CITY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA BY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT

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1 City of Las Cruces. ROBERT GARZA. CITY MANAGER. SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 LasCrucesNotificationSystem.com REGISTER FOR FREE! CITY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA BY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT The City s economic development administrator and business assistant, Christine Logan, has been working to extract community demographic profiles and information from our Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) databases. She has compiled the information in graphical form and by city council district. The various reports illustrate similarities and differences between city council districts in numerous categories as follows: Average persons per household. Average income comparison. Housing summary and percent uses: Owner occupied units. Renter occupied units. Vacant units. Number of businesses and number of employees. Annual consumer spending by district. This information should be useful as the City Council contemplates strategic and financial planning. With hope, it provides additional context for our discussions and decisions as we move forward. (#1 City Data Comparison) DELINQUENT UTILITY TIMELINES City Council members and the city manager s office are often contacted by City utility customers regarding delinquent utility accounts and threats to shut off services. These complaints often give the appearance that Las Cruces Utilities is unreasonable or unfair by pursuing the shut off of water or natural gas service, without providing what customers claim to be sufficient opportunity to make the appropriate payments. Utilities Director Jorge Garcia has prepared a report to clarify this matter. As can be seen in the attached report and associated graphic, there is a considerable amount of time and advanced notice, including reasonable methods to bring accounts current, before any consideration is given to stopping service. Hopefully, this information will help us when we are contacted by those who have delinquent accounts in the future. (#2 Utility Delinquent Process) (1)

2 City of Las Cruces. ROBERT GARZA. CITY MANAGER. SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2014 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT SCHEDULE By Mark Winson, ACM/CAO The City is only a little more than two months into the FY 2013 budget, but it s time again to start the process for FY In reality, the budget development cycle never stops. The Budget and Research section continuously projects current year budget revenues and expenses based on actuals, in order to determine baselines for the upcoming year s budget. Individual departments manage and monitor their spending patterns in order to develop the most realistic budget for the next budget cycle. The first discussions with the City Council on the FY 2014 budget will occur at the December 19th pre-budget retreat, which will be similar to last year s. Staff will present on the state of the economy, bond cycling status, infrastructure capital improvement plan (ICIP) review and other pertinent issues. The retreat will conclude with discussions with the council on the goals for the FY 2014 budget. Important milestones in the development of FY 2014 budget: DECEMBER 19, 2012 Pre-budget council retreat JANUARY 2013 Departments verify filled and vacant positions. MUNIS budget module for FY 2014 opened for input. Departments develop vehicle and equipment needs list. FEBRUARY 2013 Budget office provides revenue forecast for city manager review. Department directors review their requested budgets. City manager reviews utility budgets. MARCH 2013 LC Utilities Board work session on budget/icip. City manager review of position requests. City manager review and final recommendation of department budgets. APRIL 2013 City manager reviews recommended budget with City Councilors. LC Utilities Board approves utilities budget and ICIP. APRIL 22, 2013 City Council budget work session and public hearing. MAY 6, 2013 City Council consideration of budget and ICIP resolutions. MAY 24, 2103 Approved budget submission to New Mexico Department of Finance & Administration. ( 2 )

3 City of Las Cruces. ROBERT GARZA. CITY MANAGER. SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 CITY COUNCIL MEETING PREVIEW FOR MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17th Items listed reflect only some of the topics my office received inquiries about recently. A complete listing of all agenda items is available on the City s website at or Zone Change, SE Corner of Indian Hollow Road and Lohman Avenue An ordinance to change the zoning of this property from office to commercial uses was tabled at the August 6th City Council meeting. The City Council asked for the developer to address concerns expressed by residents of the nearby neighborhood and return for further discussion on Sept 17th. Additional meetings and discussions have been held and updated information is anticipated for City Council consideration. Real Estate Sale/Club Fusion The City-owned building at 101 E. Union Ave. was acquired in 1994 by the U.S. Marshals Office and donated to the City for public uses. For many years, the City used the facility as a teen club, recreation center, and for training. It has been vacant for more than a year and previous uses have been relocated to other facilities. A purchase offer has been received in the amount of $850,000, approximately 94% of the current appraised value. City administration feels this is a good value and worthy of City Council consideration. Real Estate Sale Angel Care/Life Center This item appears on the council agenda in two places. One is the original ordinance presented for a first reading on September 4th, and the other is a new, revised ordinance that contains additional provisions raised by the mayor and City Council on September 4th. Staff recommended the council table indefinitely the first ordinance, effectively killing it, while providing a new notice to the public the intent to present a modified version for council discussion and vote on October 1st. The subject property, currently functioning as the Life Center located at 2225 Griggs Ave., is an active and productive facility serving many special needs residents in our community. Angel Care of NM, Inc., which is locally owned, serves persons with developmental disabilities and currently operates out of a small facility on Walnut Street, just blocks from this site. Under the proposed agreement, Angel Care would continue to provide specialized programming for those currently using the center, undertake badly needed facility improvements, and expand services overall. In return, the proposed sale price has been discounted to take these elements into consideration. The net proceeds to the City for this sale would be $45,000 and a portion of the property subdivided for other public uses in the future. Uniform Building Codes This item is a public notice of intent to consider amending the Las Cruces Building Code on October 1st. The proposal is to adopt the 2009 edition of the applicable International and Uniform Codes related to construction. This action adopts these new modern codes as adopted by the state with some additional local amendments. It will bring the City, county and state under the same code requirements making it easier, consistent and predictable for those governed by them. The proposed mandatory effective date for enforcement is January 1st, 2013, but either the new or existing (2006) code could be used in the interim. International Fire Code This item is also a public notice of intent to amend the City s Fire Code at the October 1st, 2012 City Council meeting. We have been using the 2006 edition of the International Fire Code and are recommending updates at this time to stay in sync with the proposed update of the Uniform Building Code, as well as changes recommended by the International Code Council. ( 3 )

4 City of Las Cruces. ROBERT GARZA. CITY MANAGER. SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 THE WEEK AHEAD STANDARD, NON-STANDARD, OPERATIONAL AND JOINT BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS: Courtesy of the Public Information Office MONDAY SEPTEMBER 17, p.m. City Council meeting - Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St. TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 18, p.m. MPO Bicycle & Pedestrian Facilities Advisory Committee special meeting - Doña Ana County Government Building, 845 Motel Blvd., Commission Chambers 6 8 p.m Planning & Zoning work session - Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St. (CANCELLED) WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, a.m. Development Review Committee - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., room :30 8 p.m. ETZ Authority meeting - Doña Ana County Government Complex, 845 Motel Blvd. THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, a.m. Solid Waste Authority Board meeting - Transfer Station, 2865 W. Amador Ave., conference room 12:30 2 p.m. Airport Advisory Board meeting Zia Blvd., airport conference room 1:30 3:30 p.m. Capital Improvements Advisory Committee meeting - Utilities Center, 680 Motel Blvd., room p.m. Extra-Territorial Development Review Committee - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., room p.m. Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) public hearing - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., room 2007 A 6 8 p.m. Parks & Recreation Advisory Board meeting - City Hall, 700 N Main St., rooms 2007 B & C 6 9 p.m South Mesquite Design Review Board - City Hall, 700 N. Main St., room 2007 A FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 No meetings listed. Meeting dates for boards and committees is gathered from the public meetings calendar in Outlook. Meetings may be cancelled or scheduled after this notice is issued. ( 4 )

5 Persons per household (by District) City average Income Comparison City Per capita Household Median Household Average

6 2989 Housing Summary Owner Occupied Units (52.7%) Renter Occupied Units (40.3%) Vacant Units (7.0%) City wide District 1 District 2 District District 4 District 5 District 6

7 Number of Businesses and Number of Employees (by District) Annual Consumer Spending by District $700,000,000 $600,000,000 $500,000,000 $400,000,000 $300,000,000 $200,000,000 $100,000,000 $ Annual Budget Expenditure Retail Goods

8 TO: FROM: Robert Garza, City Manager Jorge A. Garcia, Director of Utilities DATE: September 6, 2012 SUBJECT: Clarification Regarding Timing of Utility Shutoffs Due to Non-Payment The office of the City Manager periodically receives complaints regarding utility shutoffs. These complaints often give the appearance that the City Utility unreasonably shut off the water (or gas) without providing sufficient opportunity for the customer to make the appropriate payments. In order to clarify this matter, I have attached a graph showing the timeline associated with utility delinquency. Per City Ordinance, utility bills are due 15 days from the date of billing. If a customer does not pay the bill, a second bill is issued 30 days after initial billing. The second bill which includes a 1.25% penalty is due 45 days after the initial bill issuance. A shutoff notice which includes a $15 penalty is issued 46 days after the initial bill, with the actual shutoff order taking place 53 days after the initial bill issuance. As you can see, the current system provides ample opportunity for customers to pay their bill or make appropriate arrangements for a payment plan. In the next few months, the Utility will request a change in the Ordinance to provide a bill due date 22 days after the initial bill, therefore allowing additional time for payment. However, we do not intend to make other changes to the existing timeline regarding actual utility shutoff. Please let me know if additional clarification is needed. Thank you.

9 Time (days) Utility Delinquent Process $ Service available No Service until Payment is made