Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bond Referendum topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Doña Ana County launches outreach and vendor team for November bond question
Summary
County staff and outside partners outlined a public engagement and messaging plan to prepare a county‑level bond referendum, emphasizing the “vital conditions” framework and targeted outreach for an off‑cycle municipal election in November.
Doña Ana County staff and outside consultants on June 17 described plans to develop community engagement, messaging and a project pipeline ahead of a likely bond question in November, and they announced a vendor team led by Sunny505 and Insight Network to support outreach.
Assistant County Manager Jonathan Macias and staff said the bond planning will be grounded in the county’s strategic plan (the “vital conditions” framework) and coordinated with departments including budget, legal, communications and economic development. Macias said the question wording will need meticulous review by legal and the Board of County Commissioners before it is published.
Rosalinda (Rosie) from Insight Network told the board the vital conditions framework “will provide a very strategic lens for prioritizing these infrastructure investments and how they have a long term impact on community thriving,” and the firm described a data‑driven approach to prioritize projects that support health, housing, jobs and belonging. Gabriel (Gabe) Gallegos of Sunny505 introduced the firm’s role as the campaign and public‑engagement lead; he said the team’s first steps will include community listening sessions and development of a messaging framework to explain outcomes for voters.
Commissioners raised several execution questions, including anticipated voter turnout for the municipal election cycle and the effect of recent Las Cruces city taxes on voter sentiment. Commissioners asked staff and vendors to prepare clear cost scenarios and impact explanations so residents can evaluate tradeoffs. County staff said they will coordinate the bond timing with the county’s July 11 ICIP submission process and will produce a community calendar of listening sessions and town halls for commissioners and partners.
Staff said an internal bond team will work with Sunny505 (lead: Gabe Gallegos) and Insight Network (lead: Rosie) to create bilingual outreach materials, talking points for commissioners, a survey/listening strategy and a public project timeline. Macias indicated an internal procurement and master planning track is already underway for project development; Assistant County Manager Steven Lopez said a consultant selection meeting for master planning is scheduled and that staff expect to bring a recommended selection to the board within about two weeks.
No formal ballot language or final project list was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners asked for clear information on tax impacts and a focused outreach strategy to ensure turnout in the municipal election. Staff said they will deliver talking points, a project timeline, community calendars and sample ballot language drafts for future board review.
Next steps identified in the session included: selecting master‑planning vendors; finalizing outreach timelines and community engagement schedules; producing messaging materials and a multilingual communications plan; and integrating the ICIP submission process into project prioritization.
