To view the agenda for Wednesday's meeting, click here.

LAS CRUCES - Doña Ana County commissioners on Wednesday agreed to join a coalition that will seek to curb bullying.

The action, OK'd in a 5-0 vote, is a follow-up to a formal stance the commission took last October against bullying.

District 4 County Commissioner Scott Krahling said Wednesday's proposal stemmed from two public sessions in which a spectrum of community members talked about the bullying problem. He said there are a lot of ideas, but the group needs focus, the purpose of Wednesday's measure.

"We wanted to formalize it and have the group get together, create a mission," he said. "We wanted to avoid meeting for the sake of meeting."

Krahling said he and Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima decided to "get the county and city's blessing to formalize the group."

The resolution backs the creation of the Community Unity Coalition and designates Krahling as the county's representative.

David Stocum, executive director of the New Mexico Association of New Mexico Gays, Lesbians, Transgender, Queer Centers, said the meetings so far have included a variety of participants, ranging from nonprofits, to the schools to the faith community.

"We're all committed to reaching out to all the other communities that haven't come to the table yet because we have an

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opportunity here to lead the state and nation in showing what can happen when diverse groups of people put aside their differences and use their differences as strengths to achieve their common goals," he said.

District 1 County Commissioner Billy Garrett thanked Krahling for "taking the leadership role on this issue."

Also Wednesday, the County Commission OK'd the publishing notice of a hearing in which the body would vote on creating an agreement with Border Industrial Association Inc. to channel between $5 million and $12.5 million in state funds to the group for water, wastewater and fire suppression improvements in the Santa Teresa area. The hearing will take place March 11.

The commission also adopted a city-county emergency operations plan.

Diana M. Alba can be reached at (575) 541-5443.

On the Web

Doña Ana County: www.donaanacounty.org