For a copy of proposed legislative priorities for the city of Las Cruces, click here.

For a copy of the proposed amendments to a city ordinance governing recreational vehicles, click here.

For a copy of the proposed Alameda Overlay Plan, click here.

Sun-News report

LAS CRUCES - What's important to the city is up for a vote at Monday's city council meeting.

A resolution establishing priorities for the upcoming legislative session will be considered when the board meets at 1 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 700 N. Main St. The council also will consider approval of the Alameda Overlay Plan and amendments to a city ordinance that regulates recreational vehicles.

Essentially, there are five priorities that city government wants the New Mexico Legislature to look upon favorably this year. Although money will be extremely tight because of a multimillion budget shortfall, the Legislature will likely have the ability to use state severance tax bond funds to fund some projects.

Here's what we want

The city has identified two projects

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that would probably have regional and statewide appeal. Those include a proposed crisis triage center, where residents with serious mental health problems could receive immediate care. The proposed center would provide a 23-hour stabilization period. Immediate assessment could be provided for non-violent persons, and patients could be quickly linked with resources and programs that could help them.

According to city documents, $1.6 million for a building and fixtures, and about $996,478 in annual operating expenses would be needed.

A new facility for Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch Authority (MVRDA) is the city's other infrastructure priority. In recent years, city officials and public safety administrators have stressed MVRDA's need for a new facility. The current dispatch center is off of Lohman Avenue, near Main Street, in a building owned by Do-a Ana County that once served as a savings and loan.

MVRDA is located on the city's flood plain, and its emergency services would be compromised during inclement weather.

Land for a new emergency dispatch center has been offered by the federal Bureau of Land Management. About $4.5 million would be needed to construct a new building, and annual operating costs would be paid through a joint powers agreement that includes the county, city, and municipalities of Mesilla, Hatch and Sunland Park.

Another city priority urges the Legislature to protect revenues of local governments, particularly the state's hold harmless tax issue. The hold harmless agreement applies to gross receipt taxes collected on the sale of groceries.

Legislators have talked about rescinding the provisions as a way of balancing the state's budget. However, removing the provisions would cost the city about $7.5 million and could adversely affect municipal operations.

Alameda Overlay Plan

Years of work to develop the Alameda Overlay Plan could finally pay off with formal council adoption on Monday. In 1999, the city's comprehensive plan was adopted, and that document called for the creation of an Alameda Depot neighborhood plan. If approved, the plan would provide the regulatory mechanism by which the unique character of the historic neighborhood is preserved. But it would still allow individual property owners the freedom to manage their properties without excessive limitations.

According to city documents, the overlay plan would not create mandatory design standards and would not call for the creation of a local historic district. The plan includes provisions for a demolition review period to help protect historic structures; provides policies for relaxed off-street parking requirements to accommodate potential changes in land uses; allow most non-comforming properties to continue without penalties; and the plan details appropriate land uses in different areas of the neighborhood, depending on the characteristics of each area.

RV ordinance

The old saying, "A few good apples can spoil the whole bunch" might describe the efforts to amend the city's RV ordinance. Apparently after complaints were made to some council members about the way some RV owners were circumventing the ordinance, the council has proposed three changes.

Residents have complained that RVs are parked too close to their side lot lines. An amendment to prohibit RVs from parking closer than five feet from a side lot line is proposed. Also, there have been complaints that people are living in RVs for longer than the 14 days now stipulated. That would change to only five days.

Some RV owners are also accused of parking their vehicles on city streets and alleys for extended periods of time. Just as the time was about to lapse, by city ordinance, some RV owners allegedly moved their vehicles for a day or two - to avoid being cited by city codes enforcement officers - but returned them shortly thereafter.

The modified ordinance would limit the time an RV could be parked on a city street or alley to three days.

The amended ordinance also specifically states that city codes enforcement officers would have the authority to enforce the ordinance.

If you go

•What: Las Cruces City Council meeting.

•When: 1 p.m. Monday.

•Where: Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main St.

•Information: 541-2076.