City Council Recap December 15, 2025

At its Dec. 15 regular meeting, the Las Cruces City Council discussed and voted on two resolutions and three ordinances.

City Council authorized the sale of approximately 6,478 square feet of city-owned land located adjacent to Little Tumbleweed Rentals, LLC property, 4505 Bataan Memorial West.  The property was recently appraised at a value of $23,000, which was the purchase price agreed upon by the City and Little Tumbleweed, which is a daycare and pre-K program. The resolution was unanimously approved.

City Council dedicated city-owned property at 1701 E. Nevada Ave. to the City’s affordable land bank for the development of single-family, affordable housing. The land, which is less than one acre in size, is located near Young Park, which provides recreational opportunities to the neighborhood. The dedication is in response to a recent directive from the City Council to evaluate alternative housing options to address housing needs in Las Cruces. The property, purchased by the City in 2019 for use as a temporary gathering space as part of the Nevada Cool Corridor project, had no long-term identified development plans. The land bank, established in 2009, is designed to facilitate affordable housing initiatives. The resolution was approved by a vote of 5-2, with Councilors Cassie McClure and Bill Mattiace voting “no” and Mayor Eric Enriquez and Councilors Becki Graham, Becky Corran, Yvonne Flores and Johana Bencomo voting “yes.”

Three ordinances were also passed. The first is an amendment to Chapter 16 of Las Cruces Municipal Code to regulate short-term rentals to support safety, neighborhood quality of life, and responsible operations. All requirements become effective January 1, 2026, and enforcement will begin July 1, 2026. Starting in January, anyone operating a short-term rental in the City of Las Cruces must obtain a certificate of business registration through the City’s Community Development Department before the unit is made available for rent.  In addition, operators must register each short-term rental unit with Visit Las Cruces. The new standards also give the City the authority to ensure STRs operate in compliance with building and fire safety codes and insurance requirements.

City Council also amended an ordinance that limits the use of single-use carryout plastic bags in certain retail operations. The amendments allow the City to expand the ways it uses the fees charged for paper bags to include any initiative that advances the City’s Climate Action Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Las Cruces by 73 percent by 2050. The amendments, which take effect Jan. 1, 2026, also mandate a report to City Council on the original plastic bag ordinance every three years.

Lastly, City Council approved the renewal of the agreement between the City and Mesilla Valley Community of Hope (MVCH) for the operation and management of the city-owned Community of Hope campus, 999 W. Amador Ave.  The City has leased the campus to MVCH since December 1994. MVCH leases portions of the site to nonprofits that include Amador Heath Center, El Caldito Soup Kitchen, Casa de Peregrinos and Jardin de los Niños. These organizations provide coordinated services to address homelessness, food insecurity, health and early childhood education to individuals and families in need. The agreement supports the long-term sustainability of one of the City’s most critical social service campuses.

All three ordinances were approved by a vote of 6-0. Councilor Mattiace was absent for these votes.

The Dec. 15 meeting was the final regular City Council meeting for Councilors Becki Graham and Yvonne Flores. Graham, who has represented District 3 on the City Council for the past four years, and Flores, who has represented District 6 for the past eight years, did not seek re-election to the council in November. Graham will be replaced on the council by Michael Harris. Flores will be replaced by John Muñoz.

Harris and Muñoz were sworn in at a separate ceremony prior to the meeting, along with Councilor Becky Corran, who was re-elected to a second term in November and James Derossitt who will serve as Municipal Judge II. They will begin serving four-year terms on Jan. 1, 2026.

The Swearing-In ceremony and Monday’s City Council meeting can both be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.