it's the
infancy of what we're doing and uh and
and we're taking a look at some of that
low-hanging fruit and to see how we can
expand on that and become a greater
opportunity you know for you know for
for Las Cruces for the city of Las
Cruces I don't know if that answers your
question Matt it does I I really
appreciate you explaining further
um I it aligns with our strategic
planning in that you know we're we're
trying to provide the kind of economic
right activity and ensuring that our
kids are are our New Mexico State
graduates stay here right and so I see
the alignment really
um I see that for sure but what I like
to see is some more immediate
um
in that
scheduling to speak to our our director
at the airport our economic development
director
um Dr grazilda Martinez and glad to hear
that you're scheduling with the Las
Cruces Public Schools
um I think that is so um important
um
and and and and our d you know the
doniana Community College when when you
talk about those
um you know folks that are transitioning
out of the military right and into into
civilian life to me that is extremely
important and while I have you here and
I remember is you know I'm a I'm a
social worker so
um
um I'm very concerned about mental
health and some of the things right
suicide especially amongst our veterans
um and and really um active military
correct
um suicidal ideation so I would really
love to have a a second conversation
offline with our Suicide Prevention task
force it was just brought to my
attention that we'd like to have um some
representation at Holloman from Holloman
because we've understood that there's
been some some major issues there and
and I just I would be the contact person
um and I would I would love to see us
um have a a deeper conversation right
related to
um our military's mental health and how
we work together right to ensure that
they're not isolated that they have the
necessary services that you know the the
the numbers that phone you know the
crisis line numbers the we're moving
into the 988
um number right similar to our 9-1-1 the
988 when people are in suicidal crises
you know those kinds of things so I want
to definitely keep our military
um right in the in the conversation so
um you know I'm in support about this I
was
when you came to present to us probably
a couple of years ago I think
um maybe longer
so thanks mayor for the for the
opportunity to discuss my concerns and
questions
um
again ma'am so I will I will definitely
reach out to you because this you know
the the issues that you bring up in
terms of the active component of our
military are are very are very
concerning and and I know that there's a
tag team effort and of course we know
that you know White Sands only has about
160 service members uh permanent party
that obviously we we need to work on
growing but it definitely is an impact
in terms of you know we do have soldiers
from from Fort Bliss that reside within
the city of Las Cruces and the
surrounding areas you know and and and
also service service members of Holloman
so uh I will I will um given the
opportunity would love to just discuss
this further with you ma'am to see how
we can engage in a much stronger way in
some of those efforts thank you so much
thank you mayor
your questions uh yes yes Richard
uh councilor Vasquez and then counselor
abatement
uh thank you thank you mayor uh thank
you to all of our presenters as well
good to hear an update here on this
today uh thank you mayor Pro tem for
those questions I was wondering myself
what um uh what process I guess or what
stage we were in as part of our
relationship here
um I do remember you coming to council
and presenting this opportunity in the
past and I was at that time I think
um I don't want to call it skeptical but
just wondering what this might end up
looking like
um in in terms of uh how the city's
interests would be served through this
contract
um and so I will ask some questions here
to that to that uh vein
um just to make sure we're all on the
right track here
um but I guess first I'll just say that
yes you know obviously the public sector
in New Mexico particularly in our region
is you know one of the the largest
employer of people in our community to
include uh places like white stands in
NASA and
um even as far up as Holloman and
certainly as far down south as as Fort
Bliss from folks who choose to live here
but perhaps work or are stationed at any
one of those uh places or our
contractors involved with the activities
that happen on our military bases
um it's it's a tremendous economic asset
and that impact is really widely felt
here in Las Cruces so I just want to say
that first and and thank you also for
your focus on this
um my question is uh first is is just
around Cyprus International
um uh how much if I may ask what is a
total contract that that your entity
gives to Cyprus International
um is it what does is it what the whole
contract is involving all the local
municipalities or are there additional
funds that are given to that consulting
firm okay I can answer some questions if
you prefer
okay
uh either way
well our contract is for this is should
be public information since we're using
public funds is 110 000 a year
and uh All the Monies that we collect
from all of our participants public and
private are utilized to service that
agreement with Cyprus I also think since
we're talking about Cyprus it's
important to note representative Vasquez
that
we chose Cyprus for a specific reason it
was Cyprus that when I was the Chamber
of Commerce in El Paso
we hired to be our consultant during as
the mayor was talking about the base
realignment enclosure process that
occurred in 2005 I can tell you
unequivocally
if it had not been for cyprus's advice
and Council and access for us to the
Pentagon during the break process White
Sands Holloman and Fort Bliss Fort Bliss
in particular would have been net losers
not gainers in that brag process it was
their advice that helped guide us it
helped us secure White Sands and and
Fort Bliss in particular those two as
the embodiment of what training and
testing is for the Army today and
Richard can you share what BRAC stands
for basically yes sir it's a base
realignment and closure Yeah so
basically getting rid of bases president
made a he said you know what Cold War is
Over let's start reducing our military
bases and they just started picking and
let me tell you something that was a
scary that was a scary time it was scary
times and but to your your comment
earlier mayor uh I'll just address the
the constant
Shadow if you will the cloud that exists
there's been no real serious discussions
about BRAC of late
there's been no political will if you if
you will by certain members of Congress
and Senate the most powerful to do a
black process for fear that they might
be the uh the negative the losers in the
brag process however to your point that
was before we began to incur trillions
of dollars in your debt because of kovid
and now with the 24-25 trillion dollar
national debt
um I don't I think all cards are on the
table and we have to be constantly
mindful which is another value that
Cyprus brings to us to keep us alerted
to such possibilities so that we can be
proactive
and that's this is uh Lance Laird and
that's absolutely a topic of discussion
uh we meet twice a month at a minimum uh
with Cypress and that is a topic of
discussion every single meeting they
understand that any Whispers any
anything uh and they are privy to all
those and and I might add it's not just
the three and four star generals but we
talked to assistant Secretary of the
army for a uh installations and we
talked to Manpower and the deputies
secretaries of defense we've gone in and
spoke with them and so we are keeping uh
this region top of Mind within the
defense establishment not just not just
the Pentagon but those civilian uh
appointed leaders that run it and so I
think that's that's the power that you
see from this
thank you both I really appreciate that
answer
um and uh this next question is not uh
it's just a kind of a clearing house
question here I have to ask but
um because this money is essentially
going to a third party uh I'm assuming
that you as an entity have cleared any
conflicts of interest
um between yourself and members of that
uh or between yourself and that uh
organization is that is that safe and
accurate great question for the record
that is a great question uh
representative Vasquez and the answer is
yes but not only that because of the due
diligence of your legal department by
the way it took us almost a year to get
our memorandum understanding finalized
so they are they're very diligent and
detail-oriented but we actually have an
insurance policy we made special
purchase of only for the city of Las
Cruces I almost forgotten about it until
you mentioned it uh to protect the city
of Las Cruces for many issues that might
come up
unforeseen as they may be with
represented being represented by Cyprus
even though our agreement is directly to
Cyprus we the city of Las Cruces
requested that we provided with that
additional insurance coverage which we
have done so
okay thank you Mr Dave uh yeah that
pesky pesky Insurance
um that uh that right at least a million
at least a million dollars at
comprehensive coverage or something like
that uh exactly right yes that's well
thank thanks for taking that extra step
to to uh to work with the city
um uh second question here is actually
just a strategic one
um and this is a uh you know we have a
senator here Mr Martin Heinrich who uh
was just appointed to the Appropriations
Committee and is actually the chair of
the military subcommittee for
Appropriations which is a huge asset for
New Mexico
um he's one he essentially is the person
that will be leading budget decisions
for military installations and helping
to prevent things like BRAC
um future Brack actions impacting
um New Mexico's military installations
um so how how would you describe yours
or or cyprus's relationship with
probably the most influential member of
the Senate who now rep in this space and
at least Appropriations for military
bases
um if you could just comment on that
quickly that'd be great certainly that
yes I'll go and take that you know I'll
take that question so that's a that's a
very good question we have a briefing
with the senator staff that is going to
be taking place this week in regards to
the mill cotton issue so he is
definitely uh on our on our radar screen
and uh our intent obviously is to marry
him to his staff to the folks in
particular with uh Congressman Gonzalez
and that represents the southern portion
of El Paso County because on you know
you have Senator Heinrich that's uh that
works the milk on issues and you have
Congressman Gonzalez who works
appropriation so both of those tag team
together is a is a big plus for our
region and as as the mayor mentioned uh
earlier uh the region in particular New
Mexico has you know is is barely
starting to get back in that in those
influential key positions that over over
time uh seniors senators or senior
members of the House you know are able
to take on so to to the simple answer to
your question uh Mr council member is
that uh we are we are in dialogue with
them and we are our uh our agreement
with them is that we will uh interact
with them not monthly at least at
minimum quarterly but our intent is to
try and uh continue that Dialogue on a
monthly basis where we're getting status
reports on on the effort that we're
doing
and uh
this is lanceler yep so the the
big part of this uh that that you can be
aware of is the cross-pollination that
we're facilitating so facilitating the
senator speaking with the congressman
and congressman's offices working with
other Congress congressmen and women is
to cross-pollinate that and start to
work the the you know so that if we're
low on the on the
um task
that we can bring
um bring
together both Congress and the Senate
and so that we have a much better chance
of getting after what we need uh in the
region and that's a that's also a
powerful part of what we do sir
thank you so much uh both of you uh
gentlemen I appreciate it and my last
question here
um and that's really helpful context to
know I'm trying to figure out how all
these pieces work together with our
federal Representatives right who
Advocate
um obviously for the economic
development and and training and
um housing and all the different
opportunities that our military
installations bring to our local
communities
um with with you as a citizen or as uh
advocates for our Borderland communities
um and and that's really uh helpful
um but my last question is just around
uh just any type of of written report or
performance measures at the end of our
contract is there a written summary that
you submit to uh the city of Las Cruces
that outlines the detail of activities
that that um that you all have conducted
um and and is that something that's made
available to our staff
if I may take that guess
um was not specifically called for in
our written agreement we've made a
commitment that would not only do
quarterly briefings but at the end of
the first year so after you've completed
the contract with us for one year at
that year end and we'll provide you with
a written report of what what were the
actionable items what how what what
level of success we've had in each area
for you to have as a written reports
public information it needs to be so we
have nothing to hide we want to make
sure that every taxpayer in Las Cruces
who feels like this is a worthwhile
agreement to have with us feels as they
read our written report that it's
acceptable so that we can then have you
hopefully as counsel approve the second
year with us
thank you so much uh yes that's that's
really important um I I you know won't
go into the minutia of checking on
things like that but I'm sure staff
would appreciate it and like you said
the taxpayers would really appreciate it
um even though we're not talking a large
dollar amount understanding what some of
the uh activities or issues were that
you worked on On Any Given year how they
supported or benefited our community
here in the city of Las Cruces
um and and what things were even avoided
um right or discussed or how many folks
were brought together to discuss a
certain issue for me it just helps me
understand what the value of this
contract is and so um I trust that staff
would would
um would also uh uh appreciate that as
well and so thank you for your
commitment to do that Mr Mr dailub and
yes sir again and thank you all for uh
for your work here couldn't agree more
that this is incredibly important just
want to make sure we're moving the
needle on things so thank you thank you
thank you sir
counselor
um councilor Flores
thank you mayor and thank you gentlemen
so I'm just curious about what happened
um several years ago I I don't recall
this coming up when
um as long as I've been on Council but
um mayor Pro tem Gandara
um
about that so and uh attorney Vega Brown
um
I mentioned that there weren't any
deliverables so what was the problem
there and why and um and the reason I'm
asking is
um how do we know that's not going to
happen again
I'm not sure to what you're referring to
ma'am the agreement we have actually
have several it's written in the
document I don't have it handy but I'm
sure the City attorney does but there
are several specifics that were written
into the agreement by the city of Las
Cruces as to what they want us to focus
on in each Community by the way
Alamogordo both the county of Otero and
the City of Alamogordo same with the
city of Las Cruces the same with the
city of El Paso Horizon City and the
county of El Paso each have specific
areas of focus they want us to pursue so
it's written in your in your current
agreement with us okay
I'm sorry
and you're saying that whatever that uh
deliverable was you performed and I need
to know what it was and I need to know
why if this is a quarterly and you want
to renewal
um and this is an annual renewal
what
where when was the last time you
reported to us I just want to know what
happened between that first agreement
and now
um okay there's been no there is no
second agreement yet this is still we're
in the first let me try let me try to
clarify that real quick so counselor
Flores when Council gave the go-ahead
then staff started working on it and
then um Jennifer and and maybe Barbara
uh you know were hammering out various
details and then they got it done this
is our this is the first report and then
they'll get their first check after this
um so let me let me ask Barbara and
because I know Jennifer just popped on
but she may have just been here to watch
watch you in action
uh Barbara did you have a comment
I did uh thank you mayor and counselor
Flores Barbara DeLeon for the record
um and as Mr Dave said yes there are
deliverables in the contract I actually
can share my screen with you if you like
so you can see the structure of the
deliverables in the contract
that
foreign
and you should see that the first
deliverable involves growing the
Aerospace and defense industry and in
Las Cruces do you see that information
well I can see the attachment
um and scope of services but my this
looks like an eye test that my doctor's
office I apologize let me see the Top
Line says okay then I'll just I'll just
summarize for you I I apologize sir uh
all right so the scope of services
includes
um coordinating meetings with key
stakeholders
um meetings that would be take place in
Las Cruces
um providing business leads one per
quarter uh in the Aerospace and defense
related Industries for example that's
under the first deliverable
um the second one involves supporting
and advocating for White Sands Missile
Range and the way uh by providing
advisory informational information
excusing me and the deliverable or the
performance measures to increase the
number of soldiers or civilians at
Wismer for example so so there are five
key deliverables and the fifth
deliverable is the one that Mr Dave
noted today which is the quarterly
report to the council regarding outcomes
for the deliverables and goals
so miss de Leon
um when was this contract entered into
it was entered into in October
uh last October 2020 I believe
is when it was signed okay
so this is their first quarterly
that is correct
okay and
um
so they've complied with all the
deliverables and now they're due a
quarter of the ten thousand dollars in
my
following that correctly so far
the contract actually stipulates for an
annual payment
okay so that annual payment isn't
I see
okay
so this was something that um so we have
the one contract and they're here to do
the reporting and they're that's part of
the deliverable and here we are thank
you very much Miss de Leon thank you Mr
Mayor okay very good
well Richard I I think uh thank you
Barbara Richard I think we've got and
and Gus and and John
all of all of you I think we've got it
covered I think you guys have presented
it well and information is good but
um yeah try to bring some more soldiers
there and and uh to White Sands okay yes
sir well in closing and by the way since
I wasn't able to be on at the very
beginning a little remiss on my part I
just wanted to take a moment to thank
some of the members of your team of
course you know your attorney uh who has
been so helpful and instrumental in
getting an agreement we put together but
working with Barbara uh and Annette to
get our ourselves scheduled onto your
agenda because it's not easy you guys
have a lot on your plates every day so
getting on the agenda was no small task
but I think Barbara de Leon for that and
Annette she got our presentation which
we were able to present before you today
and to the public who are listening but
I want to thank all of you mayor council
the city manager whom I've not yet had a
chance a meeting person but look forward
to the opportunity as soon as we start
to free up the community a little bit
and we can maybe look forward to making
a formal in-person presentation to you
for the next quarterly report right from
from as the phrase goes from from my
lips to God's ears but we thank you for
this opportunity and for your patience
and for the uh frankly the very pointed
and intelligent questions that you pose
to us which I think will only be helpful
to the listening public who participated
today so I want to thank all of you very
much on behalf of our entire executive
committee okay well thank you very much
Richard we appreciate it and um
keep up the good work so yes sir thank
you
all right so we're going to go ahead and
move to 4.2 the
2021-2025 Consolidated plan I believe
Natalie Green will be making that
presentation
good afternoon Mr Mayor members of
council Natalie Green for the record the
discussion before you is a high level
overview of our
2021-2025 Consolidated plan
um with the corresponding 21 action plan
and the analysis of impediments to fair
housing Choice
um just for a quick overview it is a
mandated document that is to be
completed every five years and submitted
to the Department of Housing and Urban
Development the piece that we'll be
discussing today in particular is the
Strategic plan and that one-year Action
Plan before I turn it over to Crescendo
Consulting I just want to give a big
thank you to our stakeholders and
community members who contributed to
this project and then of course to the
housing and neighborhood staff that has
been living and breathing this document
for the last seven months so I'll turn
it over to Caitlin Michaud with
Crescendo Consulting
and I'll let her take it away thank you
great thank you Natalie for the record
this is Caitlin we showed from a
crescendo Consulting Group presenting on
behalf of Natalie's team here today uh
mayor city manager and Council men and
women and others on the call it's nice
to see you all again we spoke about
probably four to six weeks ago about the
process of the report so we're excited
to be here towards the end of the
process and presenting uh the results to
you and where we are right now before we
submit this to HUD later this uh year so
highlights of our process here is the
research is complete and thanks to many
of you who participated in the process
we had lots of great insights from the
community uh so now we're in the process
of going to public comment as Natalie
says this document is a requirement to
receive federal funding and they do have
kind of a process that you have to
follow so once we complete the report
both the Consolidated plan and the
analysis of impediments to fair housing
we must go to public comment for 30 days
so we are currently in the public
comment period as of last week it will
continue to be through April 15 2021 and
the final approved plan will be
submitted to HUD no later than May 14th
after EU City Council Members approved
the plan in the coming weeks
additionally during the public comment
period we are going to be hosting for
virtual public hearings between March
31st and the first we'll have the dates
later in the slide deck but if you want
to register for those public comments
and have access to the full reports that
we're going to discuss at a very high
level today uh you can see the website
it's on the city website that you can
link to here or you can search on the
website and I'm sure if you have
questions reach out to me or Natalie are
on her team too and they can provide
that link to you
so as part of the Consolidated plan
um HUD requires after we do the research
we did the needs assessment we did the
market analysis you know we checked out
what the housing was like what are some
of the needs in the area and then we
create a five-year strategic plan based
on the research that we found part of
the Strategic plan is developing goals
So based on the research that we found
we have created five goals and we'll
discuss each of these in a little more
detail in the coming slides but to give
you an overview of uh the the goals here
we'll start first with Goal number one
which is low to moderate income
residents will have access to Safe
decent and affordable housing so what
HUD prefers is we like to have broad but
yet specific goals as this is how you're
going to use your funding and how you
allocate the funding for projects over
the next five years so you want it broad
enough that you don't you know you leave
opportunities there if a new project
comes down the pipeline um So based on
the goals we have here on affordable
housing we have some potential
strategies and again this is not
inclusive lists you know these are there
are a lot of other strategies in the
full report as well so I do encourage
you to look into the full report but to
give you some potential strategies over
the next five years to help address this
goal uh we have things such as a
voluntary rental unit registration
inspection program developing more
robust Property Maintenance codes you
know lobbying the state for more funding
in for projects housing projects in
Southern New Mexico
ensuring Ada accessible housing is
available in the area as well again
there are more strategies in the full
report so I do encourage you to look at
the report
goal number two is improve access to
current programs for health and safety
information transportation and
recreational Services I know it's a very
broad uh goal here but these goals were
developed based on how HUD wants
um entitlement communities to allocate
their funding based on kind of Hud spot
goals so these goals are kind of tied to
the funding as well
um so for potential strategies under
this goal you know it's increased
awareness about variable services in the
community you know provide free or
low-cost services to qualified
individuals increase in capacity and
access to case management again very
broad on another covid specific impact
because of the um pandemic we are seeing
a need for increased Mental Health
Services and support for isolated
seniors and others in the community so
you'll see a Trinkle of the cobit effect
throughout these goals as well
so goal three is enhance the overall
economic well-being of all residents
through education training employment
opportunities and Business Development
so this goal is really focused around
Economic Development so potential
strategies include but again are not
limited to job skill trainings you know
one of the things came coming out of
covid is Nurse education or Allied
Health Training as well for need of
increased health care workers financial
literacy education for Youth and adults
provide small business support and
education or potentially grants and
programs to that effect and these goals
as well I just want to say are tied back
to your new comprehensive plan Elevate
Las Cruces as well so we try to make
sure that things connect throughout your
um plans and I know you just recently
passed a new strategic plan at the city
council level as well so many of these
goals you'll see connect back to that as
well
so goal number four enhance the quality
and use of the physical infrastructure
in Las Cruces
so many of these potential strategies
include develop and improve public
facilities or your roots your youth
centers and recreational facilities your
transportation as well such as bus stops
the bus system
and goal number five is prevent and
reduce homelessness so this is often
tied with housing as well so specific to
kind of homelessness or those
experiencing housing instability or
couch surfing uh so we look at support
the expansion of beds for domestic
violence shelters or other shelters as
well such as transitional or permanent
shelters shelters or youth shelters as
well
um other things that are getting tied
into this which also falls under housing
is reduced landlord stigma around
Housing Voucher programs and just the
general stigma or around the housing
voucher programs
so now we're going to transition into
the annual action plan as as Natalie
says each year so the Consolidated plan
covers five years it's 20 21 through
2025 and for each of those years HUD
requires the city to do an annual action
plan which determines how that funding
that you receive for that year is going
to be allocated throughout the community
for the projects that you're working on
that then get tied back to your
Consolidated plan so we're going to talk
about your first year so 2021 is the
year number one of the Consolidated plan
and for this year and for the next five
years you can see between the Community
Development block grant cdbg and home
investment partnership Grant or whole
grants the city of Las Cruces is
receiving over 1.5 million dollars to be
allocated for projects within the
community
and these are the proposed projects
Natalie and her team spent a lot of time
reviewing applicants uh she could talk
more about that uh process if you have
any questions but the city does go out
for RFP for
um Community
um service organizations in the
community to receive this funding they
submit grants and if they meet the
requirements of how they Define funding
and also the goals of the Consolidated
plan if they can work on allocating
funding so these are the projects going
forward in 2021 and you can see how each
is funding through cdbg and for home
grants I'm not going to read all the
slides for you uh certainly if you have
specific questions at the end we're
happy to discuss them as well and again
you can get these are just high level
kind of overviews of the planned
activities again the full Consolidated
plan has more detailed information about
each of the projects but you can see a
lot of the funding is going towards
affordable housing projects rental
assistance and home Rehabilitation as
well
and for cdbg Public Funding Services
there's City spends over 160 thousand
dollars on the projects and again you
can see that 160 thousand dollars is
going between five organizations in the
community uh you have them Silo Valley
Community of Hope uh dragon
discuss and uh Envy ercilla ballet Casa
as well receiving funding
additional projects here for cdbg
funding is uh you can see the
organizations here a lot of this funding
is around infrastructure changes and
improvements for these organizations in
the community
so now we're going to transition to
analysis of impediments to fair housing
so last time we met with you all we
didn't we talked very briefly about this
you'll hear me abbreviate abbreviate it
as AI not artificial intelligence but
analysis of impediments to fair housing
Choice it's a long word so we often
abbreviate it to AI so if I if you hear
that that's what I'm referring to here
again an AI is another regulatory
requirement the city of Las Cruces is
mandated to affirmly further fair
housing and it is a regulatory
requirement to receive federal funding
from HUD as well and it's also a really
good process to do and it's important
I'm sure many of you are very aware of
fair housing acts but I just wanted to
add a quick slide in here for those who
might not be as familiar with it uh Fair
Housing Act was signed into law by
President Johnson in 1968. it expanded
uh the Civil Rights Act earlier a few
years prior but fair housing act per
prohibits discrimination in housing
because of race color national origin
religion sex familiar status or
disability and this includes from the
rental side and the home ownership the
home buying process and just all housing
related activities
so through the process the AI we did the
research as we did the Consolidated plan
so it was run parallel and very similar
a lot of the data that you pull for the
AI is same as the Consolidated plan and
HUD again defines kind of the research
process for the analysis of impediment
so that it's across the country for all
municipalities that do this work it's
pretty standardized
based on our analysis we identified four
appendments to fair housing and again
we'll cover each of these in the coming
slides I'm going to apologize in advance
I know they're very text heavy and this
is only a snippet of again what's in the
full report so if you're interested in
this I I do recommend that you read the
full announcement of impediments or you
can at least go to the very end and kind
of receive the um shortened version of
it or the conclusions of it but our
first impediment again this is a
pullover from previous impediments uh
reports I've done again they're done
every five years with the Consolidated
plan
so the first one is lack of knowledge
route fair housing roles and
responsibilities of consumers and
providers and again this is a a previous
impediment that we're still finding is
is still current in 2021 is that you
know knowledge whether it's peripheral
knowledge or really extensive knowledge
of fair housing in the community is not
as broad or as as high as we we'd like
it to be and this is common in almost
every Community as well this is not
unique to Las Cruces but from those who
provide housing related activities and
even as consumers as renters or
homeowners there could be more knowledge
in the community about fair housing and
their their rights foreign
two is discrimination by property owners
and managers against persons with
disabilities so again that that is a
pullover from the previous one and a new
addition to this 2021 analysis of
impediments is it includes and housing
voucher programs limit these groups from
equal access to housing so we're finding
in the research through again the
quantitative research and the
qualitative research we did is that
those living with disabilities have a
harder time finding homes uh many
property owners
you know don't work as well with these
tenants to help them meet their
accommodations for whatever their
disability might be and we're also
finding that there is a stigma around
Housing Voucher programs with some
private landlords I think again it just
comes from a lack of awareness and a
lack of knowledge about what is the
Housing Voucher Program how it works and
there's you know there's been again this
is not unique to less curses it happens
in many communities across the country
this is just a stigma around housing
vouchers and the people who use it so
again you know information sharing PSAs
would be helpful here
impediment three the increasing costs
and scarcity of both rental and forsair
for sale housing disproportionately
impacts low-income households as
Quantified in the cond plan and the
housing concern section and Analysis of
impediments so if you can remember a few
weeks back when we first looked at the
research we showed you a lot of tables
and graphs that support to this again I
can go back to the full report and you
can see all those data tables we're
happy to walk you through them anytime
you have questions as as well but you
know this is very relevant to right now
you're going through the pandemic is
that the pandemic has made the
affordable housing crisis in this
country even worse there's just a severe
supply of both rental and for sale
um houses at the moment especially those
who are low income are very low income
are really feeling that burden as well
impediment number four this is a new
impediment for the 2021 analysis of of
impediments here and again if you're
interested in this data happy to walk
you through it it is in the full report
but loan denial rates remain relatively
high for some racial ethnic groups and
this was really interesting to dig into
so HUD their fair housing and equal
opportunity office collects all the
mortgage lending data mortgage lenders
are required to submit data the data the
newest data available is 2017 so it is a
few years old but it's really look
interesting looking at that data and
digging deep into kind of low denial
rates by ethnic racial groups and we did
fine for the indigenous Native American
populations and black and or
African-American racial groups is that
they're they are disproportionately
denied rates it's often due to credit
um and a lot of credit related
activities so potential kind of
strategies to help mitigate this is just
providing potential opportunities for
credit counseling or more a first-time
homebuyer education for people who do
want to come become home buyers
so our next step for both the
Consolidated plan and the analysis of
impediments for fair housing as I
mentioned earlier in this presentation
we are currently in a 30-day public
comment period from March 15th so last
Monday through April 15th in the coming
weeks it the reports are available on
the city website you can download them I
apologize in advance about 200 pages
long each
um so they are a long read but lots of
great information there and I do
encourage you at least to skim through
it we are hosting four public comment
meetings starting next week we have
having two on the 30th a lunchtime and
an evening Zoom meeting and then then
again that Wednesday the 31st in the
evening and that Thursday the first uh
mid-afternoon so we do encourage you to
come if you ask questions
um you can come provide any feedback you
have for us we're here to listen to your
concerns your edits and your feedback uh
again you can also submit it next slide
Natalie
if you don't want to come or you're not
available to come to those public
comment meetings you can also submit
written or phone edits comments feedback
as well to Natalie and her team by mail
email or phone
so once again I want to thank you all
for participating in this process you're
um very valuable we appreciate your
opportunity to present today and have
your involvement and at this point I
would like to thank you once again and
open it up to her questions comments
concerns feedback
thanks Caitlin uh sorry I had some
difficulties hopefully you guys can hear
me
[Music]
yeah good okay all right so uh looks
like wow okay so when I go to this
laptop because there must be doing some
work on Comcast so I had to switch this
laptop and this is CenturyLink
um your hands the change the color of
your hands change on this one versus
this one so okay so
they've always been different colors no
really so on this one is blue on my
desktop yeah blue hands so okay that's
why this one here okay so counselor pin
Como and the American Temp
Le
um thank you so much much Natalie and
your team for all the work you've put on
this and certainly the Consultants as
well I'm excited to dig deep
um into the entire report for sure
um I have not done that yet
um obviously but
um since you're here I wanted to ask you
if part of the goals and the strategies
you've laid out in those if you have
also policy recommendations I heard a
lot of maybe more programmatic things
and what I've learned through the
housing PRC is that our partners in the
community they're doing their thing they
know you know they have a clear pathway
forward they have a clear vision and
often I feel like our role is to try to
get rid of these impediments like you
said try to through policy like more
systemic changes so that people can
operate more freely to be able to do the
work they need to when we're serving our
community
in terms of Housing and so I'm curious
if you have provided some more of those
systemic type of recommendations
yes thank you Council on the Ben Cuomo I
think that's a great observation and we
do provide some of that in both the AI
document you'll probably see more of
that in that document because we do
spend some time actually analysing
analyzing your your current policies
looking at your zoning looking at your
comprehensive plan which I know you just
redid as well
um you did spend some time looking at
that and I do think Elevate Las Cruces
has some really good
um opportunities there with some policy
changes that I know that are in the
works might take a little while but I
know you're working on it with the
housing PRC as well so there is some of
that and I know Natalie as well I
believe next process going forward to
continuing looking at housing is doing
another affordable housing plan
um with MFA I believe is that correct
Natalie or for MFA
Mr Mayor Natalie Green for the record
yes that is correct
great I'm really looking forward to
reading that for sure so I really really
appreciate that I'm excited about it I
feel like
um we have a lot of exciting things
happening in in the housing PRC I'm in
housing in general
um a couple of the impediments you
listed it's particularly one and two I
wonder Natalie what kind of
legal support do we have for residents
who find themselves in those situations
where they're being discriminated
against by a landlord the property owner
for whatever reason
um you know I'm not given everything
that's happened that's happened in the
last year with covid and how hard it was
to fight evictions I'm just curious just
in general outside of regular outside of
covid what kind of legal or any kind of
support do our residents have when it
comes to this
um Mr Mayor members of council Natalie
Green for the record
one we have staff so and the city I
would like to highlight that we are one
of the only municipalities that has our
own fair housing ordinance in addition
to the the federal uh
ordinances or or laws but staff
regularly takes phone calls on landlord
tenant issues they they screen them
essentially for fair housing violations
if there's a fair housing violation we
do referrals to HUD we can also assist
them and have many times in filling out
the online uh
complaint portal so we've we've had
particular clients especially around uh
disabilities
or or if they have mental disabilities
that makes it hard for them or even if
they're limited English proficiency they
can come in and we can assist them with
filing that complaint and so we keep an
open line of communication with HUD uh
regularly so we're able to do that of
course they themselves have their own
um
issues so to speak and then there's been
changes with the last Administration
that rolled back a lot of the
protections under Fair Housing law but
staff is always available to members of
the community if they need assistance
that's great Natalie thank you so much
how would someone find that information
how would someone know that there is
this resource in our community
Mr Mayor councilman come on we have all
the information uh on our website we
also regularly uh have their housing
pamphlets all across City buildings at
the library within City Hall
um next month is actually uh fair
housing awareness month so I have a
feeling that a proclamation will be
coming forward and we've also uh worked
with our utilities department to put
fair housing flyers in all the utility
bills for April
that's great Natalie I'm so I didn't
know that I'm so glad to know perhaps
maybe through the PRC we can do some
um
I don't know work with the
communications department and do uh
greater Outreach for the community given
that it's
um fair housing awareness month I think
that's a huge opportunity to get a lot
more information out there in Spanish
and English yes we will work on that
thank you awesome thank you and then
just my last question is around I was
curious
um Caitlyn if you had more information
on the loan denial rates
um who is that affecting particularly
um do we have information that specific
to Las Cruces and and is that going to
be in the report
yes this is Caitlin Michaud from
Crescendo for the record yes
um most of that we have a bunch of data
tables in the report if you want to
connect offline I can walk you through
it as well more than happen that goes to
anyone on the call as well if you're
interested in learning more but there
there's a bunch of data in there we were
able to get data for Less cruises and
the state of Mexico as well
great thank you very much I really
appreciate that Kaylin and everyone
thanks man
thank you mayor Putin
yes thank you mayor um thank you Natalie
um I received this last week it was like
hot off the press I was asking her about
a couple of questions because my student
was actually working on a policy and she
was looking at House Bill 111 right so
sad that it it got it it was it was beat
pocket beatled I guess it was never
heard really in judiciary ultimately
um but that would have been really
helpful I think in establishing a
statewide right housing
committee
um and and just getting more recognition
that I think housing deserves so much
Statewide
um but also helping to
prevent or curtail write this
discrimination from the number of you
know people coming in with vouchers and
such and and so you know just uh we'll
keep working through it so Caitlin I'm
gonna take you up on your offer and
going through the reports so I started
doing some of that but not at Great
length
um so I I
I wanted to so I just needed some
clarification Natalie so March 31st to
April 1st there will be a public
um
hearings if you will on this particular
item you know on the Consolidated plan
and you're and you're looking for people
to
um comment on the five goals and
strategies
um or or and then when they do do that
are you gonna rethink what that might be
or I guess I want to hear from you what
what you're looking for in relation to
that the public hearings
uh it's very possible that that could
happen you know uh against most of these
goals are set with a lot of data behind
them so I don't see us necessarily
changing them uh but we could definitely
modify them add additional strategies uh
the public comment period is for the
full 15 days but we are having the four
public hearings to solicit that input
from the public and all of their input
gets incorporated into the document so
we have to report too HUD if we choose
not to accept any comments and it's very
rare that that happens uh usually a
comment is not accepted because it was
profane or something along those lines
but
generally we accept every comment we
receive and incorporate it into the
document
thank you Natalie that that's very
helpful to me
um I mean as you know resilient leaders
has their own
um Health policy Health excuse me
housing committee and you and some of
your staff sit on that and I know that
we had wanted to look through that and
and I had made mention to the chair that
this was coming down the pike and it'd
be nice to have a letter of some sort
um so I noticed that the strategies are
very general
um not very time right or we will be
doing 10 of these every year or whatever
is that by Design and
um is that by Design and and could you
be could we do more be more specific
um about about what the strategies look
like
Caitlyn do you want to take if not I can
yeah I can do that uh so Kate let me
show from Crescendo for the record uh
that's a wonderful question councilwoman
yeah it is by Design because this is a
Five-Year Plan you know we got thrown
last year Global pandemic that no one
predicted so across our fingers it's not
going to happen again anytime soon but
you know we try to keep it Broad in case
something like that pops up then you can
quickly pivot for whatever that need is
um so we try to keep them broad but
specific at the same time again the list
of strategies aren't necessarily
something you have to do it's just ideas
that we have recommendations based on
best practices that we see in other
communities across the country based on
some policy as well so it's things to
think about and look at for Las Cruces
if it makes sense that like yes this
would work in our community or let's
pilot and see if it works and yes this
is where we want to send our funding but
again they are left kind of broad for
that reason to give you a little wiggle
room so you don't quite pigeonhole
yourself and say we're gonna do this and
then realize and three years like oh
this is not going to work from our
community or it's not in our best
interest based on our strategic plan or
our comprehensive plan to do that but I
think next steps you know this is what
HUD wants um HUD defines what they want
but what you could do is going forward
if you're interested in this work or you
know the house of PRC or the city
council wants to take on some of these
strategies and you could certainly
create your own goals or you know the
more smart goals around it and get more
specific so there's opportunity to take
what HUD wants and then run with it
further on and get more specific yeah I
thank you Caitlin for that I I want them
to be more smart right I I was I was you
moved you moved here I'm looking at one
way and you moved down to the second row
but anyway
um I I would like for them to be more
specific and this then just goes to my
other question you know before councilor
bincomo and counselor about the SUV come
on came on board the housing policy
Review Committee was moving in the
direction of looking at a uniform
housing code that I know
um it's it's I think it's ready to be
presented at a work session so I don't
want to forget that um cancer Ben Como
it's a lot of work has been done in that
on that and I I want to make sure that
that is a part of this process in terms
of a strategy and then we talked a lot
about a tenant landlord
um ordinance that I think should happen
as well so at least those are two things
that I want to see more specifically and
if we can get that
um maybe
I don't
I know we have a new
um PRC but
um I would recommend that we review that
and get it to council at a work session
so we can we can you know just hammer it
out and and move forward to me that is
going to be so
um advantageous because we're talking
about developing you know
um
a position or or maybe where there's the
opportunity to have mediation between
landlords and tenants you know like they
do another larger communities
um I think some of our our that
particular ordinance was based on some
you know Albuquerque Rio Rancho
um which I I really think should should
happen and so um I don't want to lose
sight because a lot of work happened and
and I want to give credit there to the
former PRC
um and the idea that that it was
something you know when you started as a
chair counselor Ben Como was something
that I had talked about
um so I I and then lastly
um these goals
um are they in priority or are we
working simultaneously on each of those
um how is that working
yes that's a great question as Caitlin
we showed for the record from Crescendo
again um that's a great question uh
councilwoman yeah so HUD requires us to
sign priority and all the goals are
assigned high priority so they are going
to be run parallel to each other and um
co-currently as well many of them are
tied together like homelessness and
affordable housing they're very much
linked or public services and
homelessness or housing they're all
interlinked as well and Natalie has
created this wonderful slide she's
showing you now on kind of how the
funding and project workflow goes
um so again this goes back to the annual
action plan where we talk about what
programs are getting funded and you can
see in the funding source so this kind
of give you a sense of like home
Rehabilitation would fall under
affordable housing but also homelessness
a little bit as well public
infrastructure can go to a couple of
these categories so they are mostly
simultaneously certainly
um
you know some might be a higher priority
than others
um based on what's happening right now
in the pandemic still but they are all
high priorities
yeah thank you for that I I you know I'm
looking at home rehabilitation program
that I think is so so important and has
been you know really helpful for the
folks that happen to you know I know we
have a long list and when people get
through that right and finally are able
to rehab their home I know it's a
win-win and I also think and I was posed
this question about gentrification
especially around in the Mesquite
historic district right like building up
you know there there's been some cafes
open there's going to be a restaurant
sort of on that main strip there of
Mesquite historic district and you know
I there are so many people very
concerned about gentrification and I
think that if we highlight one of the
priorities for me would be that home
Rehabilitation you know continue to to
upgrade these folks homes
um but and and the ability maybe a
rental own program I think would be
really important so that we can we can
mitigate gentrification especially in
that area and really in all the areas
the older parts of our of our community
so I I am for me if we had to prioritize
and I realize all of them are running
simultaneously all very important but I
for sure would like to
um highlight as for me the Home
Rehabilitation
um as as something
um in my district that I think will be
but continue to be very important
um and and so I I really oh Caitlyn and
then the evaluation will we see you as
throughout the period of time in terms
of where we're at with each of these
goals and strategies or how does that
work
yeah that's a great question this is
Caitlin from Crescendo for the record as
well Natalie and her team are the ones
that typically do the evaluation uh so I
think Natalie has a slide at the very
beginning that would show you that so
each year HUD requires an evaluation
they call it a caper So based on kind of
annual action plan the following year
once the funding cycle is done you
report on the metrics and the data and
Natalie and her team primarily collect
that data and report it so and those uh
Capers go out to public comment as well
so you have an opportunity to look at
those provide comments and feedback I'm
not sure Natalie when the the most
recent one was done and available or if
you have other comments as well
um yes thank you Mr Mayor mayor Pro tem
Natalie Green for the record uh I was
and this will cover two things uh that
counselor or mayor program that have
brought up so in the annual action plan
which comes to council every single year
you will get that specificity on your
metrics and data and the actual
accomplishments So within that action
plan we will say we will serve X number
of people we will build X number of
homes
and then uh it is definitely a circular
process so as we are developing our
action plan from November to may we are
implementing the current year's plan and
then from uh July through September
we're working on the keeper so it's it's
a constant cycle of planning for next
year while implementing the current year
and then reporting on the past year and
then we get to start that all over again
so that information is available we have
traditionally not presented the caper to
council but it is presented to the
public so we can look at opportunities
to to at least send it to you even if we
don't necessarily present yeah or at
least maybe review it at the policy
Review Committee something like that
that would be helpful
um yeah you know
um you thankfully I'm in my fifth year
going on Sixth year and I'm really
starting to connect the dots about all
of this right housing has been a passion
of mine so there's just so much and
Natalie thank God we have you to be able
to help us sort of sort things out
things are starting to make so much more
sense to me
um in terms of when things are presented
and why and you know all that so it it
thank you for that
um I I really appreciate that uh I think
those are all my questions mayor thank
you
okay thank you well thank you uh Caitlin
for the for that review I think it was
really good oh yeah so
um there's anything else you you is that
your full presentation or was there a
little bit more to it
okay so I guess that's it Natalie
um Mr Mayor yeah yes
did you see my hand well now
you want my little brown hand or you
want one actually yours is yellow so
okay yellow yeah okay so
um thank you Mr Mayor thank you so much
Natalie thank you so much Caitlin
um this is wonderful and uh I think
mayor Pro temia confused me with Tessa
I've been on the housing PRC this is my
second term
anyway
um I just want no no okay I'll send you
a text I'll send you a text but anyway
uh yeah
um the I think I I agree with uh mayor
Pro tem Gandara about
um having that housing ordinance
um and to give the city well we have the
fair housing ordinance but then
um it was more it was something that was
initiated in the first the first uh
housing PRC I sat in on three years ago
um and that was a landlord tenant issue
because there aren't any laws in the
state of New Mexico or excuse me here in
the city and uh
I don't know about the state
laws but at any rate
um the one thing that um scares me a
little bit though
um
and I and I mean it from the bottom of
my heart with all due respect mayor Pro
tem the word gentrification uh gives me
chills and the reason was because
um the cdbg grant for example comes out
of Hud and HUD came out of that fair
housing act that Caitlyn talked about
back in 1968
and would ensued in our city uh the city
of Santa Fe Springs in Los Angeles
County California was that there was uh
this Mass gentrification where
uh against the wishes of many uh the
city went in and pretty much raised a
lot of stuff and then I've heard from uh
some good friends of mine Fidel Sanchez
I think I've shared this before whose
home was where American linen is now and
he always says see that parking lot
that's where I was born it was a house
it was their house and so it created a
lot of problems in terms of
um not problems it just it people felt
that they were dis you know there was
dislocation there was re-u the
government went in the city went in
under the auspices of Fair Housing Act
and and hard Monies to uh gentrify and
it pushed out the community pushed out
people who ordinarily would be there in
many cases in many places and Santa Fe
Springs that didn't happen
um they were actually relocated a lot of
the property owners there and then some
because they bought out a dairy farm too
but um I you know I just wanna I just
want to be very careful about
um how we would even uh go about yes we
need to get rid of some of the you know
or
you know make things better for a lot of
people so
um
I just wanted to to bring that and I
just want to I want us as as a governing
board to
um be extra careful about how we proceed
and
um we want to make life better for
everybody but that's why I think these
surveys are so important and so I hope
that we're really really really able to
reach a lot of people and again thank
you mayor thank you again Natalie Green
and Caitlin Michelle
by the way Caitlin are you in Boston
I am in Maine
okay could you use an r at the end of a
word that
my apologies I didn't mean to I don't
mean to embarrass you by asking you if
you're from Boston or Massachusetts but
yeah they're Closer Closer
part of Massachusetts many years ago but
yeah it's part of the New England accent
so I apologize
no no no no no no my apologies thank you
okay thank you
and I believe that that's it for the
questions
so um and so that's it Natalie
Mr Mayor that is the conclusion of our
presentation the final document will
come to council approval on May 3rd and
then it'll be submitted to HUD so
um thank you
okay great okay thanks again and now
we'll go ahead and move on to item 4.3
which is the fiscal year 2022 budget
review
and it says uh city manager efo pilly to
introduce uh our next speaker
[Music]
thank you mayor and Council uh yes Miss
Leanne the most will be presenting be
providing the budget review presentation
we're very much in the thick of the
budget process as you know
um there have been several meetings
public meetings also individual meetings
with counselors since November
we've just also concluded our meetings
with all the department heads our
initial
uh meetings as well
um very appreciative to to Leanne and
her team for all the work that's been
done so far but still a lot of work to
do regarding the budget it's still
evolving and still refining and so I
just want to let let you know that this
is kind of where we are so give a
presentation of of where we sit
currently but many many more meetings
and refinement to to come uh she'll go
over the council priorities and then uh
give you
sort of a look of where we are in the
general fund
uh where we are uh you know all the
operating all the proposed operating and
proposed projections for uh other
projections for revenues have been
inputted
uh so she'll go over that and then as
well as uh go over the CIP but with that
I'll turn the time over to to Leanne
great okay thanks ifo
mayor counselor thank you very much Evo
also with me is David cedillo who is as
you know our Public Works director so
we're going to be co-teaming this today
I'll be leading the PowerPoint and I
just want to ask mayor because you know
I always have problems with my
PowerPoint do you see my power my full
screen PowerPoint yes Yay good okay so
um as Mr peely was just mentioning
um this is a snapshot in time okay this
is what we have for our fiscal year 22
budget
um work in progress as of today it is
still an ongoing work in progress we
want David and I both want to point that
out to you we are still making uh little
tweaks here and there and hopefully
today going through the council
priorities we met with all of you
counselors
um I want to say last week or maybe the
week before and time gets away from me
being here in covid land but
um hopefully we will be going over those
priorities and the tweaks that we did to
that priority list as well
so uh this is a repeat of the timeline
that I gave you at the last
um work session that we were at nothing
has really changed except for one thing
and that is is that we added
um if you see the second to the last
line we have added a public hearing it
will be
um May the 4th uh similar to the public
hearings that Natalie just mentioned so
David and I will be presenting not only
to we will be presenting to the Council
on the 26th and then again we will be
presenting to the public on May the 4th
and I just wanted to point that out that
one change in there
um this is a snapshot in time of the
general fund
um as you can see I've put into this um
Grant or this chart are the original
fiscal year 2021 original budget this
was what was adopted back in May of
calendar year 2020.
and then the second column is what we
right now this is what our proposed uh
budget is for fiscal year 22. and as you
can see we have a really nice proposed
beginning balance we are still working
on that beginning balance
um however I do not foresee it going
down I probably foresee it going up just
a little bit the reason that it is
larger than last are the current fiscal
year that we're in is mostly because
um we had as you well know we received
quite a bit of funding from the New
Mexico
from the state cares act
we had several departments that received
additional cares act funding from the
federal government Transit received six
million dollars
programs receive some funding as well so
a lot of funding that we would have
spent in the general fund uh was put
onto that those particular grants that
came in for the assistance with the
covet
um and also too there's probably some
additional
um not you know while we were closed as
you well know during fiscal year 21
which was calendar year 20.
um there was probably a little bit of
less spending going on through the city
um and as you know we never laid anyone
off we never had any furloughs so we did
have payroll still going out but there
were you know we had a lot of our
facilities and you know museums was
closed the library was closed all the
parks were closed so we have our some of
our expenses went down during those
closures and so we're we're proposing
that that's part of the contribution to
that 40.82 million
our revenues were very conservative as
you know we have a forecast model that
we work with um Dr padaya
excuse me Francisco Dr Perez and in
Economic Development it's a very
conservative model but we have been very
very close to what our revenue is in
this year uh we saw an increase in the
GRT in early covid but we are seeing
that our GRT is is not necessarily going
lower it's just getting more closer to
what our our true forecasts were
so I foresee that we will have a little
bit of an increase in revenue for next
fiscal year
expenditures are higher this year
um but you also see that our transfers
are lower how easy for that is because
we do have
um committed
um expenditures for the Animal Service
Center for
um Metro and for murder and what we've
done is in the past three years
um those ex those expenses have actually
been a transfer out and they should be
considered an expense uh they are
considered an expense in our kafir and
what we're doing is we're rectifying
this so what happens is is you'll notice
uh that are required 212 is larger and
it's larger because our 212 is based on
what our expenditures are so if our
expenditures go up then our 212th
reserve for the state and the local will
go up as well
so as you see right now we have an
unreserved balance of 1.8 million so we
are not in the red we are in the black
so we're doing very well
um this is a snapshot in time of our
hold harmless contingency fund
um as you know this is the 3 8 of 1
percent that we receive
um our beginning balance are for our
proposed is 4.59
um our revenues were predicting about
the same as last year 10.32 million
expenditures are a little higher uh
we've put some additional funding
towards facilities for maintenance and
repairs our transfers out are a little
bit higher for uh we have some debt and
some other transfers to other
departments that come out of this fund
and then we do not uh since we meet our
212s on our general fund we do not have
to show it in the hold harmless and so
overall as you can see we're going to
have an unreserved balance of about 6.48
million and I feel very confident that
this particular fund will probably not
change very much when we bring this to
you in April
uh just to give you a graphical where
the revenues are coming from as you all
know the largest part of the pie is our
grocery seed Stacks it's 72 percent
second largest is property taxes after
that is
um other Revenue that is um Revenue that
we receive from our permits and fees
from Parks and Rec for when we
um you know we put out uh for rental for
the baseball fields things like that
museums and then our internet sales tax
is now has increased uh there was a
special legislative session that
happened uh about four or five months
ago where the governor increased our
internet sales tax from one percent to
two percent uh so we will be receiving a
little over 2 million every year for
internet sales tax and then of course
our excise and other taxes we we receive
funding from for cigarette tax for gas
tax and for payment in lieu of franchise
and franchise fees as well
this is where uh currently right now at
that snapshot in time this is where our
general fund expenditures are going to
as you can see the largest part of the
pie is Personnel this includes salaries
and benefits
that's 67 our transfers are 14 operating
17 and then our capital is 2 and with
that I will turn it over to Mr David
sedillo to go over the CIP
thank you
and good afternoon mayor and Council
David sedillo Public Works director for
the record and I'll be going over a
brief portion of the CIP mainly focusing
on the totals for major areas of the CIP
for council's review as Leanne mentioned
this is a snapshot and point in time
that we wanted to go over and it will
still be evolving not the final copy
so with that I do want to point out that
there are a couple of changes in the CIP
what those are is if you recall in the
past we would have those projects listed
by Department
now we have listing departments and
programs and that is due to the internal
reorganization that we have currently
gone under and this is for transparency
as well we're identifying those
departments or programs that have the
project housed within their
responsibilities so just wanted to point
that out because if it looks a little
different it is uh here what I wanted to
go over and show council is a newly
funded projects again this isn't a final
list this is based on the rankings that
City departments are through back in
December as you see there's only six
projects there
we have for Public Works of bellamud
drive that's a roadway rehab between
Lees and Luna we have City Hall security
upgrades the facilities management we
also have downtown Wi-Fi for information
Technologies or I.T
parts we have two we have the a Fielder
Memorial Safe Haven Renovations and also
neighborhood parks and then lastly we do
have a roadrunner Transit with our
facilities Improvement program now at
this point in time those total up to 1.9
million
here is the slide of the totals for
carryovers uh if Council recalls as part
of the capital Improvement program or
CIP we list what those projects are that
are carrying over or projected to carry
over in the amounts from one fiscal year
to another here for FY 22 we are showing
what that amount is the total amount for
each department and program
that is listed in the green column the
First Column right after the project
title
at this time it is proposed that we will
be carrying over approximately
136 billion dollars worth of projects
here we have
the totals for our future projects now
these projects are those that are
scheduled out and outer years do not
have any funding at this point in time
right now as you can see those are
listed Again by those departments and
programs and given those totals for each
of those horizontally between fiscal
years 23 and 27. down at the bottom you
will see that all of those are totaled
up for the organization for a total
project amount for future
[Music]
and then lastly here wanted to show the
total projects tab here we're listing
all the Departments and programs with
all of the amounts for that First Column
we're proposing fy22
as a funded project and also for those
other five years FY 23
fy27 as unfunded and then lastly on the
bottom half you will see that again
we're having those totals by those major
items within the CIP
and then down at the bottom you have
your grand totals it is estimated that
at this point in time right now we have
160 million dollars worth of funded
Capital budgets for FY 22.
and with that we I will be going over
Council priorities that we did also back
in February now I do want to point out
that this you're not the list didn't
shrink you're only seeing half the list
and the reason we did that is because it
would have been too small to read
however we do have an additional lists
all of them
side by side if Council wanted to view
that as part of this as the discussion
so with that I wanted to also point out
that we have some changes to this cover
sheet if you recall back in February we
only had one call two columns with a
amount that was needed for the project
and then a page number what we've done
here is after the proposed project in
the total project cost at the total
amount now that is the summation of any
funds that we currently have budgeted in
FY 21 and then those requests that are
not funded at this point in time right
now
I also want to
point out that we added something else
we added proposed funding sources now
we've added these because there are some
projects that may be able to cover a
portion or possibly most of the asked
amount that is not funded and we've
listed what those potential funding
sources may be I will go ahead and go
over those right now as somewhere on the
other sheet but we have like Leanne
mentioned we have the hhag
legislative we also have general fund
monies we have donations and grants
we also have
secondary go Bond
potential sources of funding as well as
cycling bonds we also have the Telshor
fund and park Improvement fees
and with that like I mentioned some of
these funding sources may have the
potential to cover some of these costs
for example we have Amador hotel and
pavement conditions
in council's worksheets or fact sheets
there is a breakdown of what council can
agree on
awarding if they want to prioritize that
in a phased amount
so the amount that you're seeing there
is just have it fully funded Council has
the option to break that down and
supplement or only fund a portion of
those
as another example
to Mesa public rec center phase two that
one we're identifying as a go Bond
because we have the potential of funding
that through a second go Bond after we
complete the current one that we are in
next slide please
[Music]
here's the other second half of the
priorities that counts listed again we
are listing those potential funding
sources that can be used to again
partially supplement the funding for
those projects as well as identifying
what some of them are already being
funded with for example the social
worker I believe currently that position
or that FTE is going to be funded
telshore fund now whether that is funded
in the future through there or a
different item that would be an item to
discuss but we also have identified
other potential projects that could
possibly accompany a second globe those
being burned Lake and also the
affordable housing Trust
and again these are those priority
projects listed by Council you wanted to
list those opportunities in where some
of these projects can already be funded
and then we can have move forward with a
discussion uh for today so as part of
the next slide at this point in time
this would be council's opportunity to
ask any questions of Leanne or I and go
through and see how Council would like
to prioritize the list as a as a body or
as a whole go ahead and turn it over to
either ifo or or the mayor for
discussion thank you thank you David
looks like counselor sorg has his hand
up and Council Ben Cuomo
yes David
thank you Mr Mayor and thank you David
and and
um Leanne
um for your presentation
um going back to the CIP uh one one or
two slides before this one
um yeah this would be good enough oh you
went too far
um you have a list of everything here as
I can see the I would like to to ask a
question about the total carry over
projects line
um for the f522 yeah that's nearly 200
wow 136 million
I mean that that money is readily
available
bank account right now
maybe Luanne Leanne has to say that
mayor mayor councilor sword yes those
are funds that have already been
identified and are in our string of
accounts to use for expenditures on
these projects
so money is not something that is
prohibiting us get these projects done
right now right
these counselor sword the money that
you're seeing here for the carryovers
are for projects that we currently have
ongoing that will span between fiscal
years so for instance we have the
current Geo Bond there was four
questions on there okay they're carrying
over from one fiscal year to the other
okay
that's what almost all of it is then uh
projects that are ongoing at the moment
that is correct
okay and there may be some that we have
scheduled that are on the books that
need to start so it's a combination of
two sure okay thank you
uh coming up here or working as you are
now uh good job
um
yes Leanne
um I also wanted to point out that you
know the funding that David was talking
about for all of these projects it's you
know it's a mixture of the gobon
legislative funding that we've you know
been carrying over uh from year to year
it's also our grants if you'll remember
we got 11 million dollar grant for the
transit facility so it's a it's a lot of
different combinations of pots of money
sir
okay good
uh so David could you go back to the
list of carryover projects and just
leave it on the screen for a while and
and uh I will uh uh uh end my question
and um
um Mr Mayor you can go on to the next uh
counselor okay
looks like next is councilman Como
[Music]
very sexy and people should care about
them
um
um so I really appreciate this
presentation and just all those
conversations I do just have a couple
questions
um
in terms so I guess I last time we had
this conversation and work session the
thing that sort of stuck with me from
that conversation was what ifo said in
terms of we're gonna have to cut down
this list right like this is a really
big list we're going to have to cut it
down so one where are we in terms of
that and then the other question
or I guess I'll stop there how are we
approaching that particular ask
for mifo
or is this the final list then have we
said that this is it
mayor and Council maybe I can I can
speak to that a little bit and uh
and then Leon and David can can add
whatever they they feel
so what we want to do here and what
we're showing you here is different
funding sources and I think the last
time we
we presented this list we have this big
list this 45 million total or whatever
it was showing
and then we had you know we I mentioned
that we we don't have 45 million dollars
uh and so what we we did as a budget
committee and what or when I say we
Leanne and her team we've asked them to
do is to go through uh you know as well
as David go through
and pull out the projects or identify
the projects based on funding source and
uh I appreciate David doing that today
she's shown uh that they're all this
whole 45 million dollars or all the
projects that we threw up together isn't
necessarily coming from the same pot uh
and particularly not coming from the
general fund part that that uh that
where we said we had we didn't have the
money for and so you'll notice that
there are some that are already being
funded with go Bond there you'll notice
some that are be fun already funded in
some of the operating uh we have the
potential to use grants and so the goal
every year really is when Council brings
when you bring these priorities the goal
is to to try and address all of them
and it may not look exactly the same but
I mean
um
like I said the goal is to try and find
ways to
to fund fund these and so this is this
is like Leanne said a snapshot of where
we are in that process
um right now we haven't uh and of course
we would come to council to talk about
you know where we really need to but
right now we're just getting down to how
much money is in that pot
uh and then what funding sources there
are available for the various projects
that were presented uh we'll now go back
and uh and
and take a look at what projects could
be addressed but I'm pretty confident
that we we can certainly identify like
David has done
these funding sources and uh at least
trying to address all of them
from West like affordable housing we've
already been talking very publicly about
potential potential go Bond opportunity
for that right so I think that makes a
lot of sense I appreciate that
traditional context ifo
um Leanne do you I I part of your past
presentations have also included the
breakdown of I love your pie charts
because I think they're so good for
school learners they're so good for the
community to understand how their tax
dollars are spent
um and while you had one of the second
the second pie graph
um you've also had one in the past where
it breaks down by Department do you have
that yeah sort of what we're thinking
for fiscal year for the next fiscal year
so mayor councilor Bing come out that is
as I you know started off the
presentation letting you know that this
is a snapshot in time
um we are working on that right now we
still have a couple of meetings that we
need to meet with um you know with efo
and the the assistant city managers and
and Barbara
um that was one of the reasons why I did
not break that down I will tell you my
goal is is we have our uh work session
with you on April 26th my goal is to
have the budget book to you Bobby
um hopefully that
um
I'm I'm shooting for the I'm looking at
a calendar sorry I'm shooting for the
16th of April which is really almost
right around the corner for me so why
that time
um I'm I will have all of those
um I will have it broken down by
Department I will okay wow that's really
important I apologize for not having it
today but I really don't I I wanted to
give you more of the of the macro than
the micro right now because we it this
is a work in progress no need to
apologize it's already impressive enough
that you'll have it by April 16th
we will we will no yeah so that I really
appreciate that thank you um I get
excited to share that kind of stuff with
constituents for sure
um and then the last sort of my last
question is around
um you know speaking of budgets I don't
know if uh Chief Dominguez is still here
but the other thing that I you know
remember from our work session a couple
weeks ago and then in the last
um one-to-one that they had with me the
staff in terms of these budget
priorities a couple things came up that
were really similar and obviously uh as
in you know newer counselor
um just trying to figure out okay well
how do we pay for these things and one
of the things Defoe said was well if we
wanted to do all of these things we
would have to make Cuts somewhere like
that would have to happen and of course
we don't want to see that happen right
all these departments have priorities
they're thinking of you know they have a
vision
um so last thing we want to do is cut
anything right however I also
um
I also wonder if there are
um inequities when it comes to the
funding departments receive and I say
this because I asked in that meeting
last week or whenever it was at this
point I asked I wanted I was like I
really want these particular
improvements at burn Lake and Parks and
Rec was like okay well we'll have to
squirrel away some funds for that that I
think is the last thing I want to do is
for a priority to come up in Departments
of the squirrel away funds like that's
to me that doesn't seem fair
um but in terms of some of the things on
the list I do wonder if
um departments and I mentioned Chief
Dominguez because I wondered if in terms
of
um like the social worker or the crisis
um unit that that our cue is
um currently being prepared for if the
PD budget could absorb those the cost of
those given that
um we are trying to bring these
particular things on board to reduce the
number of calls that PD is responding to
right to reduce that stress that PDX
experiencing in terms of people
experiencing homelessness or
experiencing mental health conditions
and so I'm curious if we're thinking
about things like that and if if PD is
able to absorb some of those costs
so mayor councilor Ben Como all actually
um ask if the chief Dominguez is online
to maybe answer that a little bit I do
not believe that at this point in time
in his budget he has actually budgeted
uh you're talking about the mobile
crisis unit
and um the mih program is more into fire
that position that yeah that is actually
budgeted
um maybe not so much the increase that
we have in there
um but it is budgeted
um I will tell you as far as the mih we
just recently uh submitted a grant for
the mih program
um so hopefully that will help us with
that program as well but my
understanding is that unless the chief
has a different uh maybe he remembers
when he put in his budget but I do not
believe that the mobile crisis unit is
actually budgeted in the police budget
for FY 22 and I don't know if the chief
is on and and can speak to that
good afternoon mayor councilor Ben Cuomo
uh to answer your question the uh
the mobile Integrated Health social
worker does uh is housed under the fire
department uh as far as the PD is
concerned we have uh we're in the
process of of trying to get a couple of
Advocates which would be social workers
that would be housed in the Las Cruces
in the in the police department uh they
would be Community Advocates which is
what we're trying to do uh to your point
of of trying to reduce some of the calls
that officers are going to and things of
that nature but the mih program is a
fire department initiative
right right I definitely for both of you
I was not speaking about the mobile
Integrated Health
talking about more specifically the
um priority listed on this sheet that I
think several of us at least three of us
are
um advocating for but it's the mobile
crisis unit where we want to Stack that
you know
would be responding to certain calls
welfare checks sort of Mental Health
crisis situations where potentially a
police officer wouldn't have to respond
to I'm talking about that particular RFP
that is about to be ready
if not already
mayor councilman Coleman's two you're
asking if if we uh will be funding that
yeah I would that was sort of yes that
was my question Chief and and the reason
I for me feels like that that fits
um to be absorbed by the police
department is because we're trying to
directly affect
the call level happening at PD in terms
of you know a couple of those things I
mentioned crises
well because would be uh reduced uh uh
based off of that that uh that
initiative going to those calls I I
would point out that we still have you
know over 140 000 calls for service uh
that the PD responds to and some of
those calls end up getting pushed down
the road because of other issues that
we're dealing with that that really
aren't uh Police Department issues uh
that being said if we can uh maybe meet
and discuss some of these issues because
uh
um to go over the budget and and we'd
have to determine how many calls for
service things of that nature uh to
really get into and dissect uh that that
service okay chief that's super helpful
definitely follow up um thank you for
that context and um those those were all
my questions Mr Mayor but I did see that
um
um interim Chief Smith had his hand up
and then it disappeared but perhaps
um he wanted to jump in but thank you
very much thanks actually
um I don't know if you can speak to it
Leanne but how how much was um
you said uh kind of following what
councilman Cuomo said about if uh if a
um bid was going to be going out what
was staff's idea of how much how much
this was going to be costing the mobile
crisis unit
uh mayor my understanding was
we put a put a price or we put a budget
on there of 250 000 and I don't know if
the the assistant city manager Eric and
Rick is might want to speak on that I
think the reason maybe
um Chief interim Chief uh Jason Smith uh
put his hand up is because I think
um the fire department is the one that's
responsible for currently rewriting that
RFP I talked with purchasing uh recently
just you know to get clarification on
the the sheets and um that they have put
out an RFP
um it came back with uh unacceptable to
the sac committee so they are rewriting
uh they reached out if you'll look at
your sheets I put in there that they
reached out to vendors that had not
responded to the RFP uh requesting
information and input from them and I
think I think it is that particular RFP
is being Rewritten by the fire your
department and I don't know if maybe our
city manager Mr peelier Jason Smith
might and or Eric might want to speak on
that sir
[Music]
mayor this is evil
uh I'll I'll have uh Eric maybe speak a
little bit about the cost that projected
costs uh he probably could speak to a
lot better than I can or interim Chief
Smith but I did want to make a couple of
comments
um in regards to just the budgeting
process in general so typically
our department heads will bring
what they would like to see
um at the end of the day you know our
budget committee is going to take a look
at that and we're going to work to
set the parameters and how we fund it uh
like I said I know we kind of put Chief
Dominguez on the spot there but in all
in all reality
uh in our budget committee might me as
the city manager my assistant city
managers
uh we'll we'll make that decision and
that's what we'll uh of what we how we
fund these initiatives and and where
they'll go uh you know Leanne has this
salary savings uh line item in there but
that that doesn't include just one
Department that's that's a pot from
everybody's uh everyone's salary savings
and so there's again it all gets comes
into this spot and our job as the budget
committee is to figure out a way to fund
it and so as we talk to department heads
on whether or not they can handle
certain things like as much as I love to
sit back and let them sit in the hot
seat uh you know ultimately it isn't
going to be their their responsibility
to do that my ours you know that
responsibility will remain with the city
manager uh CMO office and and our budget
committee but like I mentioned before
we'll we're going to take a look at all
these priorities
and we're going to find a way I mean uh
I I tell you we don't have we don't have
uh we don't have the money we don't have
the money in the general fund to have 45
million dollars it doesn't take a budget
Guru to to see that but uh there are
ways to and other funding sources that
we can take a look at and and uh our
whole goal is to try and see if we can
address as many as we can but uh yeah
before I just sit back and let my
department head sit in the hot seat I
wanted to know that ultimately that
that's going to be that responsibility
is going to fall on the CMO uh office
with that I'll turn it I guess if Chief
or uh Eric has any interim Chief Smith
or Eric has anything to add specifically
to the mih
costs or the the
the mih I think is is good it was the
reason why I was asking and um is
because I've got you know every so often
I I get from the U.S Conference of
Mayors opportunities to apply for Grants
and we actually have a police Grant uh
and I've been trying to figure out what
I can use that for well I don't have it
I mean it's not been awarded uh for our
size it would be about a hundred
thousand and so I thought okay then good
we have until June
15th and then it will be awarded uh
sometime in September so I'll just
forward this to you and and your staff
if you want to look at because I from
the sounds of it we don't have it
identified uh how to how to do that so I
mean this would at least help if we were
to get it so I'll just send that out
that's why I was just curious
can you guys hear me yes sir
if you can send that to me as well sir
okay I can look at it and and get a jump
on it sir
actually that was code I was going to
send it to you I just said a sense of
Evo and I was going to copy him
okay so all you're going to do is just
send it to you so no problem
okay very good
um
that's it councilman Como
we're good yeah but thanks for coming
back to me just want to apologize for
putting the chief on the hot spot thank
you ifo
oh well I I wanted to listen to see
that's why I was listening intently here
I didn't think we had the money and I
didn't know how much it was and then
because like I said I've been for the
last week I get this every so often uh
these opportunities to apply for Grants
and uh sometimes uh we get some so we've
won two and um so this one here I would
I would give it to the city
all right so mayor Pro tem looks like
your next
mayor thank you
um I appreciate counselor Ben Gomez
um um questioning and and whatnot I I
mean
I've been working on that crisis mobile
unit stuff for a while and so to not
have some funding identified at least
through the telshore fund to be able to
get this up and running we can't afford
to wait till September although I think
um
you know that's a great opportunity and
I think we should we should we should do
as much as we can related to that I also
mayor through
representing nude in the Thrive cities
conference they send me
um
Thrive city has many federal
opportunities related to mobile price
you know just mental health in general
that I think we should we should be
looking at especially if that's a a
priority of ours
um but I also know in times past
um frankly the the PD has turned back
funding
um into the general funds so may not be
this past year it may may be I don't I
don't know but it was it and it may be
because of vacancy savings I'm not sure
but
um I I think there
you know there's some opportunity to
look at that and re-examine sort of how
you know our funding is but I I think
we've been clear From council's
perspective that mental health is a huge
priority for us um even under covet it's
always been a problem but so much more
for covid so I I just I want to make
sure that we find the funding this
fiscal year to get something moving
um and soon we can't wait any longer
like I said I've been working on this
for two years probably
um talking about this
um for for that long
um we we just really need to to get on
the move
right and then down the road
um and I'll try to keep it specific to
this because I don't want to go outside
this
um was the um Behavioral Health District
so once we get it on the ground then we
can also invite Our member communities
whether it's the county or some of the
other municipalities and then that
program can be expanded and then that's
when they can start buying into it but
I'm I'm committed to moving forward with
this in fact um if if staff has what
they need to go out for an RFP I can go
ahead and make sure this is on their
agenda for for approval to move forward
with an RFP next week
if staff's ready if if not then we'll do
it we'll do it let's put it this way
within the next three weeks I'm
committed to that
sounds good mayor I really appreciate
that support mayor and I know our
community does as well this will gosh go
a long way to help PD
for sure all right we're good and then
so I didn't mean to interrupt you but I
wanted to at least Circle back to this
no thank you I I yeah I'm not sure where
the RFP is at this point I I was going
to ask Eva we have a council
manager meeting on Thursday and so that
was one of the things on my list
um control manager or city manager
hold on one with me oh okay okay because
I didn't want the media to think that
we're meeting with him and we haven't
posted
oh no no no pip funds uh for this
initial year then after that it'll turn
into an annual cost but if you're
looking for the specific projects that
will be listed there I will have to
defer to Sonia Delgado who I believe is
in the meeting so I will go ahead and
turn it over to her and she can give you
a list of what they're planning on using
that 500 000 for thank you thank you
good afternoon mayor members of council
Sonia Delgado director of Parks and
Recreation
um that 500 000 is we put that in there
because we get probably at least one new
park
a fiscal year and we want to make sure
we put that money aside uh to pay for
that when we do the reimbursement uh the
other thing that we've been talking
about that we just started is purchasing
land so we want to make sure we set
aside money to be able to do those and
to make sure we don't spend all our piff
to have some of that earmarked for
incoming facilities
got it got it thank you
so then there isn't anything upgrades or
anything of that sort
um Sonia related to any of our older
parks
uh mayor members of council Sonny
Delgado Parks and Recreation
um no those are Replacements and when we
talk about using pif it's only for new
levels of service we would need some
identified funding for replacement
articles okay so you know it'd be at my
recommendation would be when you put
neighborhood parks just put that in
parentheses that it's coming from
impact fees is that what I'm
yes yeah
that would be it was Leanne and David
okay cool thank you for that and then
um the 136 million carryover on uh for
fiscaler 22. is that Leanne from your
um you know so many of our departments
had to
um
weren't in like full swing because of
covet and and that funding is moving
over for the next fiscal year am I
getting that correct
foreign
for the record
um and I'm also going to let David speak
as well I think there is a little bit of
that in there you also have to remember
that we just recently uh were in the
process right now of some of our Capital
outlay
um legislative that Amy's putting
through
um they're going to be coming they've
been sort of trickling in
um as the state has been doing their
bonding as well so a lot of that is is
new money that's coming in like the 16
million for Transit that's a grant that
we've received a couple of years ago
I know that uh for Public Works David
can probably help me but like some of
their carryover is like the
um the swimming pool the community
swimming pool is in there and that's
about like 18 million so
um I think that there's been a lot of
concentration on getting the go bonds
um you know they need to get those
finished by August of uh this year I
think and so I'll let David speak on
that but that's you know there's a lot
of grant money in there and a lot of
legislative funding money as well so
David did you want to respond to that as
well
yes thank you mayor Pro tem review
Public Works director and Leanne is
absolutely correct uh this not only has
to deal with a level of work that the
staff was able to do during this time
frame but it's also related to a lot of
the funding sources that we receive
so as I mentioned before we have the go
bonds that are still a large portion of
the carryovers for public works there's
a lot of ongoing projects that are
funded that have either started and
designed that we're anticipating or
moving forward in the next fiscal year
but the design has started so it's a
combination of a lot of things across
the board
so if that I hope that answers your
question mayor Pro tem if you have any
followers it does David thank you so
much so it may it makes me so
Leanne mentioned that 18 million for the
the swimming pool right the community
pool and I know we've been emphasizing
and trying to get those Geo bonds where
they need to be we have that dashboard
and but what about some of these other
projects that are important to community
right in terms of where we're at like
for example the swimming pool
um where are we at or where am I where
are we at a B and where might someone
um
go to figure out okay and this whole
Spectrum are we on time are we not why
aren't we
um where might people be able to find
that out
correct that is that is a great question
uh mayor Pro tem I do have Tony Trevino
who's present on the line he can give
you much more details based on the
question that you've asked so I will let
him go ahead and answer that question
for you thank you
um in regards to the community
competition pool we are nearing the
final stages of value engineering
right now I'm similar to all our
projects right now with the skyrocketing
cost of materials steel lumber we are
working staff has been working
diligently to get that project within
budget
um having to Value Engineers some stuff
changing stuff to make it in budget not
necessarily take stuff away but kind of
bring it within our our budget all these
projects can be seen on our portal on
our Public Works website
as well like you mentioned the the Geo
Bond site we had one for all our CIP
projects
um that portal can be seen it breaks it
down by districts it breaks it down by
departments it gives the same kind of
time frame whether it's in design
um construction or planning and it gave
us a percentage complete on that so this
kind of the same thing you see for the
geobond website it's the same thing for
all the projects on our website
ah thank you Tony for that reminder I I
remember a presentation at one of our
work sessions I think it was
is mass a complex maybe or the up in the
the senior center I don't remember which
one but I remember you unveiling that
and or talking a little bit about that
so that's good to know now does that
include where you might be
um in any of the pavement Pro the
payment management projects that you're
working on
as well so so separate from that we do
have a pavement management one because
there's so many streets on that
sometimes there's about 70 some streets
with all our programs so that is also
okay I'm available for that so it's
broken up for a payment maintenance and
then our CIP project so that is all
available yes ma'am thanks Tony and then
so Council priorities if you would move
over to the next that slide I didn't
sorry I didn't
oh it's uh half it and then you have the
second one yeah
um
so
for sure I think for me my top priority
and what really my constituency has has
said pretty consistently loudly is that
we need to put more money into our
pavement condition our management
program getting more
um um streets and and not um completed
um
and so for me that that is like a number
one priority
um and and
I know that this is can be a bonus
attention to to some of us
um um and I know that we have a great
Management program but I also know what
gave me pause and and a lot of concern
was that
um there might be complete rehab needing
to take place which means like
um you know underneath the replacing
water you know pipes and Lane conduit
and all that and and it it gave me the
impression that maybe some of these
streets get get
tack down further in the list if you
will and so I I do want to just say
publicly this is super important to me
um I know ifo and I have been talking a
lot about this pavement Management
program and like certain streets happen
you know getting updated versus others
and I'm I'm really concerned about
um my streets especially around the area
that I live in you know the tree streets
there's some major major deficiencies
um and and I I I think that we need to
really talk about
what that means and you know I look here
about the not funded three is that three
million dollars
um and so
I I although I I'm really appreciative
of this pavement Management program I'm
also concerned and that's that some of
them need complete rehab which would
require a lot more funding and then so
where are we going to get it
um and and so
um that was one of the comments I I
wanted to make
um
the other is
um
and and I say this all the time is with
our facilities you know those that we
are
um that we're responsible for for
maintenance and and whatnot and there's
several of them on this list La Casa WIA
the Amador so many of them that that um
were were responsible for and and I'll
say it again I I feel like there needs
to be a maintenance program
um and and so many and you know ifo has
assured me that they're working towards
you know something like that but you
know I want us to make sure that we're
good we're good landlords and that we're
maintaining our buildings
um you know to the best of our ability
and so some of this might require and
these are buildings that are
historically
um
um those buildings that are are are
well historic to us and that we should
be managing and maintaining and
um I I want to make sure that that and
and and the buildings need to be updated
so I'm not sure what needs to happen in
relation to that but I I just feel like
we need to make sure that that gets
taken care of and then
um
the mobile Children's Museum you know
they received they them that mobile
Children's Museum is on this list they
received funding from the
legislature
um I'm not sure why it's it's
um
marked
zero or the dash or whatever and that
there will be donations and grants and
and I just want to make sure that
um that that the communication is
continuing with
um
the engagement success partnership
related to that and if that was done in
error and shouldn't we have
um
because don't we help would be the
fiscal for that money that that comes
from the legislature
Leanne or mayor mayor Pro tem Gandara
this is
for the record
um I will actually ask maybe Lane
Gallagher to help me but I will in your
uh packet that we sent to you the
funding that we got from the state
legislator was not for a mobile
Children's Museum it was for a
children's museum
um it is my understanding that they have
been working with engage to develop
um an RFP
um for that uh for the actual Children's
Museum to come up with a plan of action
and I'm looking for the the sheet forces
I think that's more information here it
is and but that legislative funding was
only to plan design and construct a
children's museum
and this funding cannot be used for a
mobile Children's Museum and as I said
quality of life and engage we they are
working together to develop an RFP to
hire a vendor to plan for phase one of
the Children's Museum which is to
execute a feasibility study and a site
selection so I don't know if quality of
life if Rebecca Slaughters on or if Lynn
might want to contribute to that
good afternoon mayor city council Lynn
Gallagher director for quality of life
for the record and Leanne is correct so
the the funding that was received
through the icip through the state was
for the feasibility study and location
identification and gauge is working with
us
um and Rebecca has has several meetings
with engage and they are and will
continue to be a member through the RFP
process
thank you so much for that clarification
then I I appreciate it I didn't want to
lose sight of lose sight of that
um so are you asking us to prioritize I
guess it made me feel like I mean we've
prioritize but are you asking us to now
through this Council fiscal year 22
Council priorities to prioritize them
and and and and and
fund certain amount in relation to the
the amount that we have in budget what
what are we what else are you asking oh
mayor uh mayor Pro Tim gandetta this is
Leanne to Michigan
um I'm actually going to let maybe a
city manager peely and the mayor
um we we're hoping that you will I uh I
think David and I would really like to
have a priority list from the counselors
we may not be able to supply funding for
all of your priorities but we'd like to
see you know if if everybody is in
agreement for I'll just choose the
pavement condition index because it's on
the first not that it's my top priority
I don't have any any specials in here
but
um you know like I put on here you know
we could possibly as you saw from the
hold harmless there's a nice little
balance in the hold harmless and we
could put some of the funding from the
whole harmless GRT
um into the pavement you know or into
any of these
um so I think that I'll turn it over to
city manager peely and let him
um maybe he's got a better wish list
than I do sir
thanks Leanne but before I get to ifo uh
some air pro tem this is what what we're
a possibility is to basically take this
first off I I want to come in evil for
allowing
um you all include myself to to put
forth all of our wishes you know I mean
this is the this is like the huge
Christmas list right or wish list and
and so knowing that there's just almost
no way we could fund it however I think
it at least allows uh management to
understand what it is that you all would
like to would like to see now going back
to this list I think would be good is to
let staff I don't know if you recall but
last one of the last meetings we had
um I don't know if it was Jennifer or
David that said you know one of these
things here we couldn't do because or
Lynn that we couldn't do because um it
violated the anti-donation Clause so if
we go back and let staff come back with
that list and let them kind of give
councilman a good idea okay you know
what I think we could probably do this
this one here may be a little bit
difficult this one here I don't think we
can do it all or or or or it's gonna
have to be pushed back and then the ones
that they think that we can get done I
think if they can narrow that list down
for us I think it might be helpful I
also don't think that you should uh be
you know when you're doing a whole
project for roads I think that's really
more of a whole city and you shouldn't
that shouldn't count against you to be
your one of your priorities I mean it
will be your priority but you know what
I'm saying if if it comes back where
they're gonna do so much in each
district that that's more of a city-wide
thing and you should still be able to do
something else
um
I don't know what what do you think
about something like that
uh are you asking me mayor yeah yes I I
I do definitely
um you know for for me the pavement
management
um putting more money in that obviously
city-wide but I I want to make sure that
uh that um someone is really looking at
yeah I don't I don't mean to say it like
that that someone is
re-examining that that indexing because
there is so many streets I not only know
I know in in my district but in other
districts that when when it was said
publicly that you know some of that
might be because you know that gets
passed by or
kind of put down further in the list is
because there needs to be a complete
rehab and we don't have that kind of
money
to me that's a bit unfair right and
meanwhile the maintenance it the
conditions keep getting worse and worse
and worse right month after month year
after year so
um I I just want to make sure that we're
really examining that and that council
is very well aware of which ones need
all of that and that actually Public
Works has made the decision to do that
or or they're recommending and then it
comes back to counsel I I I don't feel
like we have that kind of robust
conversation about that and and that we
agree okay this is what has to happen or
or not happen
um yes mayor I agree that if staff and I
thought this was what was happening that
staff went back and and re-examined what
that was going to look like and now is
bringing us bringing this to our
attention today
you know you know I think that they may
have been waiting to see what the
council's priority was and then goes
back this way here they can kind of
already come back and it'll probably cut
the the list you know quite a bit and or
at least identify it in different
sections okay I think we can do this
this one's going to be more of a
challenge and this one is going to be
really difficult and then we can kind of
zero in on what we can try to get done
soon and then and then move forward so
you're okay with that and let's see what
the rest of the of our colleagues say
but I did have one quick question that
just dawned on me I wanted to ask uh
David and Tony if I may and it's it's
about the roads
so gentlemen uh once in a while a
business if they want to redo their
parking lot uh they'll get three quotes
one will just be okay we can just make
it we can just paint it which of course
isn't that good they can put this
overlay or whatever on top of it which
is not bad at least it looks looks brand
new or they can take rip out the the
parking lot and then completely redo it
which is the most expensive
I seem to recall a few years back that
when we do redo our roads I don't
actually call it millings or something
that the city you know when they reach
when they redo a complete Road they put
that away somewhere stored somewhere and
I'm wondering if if Council would
like let's take mayor Pro tems District
I know she's talking about there are
certain streets that haven't been paved
in years and and it may be another three
or four years but if we were to put that
that process on uh it will probably
probably last two or three years and
it'll look like it's new and by the time
we come around for that particular
funding then we can just uh redo it at
that time is do we still keep those
millings or those old that old asphalt
uh David or Tony or both
yes thank you mayor uh mayor David Savio
for the record and you are correct we do
we do recycle our millings that we have
uh we focus more on using those millings
however for other installations and
maybe not kind of like a chip seal or a
cape seal I believe that's what you're
referring to Mayor however we do have
our program that we are able to modify
and look at different situations like
you said you know a contractor may get
three quotes we can also use our
software to state if we have these
projects you know to extend the life of
them at least until we can get some
funding for a complete rehab you know
what would that look like we do have
that ability to take a look at those
options and basically play with the
software to say okay we'll get a we'll
increase the amount of a certain
maintenance it may not be a full one but
it may Bridge us for a little bit and
like you said you know it looks it's
upgraded it extends or at least holds
that road for an extended period of time
until such time that we can come back
and do a full reconstruction so yes
those are options and we look at all of
those uh options as as we move forward
because we want to make sure that we are
utilizing these funds to the fullest
extent of their benefit and that's what
that program helps us do based on the
data that we have so yes that is an
option
Air Pro 10 what do you think about
something like that yeah no I I think
that would be really helpful and uh
probably a welcome from many of my
constituents on some of these streets I
would agree mayor yes
too
oh no oh yeah go ahead thank you
miss Mr Mayor and mayor Pro tem Ganda
this is 23 Dominion for the record
um and I want to answer Mary Pro Tim's
kind of question of we've already looked
if we get this additional funding of
what will kind of be
um attacking or this money but
um and you're exactly right there is a
lot ton of budgets of red streets which
we consider the for the very streets are
failing us already
um the majority of this money probably
all of it will be going to doing a
pavement replacement and along those
roads are within district one and the
older neighborhoods
um we are working with utilities right
now to see what grows we can uh provide
some improvements on without having to
replace the utilities below uh so we
provided them a list of all those Rich
treats so that will be our biggest
attempt and approach if we do get
additional funding for our payment
maintenance program
thank you Tony that's I'm very hopeful
thank you for that that's helpful mayor
I just I don't want to take too much
more time but
um the senior center kitchen
um is that the update at the at the um
the one on the east Mesa
to get a a commercial kitchen
I think that's the one on Armijo Street
or or the one that would be used where
that big open spot is near uh the um
public housing see that I may be
incorrect I don't know but I'm thinking
that's the senior kitchen they're
talking about
Munson
it's near anybody
mayor mayor council um mayor Pro tem
Gandara the land demiche for the record
and I'll ask Lynn um Gallagher or maybe
Rebecca Slaughter to answer or to help
me with this I don't think that this
funding is for one particular kitchen
um I think it's actually for more of the
appliances that are in the the kit you
know they have several kitchens
throughout the city
um and some of the appliances that are
in their kitchens are like 10 to 15
years old
um and the maintenance and the repair on
these because these are you know these
are like commercial grade appliances as
you well know and a lot of the repairs
and maintenance are getting extremely
high so they do need to re be replaced
um and they need such things as a
walk-in freezer refrigerators dual fuel
kitchen ranges they have a quality of
life has a full list of of what their
needs were and they came up with the
total for those needs to being about a
hundred and forty thousand yeah so I
don't know when that was helpful Leanne
and Lynn wants to say more I don't mean
to interrupt any of you but that's one
of my priorities I think we've man we we
need to upgrade and and and serve you
know as many as seniors as we can and if
covet hasn't taught us that
um we need to make sure that our people
have the necessary tools and our seniors
right in order to to get that done if
that is true and correctly and I that
would be one of my others
um priorities mayor if you'll notice I
put general fund on there because I was
gonna
work with Lynn to try to find some money
within the general fund to give it to
her for those problems I did that that
that proposed funding sources is really
helpful thank you for doing that
um I appreciate that
um and then did we find out mayor that
the guaranteed basic income was against
the anti-donation
the guaranteed basic income aha it's
here on this list
I I I don't know or somebody help I
don't know if um
I I vaguely recall us discussing
something but
um mayor mayor Pro Tim Gondola land
dimush for the record
um I did reach out to our uh City
attorney and I know that she's on the
line Jennifer Vega Brown
um to see if uh we could use Telstra
funds for this guaranteed basic income
um I'll let her speak a little bit more
on there I told her that there might be
a question about the anti-donation uh
but from you know as you know the
anti-donation is in in the New Mexico
Constitution
um and one of the recommendations that
um was made was a possible you know
reaching out to the state attorney
general for an opinion on this so I
don't know if Jennifer you want to
expand on that or
thank you mayor and Council I I have
spoken um to a couple of people about
this there there are very
um big concerns regarding anti-donation
I don't think it's a matter of an
attorney general opinion just because if
it if it's not going to the sick or the
Indigent then we can't do it
um so I think it's a matter of how the
indigency would be defined how it's
defined within state law there are it
isn't um clearly defined in state law
there are certain statutes that do
Define it but we would have to figure
that out and then work with that um so I
am doing some further research but
generally unless there's a very clear
definition of what indigency is and who
fits into that then
it would be problematic for
anti-donation yeah I think we I think it
was intended for our sick and our
Indigent I'm looking at at concert Ben
Comanche added yes and so for me
pavement management mobile crisis or
social worker for the homeless our
senior center kitchen our La Casa
maintenance our Arts and Cultural and
our guaranteed basic income is something
of of a huge importance to me and if you
move over to slide 12 so I can see the
rest of it just trying to give you what
I think my priorities are going to be
um
yeah and and and I think the El Paseo
Carter and Solano quarter is something
we have to find some funding to be able
to do
um and and our affordable housing trust
that's all for me mayor thank you
thank you
okay councilor Vasquez
uh thank you mayor thank you mayor Pro
tem and uh counselors for your great
questions and comments
um just have a few uh questions here as
well uh the first is uh Leander so
regarding the I'm glad to hear first
that we have a larger budget than than
we did last year due to some of the uh
perhaps assistance in federal funding
we're receiving as part of our response
to covid
um so the the first question is
regarding those monies
um
including I'm assuming that the new act
that just passed that I believe had some
money in their four municipalities and
counties as well um relief funding for
services that we've provided and are yet
to provide I'm assuming but can you just
summarize what that Federal funding
amount is and what we can use it for and
if it's going to help us replenish the
telshore fund or if it has to be used
um uh or if it's not reimbursable for
services already provided
correctly so are you talking about the
recent
um
I don't want to call it cares act I
think it's called
um American relief
Act
um okay so that's the one that where
we've seen emails from the municipal
League that uh the city has the
possibility of receiving I want to say
23.7 million so that that's what you're
referring to sir yes yes and I think
it's called the American Rescue plan act
thank you very much
um my understanding is I have turned
that over to and she's not online today
to uh Amy fast food as you know our
grant manager they are my understanding
is that there's no
um there is there is there is nothing
that has been released
um at well last week there was nothing
released on how we can you know if that
money is going to come straight to us is
it going into the state I think there's
a lot of unknowns right now uh of course
my understanding is and I apologize I
haven't read the whole bill that we are
personally named in it and and should be
receiving those funds I know that
um City assistant city manager uh
Enriquez and I sat down and were
discussing it
and there's a possibility that
um you know that a lot of that funding
could be used for you know through the
fire department and through the police
department things like that so we are
looking into it I wish I had more
information for you and as soon as we
have that uh we'll put together
something so that way we can run it
through city manager appealing and the
assistant city managers and get that
information out to you as soon as
possible I'll get with Amy on that I
thought a little bit um counselor
Vasquez it's I think it's called the
American Rescue plan says New Mexico
state and local governments will receive
2.5 billion dollars under the American
Rescue plan the state will receive 1.6
billion metro area is 177 million New
Mexico counties will receive 407 million
uh let's see Bernalillo gets 131 million
Santa Fe will see 15 and we're supposed
to get 24 million
and directly right
excellent mayor thank you so much for
that recap in Leanne um thank you so
much for following up on that
um uh well since since this is still TBD
um I I won't go further into the
questioning of how those funds might be
used I do know
um under this administration at least it
seemed like obviously this uh it was a
lot more generous and and in the terms
of providing help to local and state
governments
um but I would be curious to see one if
we'll be able to replenish some of the
funds that we use for
um you know local small business
response
um for other costs associated with covid
response I'm just I'm even thinking
about the contract that we just doubled
for the barricades right because we said
well we need it because of covet
um and there was some reasoning they're
uh completely understood to block off
parks and that kind of thing but it
might be a good opportunity for us to
see where we can tweak the budget in the
future if we can replenish monies that
have been spent in different departments
with this funding so that we can
prioritize or we can reallocate funds
from certain Department budgets into
some of our into some of the council's
priority projects if we can use this
millions of dollars um that we will be
getting to help supplement
um our existing budget so
um look forward to maybe learning more
about that process as as it comes down
so thank you mayor thank you Ian for
that
um
the other question is that is actually
similar to that
um if we're getting onto a couple of
priorities here is just the response
that that we may anticipate for um
Asylum Seeker
housing and and perhaps
um you know if we end up having another
um you know another instance in which we
have to house Asylum Seekers and
coordinate their travel and
transportation
um if if our budget right now where
might we be prepared for that in our
budget is that something that folks have
looked at
um I'm assuming Telstra funds perhaps
would be the the fund of choice to to
use again but I'm just wondering if
during budget planning
um that we that we've kind of examined
this option and if we have
um uh thought about that permanent
location that we've talked about in the
past of having like a permanent housing
area
um for for folks that are in crisis
so mayor um councilor Vasquez landamoosh
for the record
um and I'll ask um maybe assistant city
manager and Rick is to help me with this
I will tell you we are
um we are thinking about the Asylum
Seekers
um it is not in our budget for fy22
um as you know
um when the Asylum Seekers did come in
uh we were actually
um we were refunded almost every uh
dollar that came out of the Telstra
actually I looked that information up
today so it's it's fresh in my mind we
were able to receive from FEMA uh to pay
back to the telshore everything that we
had uh that Council had approved except
for I think uh 75 000 dollars to one of
the local
ngos and then we had a couple of work
orders for some maintenance some things
like that I think that that added up to
about sixteen thousand so everything
else that came out of the Telstra was
reimbursed
by by the grant that we got from FEMA
okay thank you Leanne um I I do know the
that our federal agencies this time
around are proactively partnering with
local nonprofit organizations to help in
the assistance and care for
um for individuals and their families
um and so that's that's a at least a
welcome difference I know in El Paso um
certainly they they've been coordinating
um and and would hope that we get that
same level of coordination this time
around uh through you know Federal
departments and agencies
um should that situation arise and I
would say that um that we should be I I
definitely would would be welcoming um
right to that opportunity if it comes
down to helping people again and we have
the resources and capability to do that
which I think we do
um just to make sure that that we're
planning for that so thank you Leanne
um just a couple of other quick
questions here Leanne can you just
briefly um I know the RFP for the skate
park
um uh design and construction has just
recently gone out
um but can you just quickly
um
recap what the timeline is on the
construction and what and I think you
had mentioned that if there was leftover
funds that they could perhaps be
repurposed towards the use of a new
skate park but are we exp are we
expecting the skate park to be on budget
and on time this year as far as you know
so mayor councilor Vasquez
um I will let for the recordly animation
I'll let David and maybe Tony and Sonya
speak on that I will know that uh Amy
basford did reach out to DFA on whether
um some of the funds could be moved over
um and it is our understanding from
direction from DFA we're not going to be
able to commingle any of those funds
whatever was set aside for the new uh
needs to be spent on the new skate park
and for you know the renovations has to
be spent on the renovations and with
that I'll see if maybe Sonya or David or
Tony might want to speak on where they
are with the skate park
okay thank you
good afternoon mayor members of council
Sony Delgado director of Parks and
Recreation
um as it relates to the skateboard uh
the skate park the renovation that RFP
just closed last week and they
purchasing will be going through those
rfps and then we'll come back to SAC so
we can review
um we hope that it will be under budget
and it will hit the timeline
um and what we were thinking is if we
did not use all the funds for the
renovation then yes we were going to go
back to the state legislator to ask them
to repurpose those funds for the new we
just received the hundred thousand for
the new design and we will get that
started
um not right away we'll need a little
bit of time but we'll get that started
sometime this year I'm hoping and that
will take care of the design and we'll
also have to find a location for the new
as well
okay great thank you so much um for that
Sonya thank you Leanne uh Just one
thought or suggestion uh on the skate
park funds if there are
um remaining funds to be used I know
this may not be included in the in the
in the final RFP or the park design but
there has been a desire to have some
community art
um uh available to
um to users of the skate park there so
might be a good opportunity to actually
you know work with some local artists
perhaps on um on some type of uh
interactive art displays or um at many
skate parks I know they have kind of
these canvases where folks can can kind
of put you know different um art designs
on them but I think there's some
possibility to incorporate other
additions to the rebuilt skate park that
would add to that quality of that Park I
guess depending on how much money is
left over
um or even some seating areas or even
some shade if that's not included as
well in the design but I'm just
wondering yeah just thinking thinking
out loud about some opportunities for
leftover funds from the skate park that
could that could still be used for the
existing skate park
um uh some other thoughts here quickly
um uh the the VMware Dam um Leanne I
know we talked uh David we talked about
this last time um to make sure that it's
added to the budget this time around but
we I'm not sure we reached the consensus
on on what the amount of funding would
be needed to open up the park in in
perhaps an official but um in
development Type of Way
um I think understanding that the total
development of the park is probably a
few years out however that Park is
already being used by residents and has
already been is already owned by the
city already has existing walking trails
that have been
um you know being used
um are there any any thoughts
um uh maybe this question is for for
David um Orlean on what the interim uh
and the appropriate budget request is
for VM more damn to perhaps get that
into a place where we could actually
um uh for it to be an official Park
thank you mayor councilor Vasquez David
says you for the record and we did come
up with some initial cost estimates just
based on what we have based on the
Opelika blueprint and what we had listed
in fact
but there are other aspects of of that
and I wanted to let David Weir also
chime in here in a little bit but that
is something that public works and Parks
and Rec is looking at to see what is
needed like you had mentioned there's
already some things that are there what
can we do in the interim to add some of
these things so we're looking at how we
could
move forward with that but ultimately
make sure that we still fall in with the
overall uh concept and design of the
area so some of those small things that
you had mentioned counselor there are
some Trails maybe some signage some
other things that we can do in the
interim
and public works and parks and recs is
also looking at those opportunities if
you will based on the the funding that
we currently have which has been set
aside for the design so we're looking at
other funding sources to see what we can
do in the interim at this point in time
no but I'll let uh David Weir if he's on
the line to go ahead and and explain a
little bit of the overall Improvement of
of the area
thank you counselor
thank you dude
David
um mayor and city council and councilor
Ben Cuomo or excuse me counselor Vasquez
uh as Mr cedillo said the their the
Apodaca blueprint had a schematic design
of that property
um the zoning on it currently would
allow some preliminary programming as a
park but long term I believe the city
would like to see that develop per that
concept plan and so
um one of the first steps for that would
be to Zone it such that in a manner that
it could the park could be developed and
also there was a proposal to have some
neighborhood commercial mixed use at the
intersection of Madrid and uh
Travis so
um and then if the city were to develop
that property or sell it in that
mixed-use area that could potentially be
another
funding source to program and develop
that area in particular the park so
that's the what I could contribute on to
the long-term plans for that area but
you do have an initial plan for it and
it seems to be acceptable at this time
great thank you David
um and David in Leanne uh yeah I just
think that's a huge opportunity for us
uh not to miss
um in the interim of the full
development of of this park in a way
that I think we have all collectively
envisioned
um and I'm sure there's more to come
with the with the design of that Park
but uh to open it up over over those two
years or however long it takes
um in an official capacity because it's
so close to Travis and an established
walking trail
um just provides a huge opportunity for
residents as I mentioned who are already
using this place I mean it's going to be
the largest potentially Park in the city
or or and certainly one of the largest
Open Spaces natural Open Spaces in a
very urban area in an older part of the
city
um uh a budding Council gone that is
District so I just I want to make sure
we don't miss out on that opportunity
over over at least these couple years so
thank you
um uh I have one more question here and
that's around the medians I know we had
gosh I was into meetings with former
assistant City Manager David dalahan I
think probably about two years ago and
we were prioritizing some of the medium
projects in my district
in terms of how to spend I think at the
time we had some additional money for
median work that that we were not
expecting for for whatever reason
perhaps part of a grant but those
projects never got completed and so I'm
I'm wondering if if you could just go
into a little bit more detail
um Leanne or David about what's in the
budget for medians um this year Are
there specific locations is it a general
fund
um for uh median repair and restoration
and or is it for a particular problem
locations where medians might be needed
mayor counselor
um Vasquez ollet David speak on which
ones I I will tell you that a few years
ago we did
um transfer some funds out of the hold
harmless to help with the um you know to
help
boost up the medians
um so I I think a lot of the funding
that you'll see in here for uh that
David shows for
um you know that we have funded came
from the hold harmless a few years ago
and has been carried over but I'll let
David cover which medians and and I
think maybe even uh some of that funding
might be under uh Parks as well so I'll
turn it over
thank you Leanne uh mayor of councilor
Vasquez and Leanne is correct there was
some identified funding to address
medians throughout we did have a project
which we used that funding for phase one
and that included an improvement of a
median at least one median in each
Council district there is
the uh there is a project going on for a
phase two and that again is also looking
at identifying other medians throughout
all council districts uh there are some
that we've identified like you had
mentioned you had spoke in the past with
the city manager's office we're using
that information and Parks and Rec is
using that information as well too to
identify those medians that way we can
collectively improve those throughout
the city
and I'll go ahead and let Sonia Delgado
add any other items that I may have
missed thank you counselor
uh mayor councilor Vasquez Delgado
director Parks and Recreation uh City
median uh phase one is currently
underway and almost complete and then we
will start City median phase two shortly
thereafter and yes David city was
correct we had medians that were chosen
one in each district and if need be I
can send you that information
thank you so much Sonia thank you David
and Leanne once again uh yes uh would be
appreciated I just I had recall that um
some of the work on medians I think from
that home harmless uh
um uh redistribution or reallocation uh
was exciting because we have been
talking about also making some of the
median improvements into both public art
slash like entryway signage into
different parts of the city
um so it was more than just repairing
the median but really helping to fulfill
some of our goals as a council to kind
of help brand our city and that was
really exciting and so I was just yeah
wondering if if it was a continuation of
that project or just regular median
repair and work but
um those are all my questions and
comments for now so thank you mayor um
thank you staff
next counselor oh counselor Vasquez so
you're okay if um we were to give this
list back to staff let them go and
identify what they think that can be
done what may be more of a challenge and
one would be very difficult to do and
then bring back and then we'll kind of
try to uh sift through that in prior to
prioritize that list
yes mayor I think that's I'm fully in
support of that um and I did forget to
mention one thing uh you just reminded
me of I apologize but we do have a
terrific Grants Department and I think
we have been more than lucky I think we
have earned many of the grants that we
have um collected and earned and and
were awarded over the years and so I'm
just wondering too if if you know from
our staff and evil maybe this is a
question for you if our Grants
Department has what they need to
continue at this level of performance or
even to step up their performance
um to continue writing additional grants
um to fulfill some of these priorities
that we may not have funding for
um but that's just a question uh mayor
for maybe for IFA just to make sure that
our grant department has what they need
since you know we spend money to get
money and I'm sure that investment
really pays off for the city in a
tremendous way so thank you yeah I know
he's got the staff on one the
Bloomberg's giving out a million dollar
um 50's giving it out to 15 cities and
there's no match and it's for
sustainability so and then I just sent
them this other one on a criminal
justice so
okay
okay good
anything else
you're good
that's it mayor thank you great uh looks
like counselor Flores and then councilor
baked the stuby
thank you mayor and thank you everyone
so
um
I'm happy to report that I'm not Dazed
and Confused
but I have a lot of questions so
uh thank you so much Leanne thank you
David and thank you Sonia
um
you know we we look at all these
wonderful things that every city
councilor wants for the entire city
things that are uh you know relative you
know related to their their particular
district and things that affect Humanity
as a whole
so it seems though for example I'm
looking at the Amador Hotel I received
an email
um
from someone who supports the Amador
Hotel very much and she must have seen
this list
where she saw that there wasn't really
any money of the estimated cost of the
restoration
so my question is and then I you know
I'll have to get back to her and explain
to her that
um you know it has to be done in
different uh steps and the steps uh
while they're called fate it's called a
phased approach as you people use that
term
um
so
um well that a phase approach may be
considered so the Amador Hotel estimated
cost eight million 850 000 okay
uh is this project currently funded yes
budget amount one million five hundred
seven thousand eight hundred sixty
dollars so in reality it's not really
funded and that's what threw me off last
time it was like yes it's funded but we
don't have the money for it okay so
um
so my question is this
ever going to achieve all of these
wonderful are these just uh pipe dreams
are these Just Pies in the sky is there
any way of us ever achieving all of this
I mean I think
um there were enough of us uh that felt
the diameter Hotel was definitely a
priority and
um
and it seems like there should be money
coming from the New Mexico historic uh
whatever but
um irrespective of the sources of
funding
um do we just go on and on uh with with
these old projects you know these old
dreams that we have or and then hope and
and pray that money comes in eventually
and
um
so and then like I'm looking at
um so that's probably just a maybe a
rhetorical question but it's also linked
to the septic tank item uh septic tank
remediation
um the utilities board adopted
uh in 2008
um the water and wastewater master plan
okay so uh
1880 uh Parcels within the city limits
were identified
um and it looks like they haven't been
completed
so
um there's still a remaining portion in
the Alameda acre subdivision
uh which requires two hundred thousand
dollars to uh uh funding to complete
the septic tank remediation project
estimated cost is four million four
hundred thousand dollars the budget
amount is one million
6370 dollars
so
um when it says this project is
currently funded it should just say ah
kind of sort of maybe partially
something words to that effect because
when you see yes and then you see that
it really doesn't match what the
estimated cost is going to be and then
when you go through the description it
clearly shows that it's not funded
um so
and so then again the question remains
how do we proceed do we just sit here
and wait for this money to come in do we
stop looking at other areas of
improvement
or do we just you know throw up our
hands in the air and go home the other
is um I'm looking at airport those two
um tie in as well as uh the request for
status I have a request for status on
the medians
um it's not one of my favorite projects
quite frankly
um given everything else we have in the
city uh but given that it is a on my
priority fact sheet as you know
as one who quote supports this unquote
um the estimated cost of these medians
is 200 000 per year the time frame is
Project is ongoing
um budget amount is one million
okay so if it's 200 000 per year but it
didn't say how many years
uh maybe for the next five years I don't
know if that'd be a million dollars so
the budget amount is one million nine
hundred eighty two dollars uh 600 982
695 dollars
and it says that the the fun that it's
it's funded well I don't think it's
funded if we don't have the money to do
it with but you know so the those those
three things that I've just pointed out
um the medians the um septic tanks
and the Amador Hotel
situation all currently show that we
don't have the money for that and what
do we do do we just keep bringing this
back to year after year Time After Time
the other uh but the one that is
definitely a concrete someone can answer
this for me
um it's uh
page 11 airport operations a full-time
employee positions estimated cost is 30
000 per year
and I'm thinking
thirty thousand dollars per year
what is that what employees get paid and
God forgive me if I'm overstepping my
parameters here but I I just can't see
anybody
um in in a situation this is
uh there were discussions with the
airport administrator
and
um that would be Andy Hume uh plans for
FY 2022 are to take open the technician
to take open
take the open technician position and
reclass to Airport Manager
so
I mean I and I'm glad this one does say
is this uh project currently funded says
no but if it were to be funded and 30
000 was found somewhere I still that
wouldn't be enough for that kind of a
position
so um
anyway so I just I just want you know I
just want to know what do we do we just
keep coming back keep coming back coming
back
and hoping and praying and then that FTE
uh that uh Airport Manager uh estimated
cost thirty thousand I know that the
person who was there who retired Lori
Romero is no longer there I don't know
how much people get paid in the city
but I mean I mean I don't know if thirty
thousand dollars a year would cover this
and uh the special consideration on this
is that the request has been made
um for the FY 22 budget so um yeah you
know I really want to thank all of you
for trying so hard and I agree with Dave
and I think we all recognize that we
have a very
um talented grant department and I think
all of our departments everyone that
I've worked with uh Through The Years
these last three plus years now are they
you all totally amaze me you all work so
hard to
um to uh make our city a stellar City to
make things Equitable for everybody and
to
um but you know we find ourselves always
playing a catch-up game we're always
trying to catch up trying to catch up so
can anybody tell me I don't know if Miss
uh Leanne or Mr David cedillo or evil uh
can explain to me how we're ever going
to achieve any of this and any of it
because none of it there's never enough
money
I mean if you go Page by Page there are
27 pages
and
um it says like the the Via Mora damn
the last page via moradam estimated cost
is 700 000. is this project currently
funded it says yes
but the budget amount is only 123 000.
so how does that work I mean believe me
I didn't Ace accounting for attorneys
but
that doesn't make sense to me can
somebody explain that to me
some mayor uh councilor Flores this is
land demosh for the record I'll start
first and then I'll ask David and maybe
ifo to uh follow up I do want to
um as far as the airport FTE that was
something that you had raised at you
know the airport does need
um some additional staff I did reach out
to Mr Hume who is the airport
administrator he has an open position
which is budgeted and what he wants to
do is he wants to add additional
budgeted funds to that position which
equals around thirty thousand dollars so
that way he can re-class it to a higher
position and be able to bring in um I
think he wants to to call it an airport
manager
he estimated that he would only need
about thirty thousand dollars for the
additional uh budgeted
um amount for that position after it's
re-classed and that is in our FY 22
budget yeah so so that one that one is
in there
um I don't know if uh I saw ifo had
unmuted I don't know if he wants to
speak first with some of your other
comments and concerns I'll let him
follow up
thank you uh mayor council Flores uh
yeah I do have a couple of comments um
that might might be helpful
um but yeah just that
just to make sure that we we all do know
that that 30 000 I don't know what the
total amount Leanne maybe that would be
helpful but but that's just addition as
Leanne mentioned uh
so that they can
he can he can fund that position fully
he already has the funds available or
currently as it stands uh you know to
the question Council Flores about uh you
know what do we do it is overwhelming
it's over about me to to see all this
all this wish list and and uh trying to
figure out how we how we go about
funding and addressing these issues but
I honestly that's part of the job of
their staff uh myself and and staff to
figure out how we can address it what
creative ways we can do uh we do have an
amazing uh grants team and you know
before I can answer whether or not they
need more I'd like to check back with
them to see but
um but they they are amazing and they
have produced quite a lot but here
here's some ways so here's one way and
and I I think I brought this up before
but uh since you mentioned the Amador
Hotel this is pretty fresh in my mind
because I've met with Heather recently
and and uh in the Amador Hotel Group
that's been pushing uh so first of all
you have this project cost of 10 million
you know we from my understanding
uh they've they've clarified that that's
not 10 million that it's more than the 5
million dollar range so
um what we're that immediately we we
need to refine those numbers it's found
in the 5 million the other thing we
talked about there is that you know
presenting an eight million dollar even
a five million dollar proposal isn't is
is never going to get unfunded uh
because you look at all the needs we
have in the city as much as everyone
wants to
to provide for that five million dollars
really takes up takes up the pot
and so they've come back with the phased
approach and uh which
every year the maximum they would
request as they move forward over over
time is about five hundred thousand
dollars and they're looking at ways to
fund that as well outside the city
coffers but um so so specifically to
that item uh I would count that as being
addressed uh yeah we didn't spend eight
we didn't spend 8.8 million dollars or
10 million dollars but we have a plan in
place that's going to address that uh
and it's going to take years to do it
rather than one year it's going to uh
it's gonna take time but that's at least
we have a plan that we can bring forward
and say this is how if you choose to
this is how we choose to to fund this
the other one was the septic tank
remediation uh we just put legislative
there for us uh you know even with this
last go-around with uh the capital
outlay
uh I think we were pretty successful in
uh maybe not meeting the all the demands
but it looks like every year the
legislature has been funding
uh this project for us
and the plan of the plan of attack there
really isn't to
do it all this year and if we rely on
the the capital outlay process I believe
we can fund it but it's going to take
several years to do it and so that's
part of the plan that we'll come back
and address yeah we can't
unless we Bond uh and and you know Bondi
might be a part of the solution but
um there's the plan that we have for
that is that that's why we put
legislative right there as a funding
source but
I I think it's a good exercise for us
for staff for for the public to see
these needs but rather than I think in
in the past where I've gotten feedback
from counselors uh you know rather than
just taking it off or cutting it down to
500 000 and and uh
and really really cutting everything and
then coming back to the council for this
picture what we wanted to do is show it
in its in its form as it was requested
and then we continue to refine and come
back with plans and uh as you notice
what's new this time around with this
list there's a there's uh
nailing down some of the costs a little
bit better but also showing what funding
sources so we know that we don't have to
be when we look at the legislative and
we look at the grants as funding sources
those aren't projects that we have to
compete for in the pot
um and so we can eliminate them from
from the pot that we're all trying to go
after uh it is overwhelming uh there is
there are a lot of needs a lot of
requests
um but if I think if you really go down
to the details and how they'll be funded
I don't I think it gets a little less
overwhelming I think when we have a plan
in place and we have these different
funding sources like for example the the
10 million dollar East Mesa Public
Recreation Center
uh rather than
cut 10 million out of our operating
budget just to fund out I mean there's
no way we'd be able to do that and so
having a Geo bond is something you know
putting that in the next go around is
something that was uh proposed and and
uh I think everybody's planning for that
so that's an expense that we don't have
to worry about absorbing uh because
we've identified a funding source
uh and it's just going through each each
one of these projects and and through
that exercise but there there might be
something that we come back and really
say you know what I I don't know how
we're going to fund it I don't know how
we're going to do this and so is it
really a priority
uh and again rather than cut it before
we bring it back uh have the dialogue
and these meetings that we've had
uh individually these last couple times
even since November I think it's helping
staff to
to identify and and come up with those
plans uh moving forward I I don't know
if that helps Council Florida it's like
just know this is our kind of where we
are in our process
uh but we just we just want to continue
to be
be transparent with you and and uh and
and the council and understanding what
we're dealing with as opposed to trying
to come up with this uh
a solution that you're not you all are
not okay with right
thank you thank you Mr pili and um thank
you for the explanation of how things
are are moving or maybe not moving
eventually
um so at what point Mr peely do we look
at something and say this ain't gonna
happen that's you know let's just call
it a day and just pull that sheet from
our little wish list so at what point do
we start stop beating our heads against
the sky I mean at what point take a
reality make a reality check and decide
um
we'll never be able to complete this so
we'll never be able to do this because
for the Amador hotel maybe there are
others but um except the Amador Hotel
being ever present my mind
um
they can go out because it's I think
there's a organization the friends you
know a 501c3 Friends of the Amador hotel
or something to that effect or some
whatever so there may be some resources
for them there but
um but I'm not sure but I don't anything
like septic tanks with you know would
qualify for any outside money except you
know our money and this well the state
money I don't know
um so at what point Mr peely do we just
say
um this isn't realistic it's not going
to happen you know
counselor can I just jump in real quick
because this is what we were just
talking about earlier about sending this
list back to staff letting them Mark
what they think that they can do what's
going to be more of a challenge and
what's going to be really difficult to
do and that kind of is along the lines
of which you were asking that's what
when I was asking councilor Vasquez
mayor Pro tem if if they're okay with
letting this this list get back to staff
earlier when I started the discussion
this is something here that ifo did that
I've never really seen a city manager
ever do and that is ask each one of you
what yes what would be your druthers
what would you want to see happen and
you know this is a this is what this is
what happens and so
um
yeah and and like I mentioned I didn't
know if staff was waiting for Council to
narrow down the list but I think it'd be
better if we give them the list let them
figure out what we what we can probably
do and do we can maybe do it this way
well it's going to be more of a
challenge and this is how we can get it
done and then One's Gonna like you said
I don't know this one's gonna be really
tough to do and then it comes back and
then we kind of sit back and prioritize
them yeah I think yes I yes I did hear
you say uh that uh Mr Mayor and I
appreciate that and I also appreciate
um Mr peely's efforts to
um uh really have everybody
zero in on
um what we have in front of us and what
we can possibly do with it so
um
you can't get to this list either this
is it this is your list forever so
[Music]
time but
but
um
you know there's some of the projects on
here and I really I mean you know and
they were put in here by um mayor Pro
tem Gandara and thank you uh Cassandra
for the La Casa expansion La Casa
maintenance WIA building exterior
improvements I think those were
um
you know the arts and culture District
improvements and maintenance and and
especially
um the city-owned uh buildings you know
like La Casa
um where maintenance is is definitely
something that we should you know that
should be factored into the budget uh
for whatever column that would be
but
um
uh
but you know for us to actually it
should it seems like that it seems like
that should be an allocated
um uh item and not something that we're
bringing up I mean the city as as a
landowner should take that
responsibility it's a different question
when the city comes to us I don't know
what department it would be would come
to city council and say we need 31 500
uh for this year and then we'll come
back again next year to make sure that
it's allocated taken you know accounted
for so
um also can I bring you use that as an
example because that's where that's why
I think it'd be good to get back to
staff because it's possible that there's
some agreements that that the the NGO
had agreed to maintenance and then there
are some that it didn't and then that
way there we can kind of the city can
see okay well I guess on this one here
we're supposed to we're supposed to do
this and they go okay that hey we thank
you for giving us this building for free
we promise to you know uh take care care
of the roof or take you know I don't
know that's why you know because there's
a lot of them that are out there and
there and maybe we need to look at make
it more uniform I I don't know but I
think that's that's a good reason why we
need to let staff okay well then that
then that would be an added uh you know
uh uh task uh for
um for you know like the maintenance of
uh Las Cruces uh old city-owned
buildings
um where that would just be something
would be built into the budget and
um yeah I mean
so um anyway
um I think that it looks like our our
medians are going to sit there for quite
some time
um except for the ones already
um the ones on uh veteran and
um that's the only one I think that's
under
I think that's the only one that's under
uh
that's being taken care of
oh and then the one year on YouTube High
School
but um anyway
um again I want to thank all of you uh
very very much I know you're very
dedicated I always enjoy uh meeting in
our smaller groups as well
um you know I see the spark in your eyes
the fire in your souls where you really
would love to have all of this happen
um as as we all do
um but I I think we really also needed
uh some sort of uh projection as to the
viability of these uh projects or these
uh wishlist items that's what I call
them
um thank you very much Mr Mayor and
thank you Mr peely and and thank you
Leanne and David and Sonia and
and uh everybody thank you
okay and next is a counselor about the
Stewie
oh ifo did you raise your hand up did
you want to say something
uh no mayor I'm okay okay
thank you mayor um I'm going to try to
be as concise as possible I know we've
talked a lot about
um
great conversation here tonight and I do
want to thank um staff for all the the
meetings that they've had with me
answering my questions they've been very
open
um but I just wanted to give a little
bit of my perspective on how I've
approached this and then just moving
forward I
um am excited to see what staff
as well as far as how easy projects are
obviously I'm sure the higher either
cost the harder it's going to be so I I
think there's some good indicators there
but When approaching budget
um honestly I've been looking at it in a
few different ways but what does every
family home place need you have food
Water Shelter safety so those core
principles and items and then from going
from there then looking at different
types of what I
blanket we call quality of life and
that's economic drivers and then I think
things that make a city run well or are
looked at highly and that's roads and
parks and so those types of items so
that's the basic
principles that I've taken budget
process with from that and looking after
our discussion here today and some of
the requests I have it divided into two
items of items that work for this city
as a whole and items within my district
that are priorities
and I'd be remissed if I just didn't
mention them at least here today just
for another push
um about items that I can still consider
uh top priorities the pavement
management
the mobile crisis unit and the mih
program and the sooner the better for
full funding for both of those I do
consider the senior kitchens and the
septic tank issue also priorities within
my district the El Paseo Corridor
the improvements at the Gomez Park and
the Frank O'Brien paper Center as well
so with that in mind
um
that was really fast but hopefully that
made sense and
um you know I I look forward to having
more conversations
um you all and with Steph
so so counselor uh thank you for those
that information what I was thinking
thinking was what you just put forth is
now when staff comes back they'll come
back with this list right and so have
what you just said and some of the other
council members and then we'll decide
like you just said we're going to
prioritize it on on the health safety
and Welfare what can we do quick quicker
and what what needs to be done is it
important that we work on getting the
kitchens as opposed to funding the
Amador you know no no disrespect to
counselor to anyone supporters of that I
think those are that but by having that
list by staff saying okay I think we can
do all these but this is how much money
we can work with and then let us decide
to fill in the blanks and to come up
with that those uh those priorities yeah
and I think that's a great idea
no thank you mayor okay
counselor did you forget to put your
hand down or did you oh no I never
forget to put my hand down that's what I
was afraid of okay go ahead real quick I
have just three little quick things uh
one is a question for staff under the
median Landscaping I'm asking if this
approximate 2.2 million dollars would
cover all the medians in the city that
are not landscaped yes or no
[Music]
counselor we had a we had an exercise on
this like about six years ago I remember
and I think we were looking at
um all the medians that primarily
weren't paid right and then I think when
and and I think it was mentioned that we
were thinking of using the whole
harmless but then the state started
taking away our money
and I think that's why we had to trim
this but I seem to recall
we had we had gone through all the
medians and and then if that was a
number then that's the number
well yeah the total project cost says is
2.2 million if that is true then we
almost have two million dollars now
so uh this project is pretty much done
um you just have to get the the
contractors start doing the Landscaping
um but uh if that's the case then fine I
mean there's the one so my other part is
the organization of this whole list uh
priorities I think we should have the
separation of those projects that are
unfunded projects
that don't have any funding in them at
all to the projects that are funded and
put them in two different lists and the
ones that are funded we just you know
like the Amador Hotel one and a half
million dollars we start working on that
once that uh is done next year we add
more whatever that's something you
decide in the in the pre and then in the
next years
um but I would like to see the list
split into two two different lists and
then the ones that are unfunded we can
start prioritizing them
um it's a little easier to look at the
list okay second thing
along those lines along those lines I
think that's what we're looking to do uh
those that were easily could be easily
done and you know that includes the
funding those that are going to be a
little bit more difficult and then those
that like counselor Flores said will be
extremely hard to do
so well you can make three then that's
fine
um
so for the for the the the lists that
are um
important for the public
it's important for the public I think
rather that uh the funded projects start
going they start getting done because
even if they're uh part of part of the
project is only done uh and we do it in
in that case we do it in phases it's
something that the the public would like
to see that we are starting to do
something whereas some of these projects
have been lingering for years and uh
nothing's ever done and you keep getting
we keep getting asked when are you going
to do this when are you going to do that
when we have some money sitting there
and um we need to get started and phase
it in face the project in as best we can
I'm maybe not can't face everything but
as many as you can
um and then I will say only this is that
I have one priority and that's only one
on this whole list and that is Chandler
tank it's the only one I asked for I
just hope we can make sure we get that
started
that's all mayor thank you so counselor
did you say that we have the funding 1.5
million for the Amador
yeah it says it right there in front of
me
125 funded
mayor that's from capital outlay from
Mary Kay papin
yeah okay so
um
and then which which one were you
talking about counselor sorg that was uh
that we have the funding for 100 ready
to roll that we haven't done I guess I
wasn't aware of it I never said we had
100 in any
the medians wow it's not 100 it's close
it's just two hundred thousand dollars
short
okay
well again that may be if if that's
something there if you know what what's
what if we needed to can we get by with
the medians not being paid I mean uh
done or do we can we do we need money to
start the uh the uh you know mobile
crisis unit if we needed to you know I
mean so these are something you want you
want to shift some money from it well
you never know I mean that's that's what
we're trying to kind of get some
priorities here but but along those
lines of what you said I think is
important what we have monies for and
um you know are we going to move forward
with this is it is it important to have
all the medians completely done or can
we do three-fourths of them and use some
of that money for something else to for
immediate needs to help those that are
really in crisis you know those are some
of the things but I think we need to
have those dollar amounts I mean those
uh like you said what what is 100 funded
and and what we can do quickly what we
can do with a little bit more of a
challenge and then One's Gonna Be really
difficult
I think I think we're I think we're
close to what you were wanting to see I
think we'll just send it back to looks
like the majority of council almost all
of them said okay let's get back to
staff let them identify what we can get
done real quick what's going to be more
of a challenge and then what's going to
be really difficult to do
yeah okay separate lists separate lists
okay well that's all Mr Mayor one big
one big list
broken down to three parts so
yeah three part three lists
okay I think that's it
yeah anything else from staff we're good
ifo you guys you guys have uh the
direction
we do mayor thank you okay perfect
all right last one procurement code
update Mr Alfredo Pacheco
man you could have driven to Albuquerque
and come back and still be ready to roll
I could have Harry thank you
let me adjust my screen real quick
and get a little bit a little bit tight
unless you were doing like you know
85.90 you'd do
uh if you saw my driving record yeah I
think that I think the chief's still on
the meeting here so
great I'm going to uh share my screen
and then introduce ourselves
can you see my screen
yes
great
thank you mayor council my name is
Alfredo Pacheco I am the deputy director
of Finance I will be doing the
presentation on the procurement code
along with Alex Liu the purchasing
manager who I believe you all are very
well acquainted with so I will start off
the presentation and he will take over
the second half
so the purpose of the procurement code
is to maximize the purchasing value of
public funds and to provide safeguards
for maintaining a procurement system of
quality and integrity and we took this
right out of the current code
the city of Las Cruces procurement code
used by staff to guide all procurement
for the city of Las Cruces and Las
Cruces is a home rule City
New Mexico home real cities include
Albuquerque Rio Rancho Santa Fe multiple
other ones Alamogordo I on this slide I
put the the larger ones in the state but
we are certainly one of those
uh and most other municipalities use the
New Mexico state code
the purpose of the revisions why did we
do this uh it is to provide Clarity end
users state that it is not clear and is
very cumbersome we want to make it more
user-friendly several sections reference
other sections so it's a bit of a
circular thing and we wanted to realign
sections and consolidate to make it
easier
gaps in the codes and the code need to
be addressed so these have been
identified by purchasing staff and end
user departments over time as we get uh
things that pop up that have been
properly addressed we make note of it
and wanted to make that change
the admission of the purchasing
purchasing or Department card program is
one of those things that we wanted to
include in the code itself and it made
sense for us
the committee uh reviewed and revised
the procurement code and consisted of
the assistant city managers at the time
which uh Barbara DeLeon David dollhan uh
purchasing manager Alex Liu Financial
Services director Terry gay hard myself
and Amber Vaughn the acting chief of
staff at the time
so we did this over quite a bit of time
I've been with the city going on almost
two years now and working on this the
whole time and it started uh before uh I
came to the city uh and we've met every
four six weeks thereabouts you know
fairly frequently uh and we basically
took apart the code we literally went
section by section uh to review this and
um and really make it
usable a more usable code for the end
used departments and the public at Large
so part of what we did is we selected
certain departments who are heavy users
of the code and asked them to provide
their input you know what are your
frustrations what have you found that
needs to be improved those specific
departments that we enlisted were Public
Works Parks and Rec and economic
development
uh and so they they provided feedback I
know public works specifically really
did a detailed job coming back and uh
and providing very specific
recommendations for what they would like
to see changed
we also had the legal department slash
internal audit take a look at it as well
and as a matter of fact they came up
with a recommendation to utilize a
survey to for other departments to have
their input so that's what we did we
created a survey it was sent out to all
Department directors and and staff and
and their uh staff who had a hand in the
in procurement specifically
we received 19 responses and the survey
questions you see listed here I'll go
ahead and read them question one do you
know where to locate a copy of the
procurement code
question two do you reference the
procurement code when initiating and
completing a procurement
three which sections of the code do you
use most frequently
four does the procurement code conflict
with purchasing practices in your area
which is obviously uh that would be
problematic and five how would you use
the procurement code or how would you
like to see it improved overall
um so so what we did uh with the code
itself is initially we were looking
making contact change to the to the code
fix those things that are wrong uh the
more we got into it the further we went
along we realized that as I said before
it was cumbersome and we would we needed
to format the whole thing
um
that's it was all over the place uh and
so this slide here uh shows you uh
actually as the code exists today and
what our proposals are to move it around
so the uh
the green items shows how they move and
the next shy slide shows how uh how it
changes
so what you see here is the what's
labeled here is the previous format is
obviously the format as it is today what
we want to become the previous format
and then the revised format
so along the the left hand side of your
screen you'll see that it's it's large
it's all over the place
and we really
Consolidated into you know these uh
seven items uh in general ethics the
roles of the purchasing manager uh
contract information Source selection uh
department or suspension and appeals and
remedies
so you know a summary to give you an
example uh the code as we suggest it is
going to be roughly 40 pages
the the code as we have it right now
with the red line version uh because you
can't just you know replace those you
have to show the changes that you make
um is 112 pages so that document
obviously is large and cumbersome and is
very important to read as it is with the
the corrected copy so we just want to
highlight or summarize some of the
changes that we made
so the the purpose uh we it was second
or is second currently we made it first
state your purpose right off the top
um ethics and prohibitions and
procurement
um on the previous screen I showed you
where it was towards the ladder or the
back end of the code
and we moved it towards the front ethics
are important we know this so we want to
reflect that importance by moving it to
the front
uh contract information uh I wanted to
separate that from Source selection and
then under Source selection we did a lot
of consolidations to get it into the uh
the section that it is
so we we made those changes
um
to uh for for ease of use this is the
part where we talk about the actual
content changes that we made to the code
um and this is the portion in which I
invite in Mr Alex Liu to to discuss
those with you
thank you Alfredo
um change Alex we always purchasing
section we're going to talk about the
content
good afternoon
uh gonna talk about the content changes
for this Pico revision
I just want to mention that this
presentation has been presented to the
finance lab committee including mayor
council bencomo and Council of Flores
and as Alfredo mentioned
that the driven of this revision is not
from purchasing is mainly from the end
user Department frequently asked
questions in their input they input from
legal departments and administration and
the input from the public and the vendor
committee community
at our city to resolve the problem that
we see you over the years
for the general section
um definitions are revised to include
those that was not previously included
for example we clarify that all the
dollar amount limits
like screwing tax Fleet and shipping
charges
we added the meaning of award means the
issuance of valid executed contract that
may include a purchase order
also as exemption are revised and
Revisited
we review and research the procurement
call from the city of
Albuquerque and city of Rio Rancho and
we see some interesting experience and
items that can improve the efficiency of
the procurement we also defined
the exemption only applicable to the
competitive procurement requirements
that's not applicable to the contract
requirements and city council approval
requirements anything over 75 000 still
need Council review and approval
emergency procurement revised
contingency section revised which we're
going to talk about later in the slides
for the purchasing manager section based
on the input of the uh the HR department
the duties are removed to keep it in the
job description authority to award has
been added
next slide
and the contract information and
requirement separate out from the source
election a purchasing section will
continue to draft performance
Contracting with the help of our awesome
legal department support
um in this Source selection section we
changes made changes in contingency area
next slide
so more example of the content changes
for definition we added the definition
for small purchases corporate
procurement with detail is spelled out
defined that purposely splitting the
procurement into small pieces to avoid
competitive procurement is prohibited
and the purchasing section is
encouraging all the end user Department
to reward all small purchases which is
under seventy five thousand dollars to
local business uh only this is a push to
support local spending and uh even for
big men uh big main items including
let's say uh Goodyear Tires we want the
nus department to use local dealers
for exemptions uh based on the input
from the
HR department legal department and even
with our treasury sections we add surety
bond membership use and retirement and
other benefits to the exact exemption
section exemptions are very sometimes
necessary and
important for example recently city
council used exemption number seven uh
procure of service and product to
support the second integent often and
that allowed us the city to go through
the procurement process and approval for
all the community support projects
for the rapid and emergency procurement
we combine those two
emergency procurement is only being used
when there's a clear threat to Public
Safety Health and Welfare
for example when um EFA the airport
called purchasing saying that the
monitor for the fuel tank is all out of
trot we believe that's a emergency
because we do not know that the the
monitor is broken or the fuel tank is
about to explode
but uh if the airport card purchasing
when the motor is on and we are filling
the tank the fuel gun is leaking
although it's a pressing items that we
need to deal with right away that we we
don't think it goes to the explosion
level so we're going to deal with that
safety issues with rapid protein
next slide
for the selection advisory committee uh
although the each selection advisory
committee for each procurement is unique
we want to bring more random lists to
the selection of the committee members
right now
um the committee chair which is the
assistant city manager are choosing the
three directors for uh for their uh
selection committee uh when you want to
change it to One Directory is designated
by the committee chair one is from the
end user department and one serving on
the rotation basis on a pool of
directors same thing that applies to the
subject matter expert approve of
internal subject matter experts shall be
maintained by the department and be used
to appropriate to the appropriate
procurement we want to prevent a
situation that some of the subject
matter expert returned and participate
in the procurement process more than
others
based on recently published a macaw
report we want all external subject
matter expert as non-voting technical
advisors you can provide their input and
expertise to the committee that will
serve as a
non-voting and will be not included in
the total number of subject matter
experts
slide
based on the recent changes of the
structure of management
both assistant city managers will serve
as non-voting member and the committee
chair on a rotation basis for the
selection advisor can be and the city's
purchasing manager will serve as a
non-voting staff coordinator to answer
any questions from the committee
for the changes in contingency currently
we have five percent for new
construction 10 for rehabilitation and
repair ten percent for professional
Technical Services
in the daily operation and we find out
that
for example public work and utility
department really don't understand uh
really can
forecast what is underground before they
open up the road
the drawing for underground construction
is very good after 1990 but when they
open up the road then we see a sewage
line from 1950s and they need some
flexibilities so we propose that uh we
changed the contingency fund to no more
than 20 for your construction
Rehabilitation and Professional Services
so that there's more flexibility so you
think it applies to staff cannot really
tell what is happening inside the war
before they open up the driver
at the same time we want to propose to
remove uh the contingency requirement
for our project son of a project and as
many of them
contractors should be able to finish
based on their quoted amount and quoted
time for example uh if they pave a
parking lot they need to be able to
stand by their price
I think that's that's the end of the my
my section and I will turn it back to
Alfredo
thanks Alex
yes thank you sir so uh Welcome to our
our next steps
um we had listed uh originally as uh the
finance select committee as Alex stated
we brought this forward uh to do the the
first read at the March 15th meeting it
was our suggestion
um and then adoption on April 5th
um that obviously has changed uh so it
is March 22nd and we're in in work
session so
um provided that you all approve we will
move forward with the new dates for
first read and adoption the second piece
is also the education uh of all the
various end user departments as well uh
as I stated we've been doing this for a
while uh and pre-pandemic uh and it was
our intention to actually get out to all
the various departments uh and educate
um on the revision camera code but it'll
give us the opportunity to also provide
education on the code in general we
still intend to do that we're going to
take a look at what is best given the
the current state of affairs how best to
do that maybe uh electronically via
teams or Zoom or what have you
um but education is important piece
simply changing the code and moving on
uh doesn't cut it so we're going to do
that
and so
I leaves you with uh the discussion that
thank you all for involved in the review
and revision of the uh city of Las
Cruces procurement code this was
undoubtedly a team effort a lot involved
um and we're looking forward to uh
making it better and more useful for uh
all uh City staff and for outside
vendors
and that concludes our presentation
thanks alfredo that was really good you
know I have to tell you that
I know nothing about procurement so very
little
so I'm just going to rely on you all
make sense which you all are presenting
but we do have questions from counselors
Flores Vasquez and Gandara so counselor
Flores
thank you mayor I just want to thank
Alfredo and Alex for today's
presentation and
um for everyone who worked on the
procurement revisions I think that uh
uh you know I I don't know if this was a
result necessarily of the mccard
um report but
um it certainly uh
it was something that was really needed
to see some language uh now in the old
um you know the lined out language of
the old uh statue the old uh
uh ordinance
um is really amazing so it's really
wonderful that uh you do something
around and came up with this so I just I
just want to thank you
um there was I did have a specific
question but I have
um
I I didn't but anyway but thank you
mayor and again thank you Mr Pacheco and
Mr Liu for your presentation and for
your work
thank you thanks counselor councilor
Vasquez
yes thank you mayor um thank you Alex
and Alfredo as well uh yes these are
really welcome changes and I know we've
talked about some of these just recently
in our
um discussions around some uh different
ways that we could
um I don't want to say bulletproof our
procurement system to avoid potential
conflicts of interest or fraud or any
any one
issue of financial malfeasance but I
know this gets to some of the issues
that that we talked about
um in the past especially in particular
as councilman Flores mentioned um as our
some of the findings from the hard
report
um I do have just a question here Alex
um well Alfredo around the selection
advisory committee if you could put it
back on on that slide
um
I think yes that one right there slide
15 thank you so for this particular
slide uh or for this particular edit
here
um it's my understanding that this
changes from three Department
um
uh three to uh
I'm sorry
um
three department heads are not permanent
members
um and don't serve on a case-by-case
basis anymore uh one is designated a
committee chair from the end user
department and one serving on a rotating
basis from a total pool of directors
um so is this the only randomized
selection that occurs
um as a direct change of this particular
policy
um you still have two directors that
serve but then one is chosen at random
to serve on the selection advisory
committee is that is that correct
uh mayor if I may answer
yes of course yeah I guess uh the
America councilor Vasquez uh so to go
back to uh councilor flotus's comment
about you know the mccard report and how
it relates to these changes this was
definitively uh pre-mccard report the
changes that we were making to it
um were long overview and needed to be
implemented uh however the mcard report
did play a part in uh some of the
changes that we made so I know you
yourself councilor Velasquez suggested
changes on getting some more
um random folks of the selection
advisory committee process
um we initially as a as a staff as
purchasing staff went back and took your
suggestions or your questions
um and and offered suggestions on how to
change it to make it more random
subsequent to that we received the final
edition of the mcard report and some of
those were at odds with each other we
could not Implement both the suggestions
you made and the recommendations come
from the card report and so we we tried
to make it as random as we could while
still
um holding true to the McCart
recommendations so when you ask about
the department directors there are in
fact three uh the the end user
Department that is part of that
procurement it makes complete sense for
them to be involved in it
um and then a selection from the
um the chair of the of the committee and
then that that rotating uh third
director and so we get a lot of the
directors and involved on the process on
an ongoing basis we have
quite a few uh selection advisory
committee meetings on an online basis so
there'll be opportunities for directors
to be involved as that third member but
we didn't want to make it a completely
random necessarily but really to try to
think this through to uh to provide that
we're still keeping the structure of the
committee itself and Alex I don't know
if you're going to add anything to that
yes
so for the um for the randomness
questions uh I've been with the city for
about two years now
um I can say that I haven't seen a a
single selection advisory committee is
exactly the same it's um the three
directories is always changing and the
all the subject matter experts are
always changing so I haven't seen a a
selection advisor committee is exactly
the same as the previous one so every
selection advisory committee is unique
okay thank you thank you Alex enough
further that's really helpful I
appreciate you incorporating some of
these um changes and some of the uh and
like you said to make sure that that we
also retain the expertise at the staff
level to make the right decision is
important in addition to also making
sure
um that there's some level of
uncertainty in who gets to be the
decision maker on contracts right
because I think what I I think what the
spirit of this change represents is that
if there is any any type of
um pre-planning involved where you know
as a member let's say you're a
contractor and you say well you know I
know that these three I know that these
three department heads are going to be
making a decision on this contract it'd
be a lot easier for that for that person
or that company to go and try to butter
up those three department heads right
but if they don't know if there's a
moving Target which is where the
randomness comes in
um then there's no opportunity to even
do that now I'm not saying that that's
happening that's going to happen but I
think you know just thinking about the
protection to um to the taxpayer dollar
I appreciate that change
um so that so that that decision is
uncertain to whoever the the bidders are
for a particular contract
um because I know as a counselor myself
you know I get approached all the time
with emails from random vendors and you
know random folks saying hey you should
look at this product you should look at
you know what can we do for the city in
this respect and and x and y and that's
really you know an attempt not just to
market a product but it's an attempt to
influence a decision maker at least
that's the way I see it and so I don't
respond to that kind of stuff
um so thank you for that um I do have
just one other quick question if you go
to slide 16
um okay so here is um so I think
um
the other part of this is where it
mentions an alternate may be designated
by any member to attend in that member's
place so am I reading this right that I
mean this is our previous policy but if
I'm a department head and I say you know
what I don't I don't want to be part of
this committee or I can't be part of
this committee because I have a conflict
that you could appoint uh somebody
within your department or somebody
within the same level of expertise or
area of expertise to serve as a Sac
Committee Member is that is that the way
I'm reading that
uh mayor councilor Vasquez one of the
things I failed to mention in the
presentation is that you know
Improvement is ongoing and and we have
made changes already uh prior to even
this uh procurement code revision uh
that we're bringing forth to you so one
of those is the uh conflict of interest
uh and the confidentiality statement uh
so going back a year and a half two
years those used to be uh
completed together right at the
beginning a a member of the committee
would fill those out and go about their
business uh we changed it up so that we
do them separate now the confidentiality
statement is right at the beginning but
the conflict of interest is later on in
the process because if you're uh just uh
somebody in town and and you don't know
who is uh bidding on a project or you
know on an RFP
um until you find out when those names
actually come in so you don't know
whether you have a conflict of interest
until that time and so by sending it
back further in the process
um now you can truthfully and accurately
uh to do that conflict of interest and
there are times where you know the names
come up a member of the committee raises
their hand to us and says you know I
can't serve on this committee I know
such and such for whatever reason you
know whatever the relationship may be
I'm going to ask off of the uh committee
and and so we get a replacement person
to avoid that very specific conflict of
interest
thank you Alfredo and so so this isn't
so much
to abdicate no I don't want to say
responsibility but
um just to this is more meant to protect
that conflict of interest
um opportunity to to leave that process
rather than uh let's say a department
head simply doesn't have time and wants
to delegate his his or her
responsibilities to another member
that that is correct we do have a part
of the mayor council bosses
we do have uh situations where you know
people move you know it's a whole
process in which you're seeing it from
beginning to end the the writing of the
rfpa the request for proposal all the
way through uh the solicitation process
the procurement process
um and so it's a it's a lengthy time and
sometimes people cycle
I mean there are various reasons why it
may occur but it certainly is not
anybody begging to get off the committee
just because I mean there are very valid
reasons why we would select an alternate
okay thank you Alfredo well my only
suggestion for for this section here and
I don't
um I don't know what stage you are of
rewriting the code but I I would I would
perhaps
um uh make sure that that replacement in
addition to being designated by any
member
um to attend in that member's place that
that change be approved by an assistant
city manager
I I would think it might be good to have
two different levels of check on there
the reason I say that is I wouldn't want
somebody to arbitrarily play somebody
else again that knows that they're going
to make a certain decision right or
there's a pers or there's a potential
conflict I would want to make sure one
of our city managers at least checks off
and says hey you know what this
replacement makes sense or you know has
the opportunity to be another stop gap
for any you know types of bad activity
might be happening there
we're doing that any alternative will
submit uh proposal will send it to me
and I will check with the
um chair which is assistant city
managers uh for his approval before we
can uh Pace uh put him on the committee
and share the document with him
okay thank you Alex
um I'm glad you're doing that in
practice I just don't see it written
down there as a as a you know uh as a
specific rule I don't know if we need to
add that in case you know um and just
needs to be codified in writing but I
appreciate that that um process already
so uh thank you Alex thank you Alfredo I
think this is um well needed I fully
fully support this and in addition to
these important changes on ethics and
transparency I think uh as you mentioned
a focus on the end user and making sure
especially our local small businesses
are able to participate and be
competitive in a process that can often
be cumbersome in dealing with any local
when dealing with any government is also
uh paid attention to so thanks for all
your work on this I know it's been a
long time coming and I look forward to
supporting this thank you thank you man
thank you mayor Pro Tem
thanks mayor thank you Alfredo and Alex
yeah I and counselor Vasquez for your
questions they're they're really
um I had a few very similar
um but my first question is about you
made mention that um former assistant
city managers in this in this group sort
of looking through
um reform if you will
and I just wanted to make sure that our
current assistant city managers and ifo
has looked at this and vetted it
um and and is okay with the the changes
uh mayor council Agana I I don't know
the extent to which they have reviewed
it if at all uh I may actually defer to
uh Miss de Leon she would know better
than I I don't know it's her hand raised
or anything but
um I'm not sure if they have actually
reviewed it or not we've been looking to
get this review for a little while now
Barbara and Jennifer have their hand up
okay Jennifer
or Barbara whoever wants to go first
thank you mayor thank you Council
um just two things
actually reviewed it
part of the workflow in icompass the
last to review is the City attorney and
the city manager's office so it will be
fully reviewed and approved in icompass
once it is placed on the agenda
um in addition to that I just wanted to
reassure councilor Vasquez that
um
and it there are other ethics ordinances
in place not only do we have our ethics
ordinance that already exists but in our
Personnel rules in section
um 600 611 particularly six eleven point
eight
um city employees have to disclose in
writing all Financial conflicts of
interest or potential conflicts of
interest in any business that they do
with the city so it is already required
in our Personnel rules for all employees
to disclose so I just wanted to make
sure that you're aware of that and I can
send those to you if you would like to
review those as well
and Barbara did you have something you
wanted to add
yes thank you mayor Barbara DeLeon for
the record and mayor Pro tem just with
respect to the information that's been
passed on to the city manager and the
assistant city manager with respect to
this process of course um I have a
prized them all about the upcoming
changes assistant city managers Enriquez
and tomokiao have also been chairing the
sac meetings for the last couple of
months so they've been familiarizing
themselves with the p code to the extent
that it's utilized at the SAC meeting
the procedures we gave them a
um sort of a tutorial for how that works
so that they could understand what the
intricacies are what the difficulties
were that um are now being addressed and
as
um Jennifer Vega Brown just pointed out
as well
um all of the review process includes
assistant city managers and the and the
city manager for the approval of this to
go forward
I appreciate that Barbara and Jennifer I
I just want to
um for me I think it's important to have
ifo and nikani look at this and weigh in
you know they bring a whole different
perspective
um which I think is important
um and I just want to make sure that
they've had that opportunity to to weigh
in before it gets approved and I was
hoping that either one of them I would
be happy to hear you know from from
their perspective I want you know this
would be one of the first times that
they have influenced right some some of
this moving forward and and really
didn't get the opportunity in the past
to do so so I I just want to make sure
that they've looked at that that they've
given their input and that it it's
reflected in the in this particular
change
foreign
city manager Tomo PL I appreciate the
opportunity uh to to be here on this
discussion is very important to all of
us including myself
um I I have been part I've been chairing
these Sac committees and honestly I
haven't reviewed uh these changes but
like Barbara said I have reviewed to the
extent of being a member of the chair uh
what I would recommend is I I will
definitely review this
um if it is your uh consideration of
will you could approve this contingent
on approval
um my my review as well I just don't
want to hold this up at this uh well
it's a work session anyways but um I I
will definitely review so that I can say
that I've reviewed it if I have any
concerns or or thoughts I'll definitely
uh keep you apprised and let you know
mayor Pro 10 of the council for sure
just wanted to share that thank you
thank you thank you akani
um I saw evil
and it wasn't sure mayor if he had
something to to say about that yeah I
just think it's important if
I mean it might be like oh no absolutely
not I want to have this whole rewrite I
if that's the case you should have that
opportunity to to do that
um and it's a perfect opportunity so I
just want to make sure that that's
happening
if you have something to say you know I
don't know if I have too much to add to
what uh economy mentioned I will do the
same I have been briefed by Barbara
uh on these changes but I I will look at
look through it thoroughly and make sure
that uh
I've done so so that we can um
like I said make sure everything
everything's only up and up like Miss uh
mayor Pro tem has mentioned but I I have
been briefed uh throughout this
throughout this process but I I do need
to look at it more thoroughly yeah most
likely we'll just move it forward
because I think you know at least three
of us in the finance committee have seen
it and but that'll give you time to
review it some more if you need to but
it appears to be fine but nonetheless
we'll just uh you know honor your your
uh what you're saying so yeah thank you
mayor I appreciate that um I'm I'm real
appreciative of the surveying that
happened internally
um and I wasn't sure if you've offered
that same survey or a different one
externally to our the end user because
many are external right to do this and
so I was hoping that that that survey
went out to our external external
Partners as well
did that happen
Alfred Allen
uh yes uh mayor mayor Pro tem uh it did
not the survey that we sent out was
strictly uh internal and we have not uh
candidates certainly the the community
and and also understanding that
um you know we also have out of state uh
vendors as well so that that would be a
an undertaking but we have not
thank you Alfredo and and thanks my
around the conflict of interest and how
that's
um
um um
whether that's being asked and and what
in what juncture right the beginning
middle
um I'm so you appreciate you uh
clarifying that I think that's really
important and especially the the
confidentiality statement
um as well so thanks for that and then
um
but
I had the same concerns as counselor
Vasquez did on the the replacement one I
just want to make sure that and and I
think he made mention I think codifying
it saying it because you know as people
move in and out of positions I think it
important that it's codified that it
said Alex that you are asking for a city
manager right to to approve this as well
that the director just doesn't get to
willy-nilly say yeah I want this person
I want to make sure that city managers
involved in that process
or an assistant city manager and that
it's documented somewhere
can we do that can we get that done
beautiful
temp can you restate what your what your
question was again well it was the same
concern that I had in relation to
um slide 16 as um there be being a
replacement
um and that the director gets to pick
that I I think it Alex did say that
informally it is being
um
um I guess run through a process meaning
that the assistant manager approves it
but it's not codified it's not it's not
stated anywhere in a written policy and
I'd like to see it stated in a written
policy
go ahead okay thank you for the question
um certainly we can uh spelled out the
uh detailed process uh requirements in
the SOP section rather than in the uh in
the procurement code I said this is
thank you Alex and then just for my and
and we'd have to spend too much time and
I'm fine with it I didn't understand
slide 17 in terms of the contingency
fund
can you explain it just a little more to
me I don't I didn't really understand
what that meant
well contingency fund is required for
um
construction
um mainly for construction and
Rehabilitation repair project many of
the
um many of the constructions as we know
it that subject to
unchangeable conditions with
temperatures uh conditions gonna cause
change orders and cause uh
um revisit of the total amount
I think Public Works and utility
departments can answer more in detail
about what usually they happened but
contingency is is necessary to prevent
uh and bring more flexibility for
construction projects
so so mayor Pro 10 so basically if
there's a project we're going to do for
a million we'll put another 10 or 100
000 like take for example wood the price
of wood is just going crazy here and by
having that extra contingency fund we
haven't budgeted to cover you know
hopefully cover the increase of things
that just we have no control over this
sometimes it just happens
so you're asking the end user to ensure
that this fund is of or 20 more or 10
per professional technical service am I
getting that
yes okay yes okay cool I understand
thank you so much I thought those are
all my questions I appreciate it mayor
thank you for all everybody's work on
this
sure counselor sword yes Mr Mayor thank
you uh and thank you uh Alexan and uh
Alfredo just one quick question Alfredo
for you
um the net result of this change in the
procurement will that uh speed up the
process
the total process
alfredo
yes uh mayor councilor sword
um I don't know about speeding it up per
se it's meant to make it more uh
accurate and Equitable uh it's used to
fix the problems that we encounter
um and I don't know that expediency was
our overall goal
um so I I can't definitively answer that
no I'm I'm sorry to hear that I was
hoping we'd have a little more rapid
process yet good you know you had a good
process thank you Mr Mayor that's all I
have thanks counselor uh counselor
Flores did you have uh or Alex did you
have your hand up
yes sir I want to just uh comments on
the councilor sulk's question uh it's
the structure change will make uh the
end user Department easy to use so that
they can start a process faster and
easier so if we say that it's faster but
um at the same time
um for the procurement process sometimes
fasting is not always the uh the BET
gonna lead to the best result and also
the changes we propose here uh in the uh
procurement call although we are home
ruled uh we cannot be too far away from
the state procurement code and state
statute requirements so that's our
guidance uh when we propose these
changes thank you sir thank you thank
you Alex that that's good
okay and looks like our last speaker of
the evening is councilor Flores
okay so I'll be here for two hours thank
you so um
I um
when we reviewed this in our finance
select committee
um somehow what um
uh councilor Vasquez brought up and and
mayor Pro tem concurs with that
um
yeah I you know Alex you say that it's a
practice it's a practice and then in
your response to uh mayor Pro tem
Gandara you said yes we'll keep it our
policy
but I I feel that I believe and you'd
have to go back uh you know through the
channels that you have to go but it
changes
that it is necessary to have it in
writing
um and is there any reason for it not to
be in writing or is it too late to
change or
does it really change the intent I I
think that what um mayor Pro tem and
councilor Velasquez both brought up is
this uh we want to assure that we don't
have any Shenanigans you know we want to
make sure I mean that's that's a legal
term meaning
we want to make sure that people aren't
going to be in a position of
no oversight uh so when and I think that
was the problem in in previous
Administrations
that led us to that um well I think
we're still awaiting some results from
the AG's office
so would it be possible to uh Mr Pacheco
or Mr Liu to add that language since
it's already your practice uh it's not
enough for it to be a policy it would
have to be uh our local law our in our
ordinance
is it possible
Mr Pacheco
uh yes uh mayor council Flores Pacheco
uh maybe yes it is possible to to still
add that we haven't sent it to you yet
uh I weren't sure if we're going to be
uh how the council is going to proceed
forward with it but that change is still
possible yeah and you know and it's also
um you know given the um past
administrative previously been previous
previous previous administration you
know move out the interims there but
um I think that there wasn't any real it
was like the fox it'd be like the fox
watching the uh
the uh Hen House type of thing but there
was no way of there was no way of really
tracking it but if we make someone
accountable someone in that position
that they said yeah I signed off
then you know that that is I think a
better way of that person to be
um definitely aware of the implications
of a lack of oversight or you know
um
intentional oversight
so that's my that's my recommendation to
without with all due respect uh I
otherwise I you know I think when we
reviewed this we found it to be
amazingly well done and I want to thank
you again for that
thank you
okay that's it
you're done yeah I can go on do you want
me to go on no no no no
I'm making sure
everybody's going no no no go home oh I
am home
okay so I think that's it
um looks like other than those those
small changes looks like you can move
forward and bring it bring It Forward I
guess uh the council meeting that you
see fit
thank you mayor thank you counselors
uh Alfredo you had a question or comment
uh yes sir I do uh thank you mayor uh I
wanted to go back and readdress uh
Council of sword
um you know and my response to them in
terms of uh expediency you know and
really thinking about Alex's response
and our our whole take on this
um it was too cumbersome and not easily
understood by the Departments and and
the survey bore you know part of that
out
um and so a a cleaner more efficient
procurement code that everybody
understands I think will have an
inherent benefits uh in order for the
process as a whole I I back what Alex
stated in terms of you know making it
fast doesn't necessarily make it better
but but I think having everybody truly
understand uh you know the the code
itself uh and as I stated uh our
education with the various energy
departments hopefully we can drive that
home we'll make the process better top
to bottom thank you
okay very good
before that pretty much concludes
everything
uh yes mayor I don't have anything thank
you
okay well good enough well looks like uh
we may be able to finish before seven
o'clock so I'll just need a motion in a
second move to adjourn okay
motion made by counselor sore second by
mayor Pro tem Gandara Christine
a motion to adjourn the work session
counselor Aveda stewby yes
counselor Vasquez
he took off like an hour ago
yes please start yes okay
counselor
no one stayed okay absence
um counselor sorg yes time to hit
yeah yeah counselor Flores yes
counselor Gandara yes
mayor yes
okay we're adjourned thanks everyone for
your presentation you all have a good
evening
bye now thank you thank you good night
foreign