Friday, September 23, Post Council Debrief. Budget Highlight Legislative Reserve Funds

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Friday, September 23, 2016 Post Council Debrief I met with executive staff Tuesday morning to review your City Council meeting direction and comments from Monday, September 19 th.

1 Friday, September 23, 2016 Post Council Debrief I met with executive staff Tuesday morning to review your City Council meeting direction and comments from Monday, September 19 th. While there were many scheduled business items on the agenda, I am providing this post meeting debrief to summarize direction and follow-up by City administration on several of the items discussed. Video Surveillance of City Buildings: In numerous City buildings, at both interior and exterior locations, video surveillance systems assist City staff with monitoring for security and liability issues. While not all are monitored continuously, it was requested to place video monitoring equipment at key City building entrances. This is already in place at most buildings, and those that are without, are either budgeted through operating budgets or when the next major capital improvement is made. However, this represents a significant capital expense to the City, along with data storage requirements to comply with local and state records requirements, and staffing to monitor the videos. All recording devices have data stored for 30 days and requires staff to monitor and review in the event of an incident. Federal Public Lands Resolution: A resolution proposed by Councillor Sorg related to federal public lands in New Mexico being retained under the ownership and control of the federal government has been forwarded to staff for review and development of a Council Action & Executive Summary form. This resolution will be brought forward for the Mayor s consideration to place on the agenda for the meeting of Monday, October 17, Budget Highlight Legislative Reserve Funds Part of the discussion at last week s meeting of the Las Cruces Utilities Board related to low income utilities assistance. I thought it prudent to provide an overview of the City s budgeted Legislative Reserve funds. Legislative Reserve funds provide funding to outside entities that assist the City in completing initiatives established by the City Council. They are restricted by the Anti-Donation Clause of the New Mexico Constitution and must further the City s overall purpose in its various operations. Included here is a memo from the City s Interim Budget and Grants Manager Veronica MacGregor, along with a five-year history of those legislative reserves starting in FY2012. The report outlines what was budgeted for each activity and the actual budget used. On average, nearly 90% of the funds are used each year across all categories. Based on percentages used historically, the budgets have been adjusted to more accurately reflect need, as well as funding for new categories/activities. All of the activities are funded by the City s General Fund and any unspent money at the end of each budget year remains in fund balance for use in the next fiscal year. Read more. Page 1 of 6

Business and Retention Survey By Mandy Guss, Interim Economic Development Coordinator/Economic Development One of the goals for the City of Las Cruces Economic Development Office is business

The information we are requesting will allow us to more clearly understand the needs of Las Cruces businesses and to more effectively work with businesses and some of the City's business assistance

2 Business and Retention Survey By Mandy Guss, Interim Economic Development Coordinator/Economic Development One of the goals for the City of Las Cruces Economic Development Office is business retention and expansion. We have developed the Business and Retention Survey to help us identify the needs of the business community. The information we are requesting will allow us to more clearly understand the needs of Las Cruces businesses and to more effectively work with businesses and some of the City's business assistance agencies. We encourage all business owners and managers to take the survey so that we can serve their needs better. This represents a step for the City of Las Cruces in its efforts to develop stronger relationships with our local business community. We understand the day-to-day operations of business is the main priority and we appreciate the time invested in answering this survey. Please call (575) or econ-dev@las-cruces.org with any questions or comments on the survey. The survey will be available until Friday, October 7 th. Thank you for your support and participation. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) The Street and Traffic Operations Section of the Transportation Department continues to work on smaller scale projects throughout the City to implement the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS). A functional ITS will help improve transportation for all users by reducing travel times, improving signal coordination, providing real-time traffic advisory information, reducing vehicle emissions, optimize efficiency, and increase mobility for all transportation users. Although the overall cost is estimated at $19 Million, the following projects help staff work to reach that goal in smaller increments until additional funding can be obtained. The Traffic Management Center (TMC) is now fully operational and fiber optic interconnect lines have been installed along East Lohman Avenue and Main Street. Also, ten signals along Lohman Avenue, two signals along North Valley Drive, and three signals on the East Mesa are online with Centracs. Staff can make changes to these signals from the TMC in a more efficient and timely manner. Timing changes along the East Lohman Avenue corridor were implemented to improve delay and travel times substantially. A significant and new aspect of the change was the installation of flashing yellow arrows at two intersections. Staff also continues to complete travel time studies by driving major corridors, such as University Avenue and Valley Drive, to assure timing patterns are functioning optimally. If anomalies are noted, timing changes are implemented. Page 2 of 6

Solar Power Projects By Lisa LaRocque, Sustainability Officer Corridor/intersection reviews have been completed at intersections with known delays, such as

Upcoming projects will include Bluetooth systems to obtain real-time travel time data and a pan/tilt/zoom camera system will be installed as part of the

Each of these systems will provide additional data and capacities to staff to make adjustments to improve the transportation system.

Friday, October 14 th. The parking area in the rear will be fenced off during construction.

3 Solar Power Projects By Lisa LaRocque, Sustainability Officer Corridor/intersection reviews have been completed at intersections with known delays, such as the Triviz Drive/Spruce Avenue/Telshor Boulevard corridor, in order to implement new timing patterns to mitigate those delays. Upcoming projects will include Bluetooth systems to obtain real-time travel time data and a pan/tilt/zoom camera system will be installed as part of the Sonoma Ranch Boulevard/Lohman Avenue traffic signal. Each of these systems will provide additional data and capacities to staff to make adjustments to improve the transportation system. 9/23-10/14 The City is installing an additional 29KW solar photovoltaic system in the parking area at the Las Cruces Convention Center today through Friday, October 14 th. The parking area in the rear will be fenced off during construction. The City will also install a 122KW solar photovoltaic system in the parking area at the Munson Center from Friday, September 30 th through Friday, October 21 th. The north parking area will be fenced off during construction. There should be no interruption of scheduled services at either facility. Sun Power by Positive Energy Solar is the contractor for this project. Page 3 of 6

National Museum of African American History and Culture Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Initiative Video Page 4 of 6 You are invited to join the Branigan Cultural Center in celebrating the grand

4 National Museum of African American History and Culture Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Initiative Video Page 4 of 6 You are invited to join the Branigan Cultural Center in celebrating the grand opening of the newest Smithsonian museum, National Museum of African American History and Culture on Saturday, September 24 th. Beginning at 8 a.m., there will be a live broadcast of the opening ceremonies from Washington, D.C. in the Schwartz Room, followed by light refreshments. In addition to the reception, there will also be a display of the exhibit, A Place for All People: Introducing the National Museum of African American History and Culture for a limited time. The City is proud that the Museum System is a Smithsonian Affiliate and will be participating in this exciting event. Admission to all of the City museums is free. The Parks & Recreation Department supports the Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Initiative in Doña Ana County by expanding opportunities for active living and increased physical activity for children. The focus is to help decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity by increasing children's physical activity in our community. This current campaign is the second round of funding the City has received from the New Mexico Department of Health for the Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Initiative. Grant funds will be used to continue way-finding signage in parks, public spaces along walking routes with a primary focus throughout the downtown area. In addition, the department with assistance from the Public Information Office, produced two, 30-second video advertisements to educate the public on the benefits of walking and to familiarize citizens with the numerous local amenities. Walk Downtown Video. CLC-TV Wins Six National Government Programing Awards The City of Las Cruces government television station, CLC-TV, received six awards last night at the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) Government Programing Awards held in Austin, Texas. They include two, 1 st place and four, 2 nd place awards. Awards Won: Arts and Entertainment (Operating Budget Under $200,000) 1 st Place Rio Grande Theatre

5 Profile of a City/County Dept. (Operating Budget Under $200,000) 1 st Place Meet the Las Cruces Public Information Office Innovative Use of Video 2 nd Place Bri Bagwell Music Video Public Service Announcement (Operating Budget Under ($200,000) 2 nd Place Hit the Trail The Las Cruces Urban Trail System Videography 2 nd Place Las Cruces Bri Bagwell Music Video Programing Excellence (Top Award Operating Budget under $250,000) 2 nd Place City of Las Cruces Television No Newsletter Next Week As I will be out of town on Thursday, September 29 th and Friday, September 30 th, attending the Annual Conference of the New Mexico Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA-NM), there will be no newsletter next week. I am attending the conference to obtain required continuing educational credits to maintain my certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and network with my fellow urban planners from across the state. City Council Work Session Preview for Monday, September 26 th Monday s work session agenda consists of four items: 1. Suicide Prevention Task Force Update 2. Health and Human services 3. Childhood Poverty 4. Weed & Seed Discussion The Week Ahead Standard, Non-Standard, Operational and Joint Board and Committee Meetings Courtesy of the Public Information Office Monday September 26, p.m. City Council Work Session - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Council Chambers ( ) 5 5:30 p.m. City Council Agenda Setting Meeting (Immediately following the City Council Work Session) - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Council Chambers ( ) Page 5 of 6

6 Tuesday September 27, a.m. Veterans Advisory Board Meeting - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Conference Room 2007-B ( ) 10 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Selection Advisory Committee Meeting - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Bid Room 3138 ( ) 6 10:30 p.m. Planning & Zoning Commission Meeting - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Council Chambers ( ) Wednesday September 28, a.m. Development Review Committee - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Conference Room 1158 ( ) Thursday September 29, a.m. Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board Meeting 211 N. Water St., ( ) 2 4 p.m. Extra-Territorial Development Review Committee - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Conference Room 1158 ( /3043) 5:30 9 p.m. Immigration Forum - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., Council Chambers ( ) Friday September 30, 2016 No Scheduled Meetings Meeting dates for boards and committees are gathered from the public meetings calendar in Outlook. Meetings may be cancelled or scheduled after this notice is issued. Page 6 of 6

FIRE DEPARTMENT ALTERNATE RESPONSE VEHICLE (ARV) PROGRAM By Deputy Chief Steve Mims

FIRE DEPARTMENT ALTERNATE RESPONSE VEHICLE (ARV) PROGRAM By Deputy Chief Steve Mims FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 FILM LIAISON WORK PLAN DEVELOPED There has been considerable interest and comment publicly from council members and community film advocates about the City s use of staff assigned