LAS CRUCES - Sandwiched into a day full of meetings, the Las Cruces City Council will meet at 1 p.m. Monday for what City Manager Robert Garza anticipates will be a "rather brief" work session at City Hall.

The day includes an 8:30 a.m. briefing with southern New Mexico legislators on the city's legislative priorities for the upcoming 60-day legislative session in Santa Fe. Just prior to the work session, a majority of the council will convene as the Tax Increment Development District (TIDD) board, in Council Chambers at City Hall.

An update from the city's Finance Department on taxes and other revenues paid into the special tax district will be presented.

"It's the first time the TIDD board has met since the state began paying its shares of revenues into the TIDD," Garza said. "That information has never been reported publicly, so this will be quick update to the board of what's transpired in the past eight months."

Late last summer, the state began paying the city its portion of taxes collected from downtown businesses. The tax assessments are being directed into a special fund that will enable the city to pay for basic infrastructure improvements - such as roads, street lights and underground utilities - within the TIDD. Those improvements are aimed at improving economic development and being a major stimulus for downtown revitalization.

Until the state began paying the city its portion, officials said there wasn't very much money in the TIDD account. But with

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the state payments now coming in regularly, the fund has increased substantially, and there may be enough money now to begin considering some infrastructure improvements.

Immediately following the TIDD meeting, the council will meet in a work session that will focus on the time line for adopting a budget for the city's 2012 fiscal year, which begins July 1. Budget director Dick Gebhart will outline the process city council will follow in developing and approving the budget. A preliminary budget must be approved by the council in May and forwarded to the state for review.

Garza said it doesn't appear that the budget for the 2012 fiscal year will change much from the $314 million budget the city has for the current fiscal year.

"Barring any significant changes that could be imposed by the state, I believe the city would be ready to expect a status quo budget, much like what we have this year," Garza said. "I foresee that the budget would remain relatively constant, and I don't expect any major increases or decreases. But the council will have make decisions on funding levels for programs."

Following the work session, the council will meet in closed session, in the administrative conference room, on the third floor of City Hall. The closed meeting will be to discuss pending litigation in workers compensation cases filed against the city.

If you go

•What: Las Cruces City Council work session

•When: 1 p.m. Monday

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

•TV/Internet: The work session will be televised live at 1 p.m. Monday on CLC-TV, Comcast Cable channel 20. It will also be webcast live at 1 p.m. at www.clctv.com. People watching the webcast should click on the "Meetings" link to access the web page that will have a link to watch the work session.