Doña Ana County commissioners on April 22 approved changes to the county’s health insurance plan for fiscal year 2026 and voted to appoint three planning and zoning commissioners to two-year terms, county public information officer Anita Skipper said.

The actions were part of a largely routine meeting in Las Cruces in which the board also approved the consent agenda unanimously and issued proclamations recognizing National Volunteer Week, International Dark Skies Week, Fair Housing Month and National Bike Month, Skipper said. The meeting included staff updates about property valuation notices and application deadlines and brief presentations on public art and state economic development programs.

The county’s assessor’s office clarified that percentage certificates are scheduled to take place on Feb. 19, 2026, and said it cannot accept those certificates now because it cannot yet enter them into its system, Skipper said. The assessor’s office will still mail notices of value on May 1, and property owners who want to receive valuation notices by email can sign up at enoticesonline.com, she said. Skipper said owners seeking exemptions such as a valuation freeze, veterans exemptions or head-of-household must apply by Monday, June 2; 100% disabled veterans may bring certificates anytime during the year.

Human resources director Meg Haines recognized Eric Alvidrez of the budget office as the county’s March employee of the month for internal customer service and Marissa Stowe of the clerk’s office as March employee of the month for external customer service; Rachel Barrera of the health and human services department received a special recognition award, Skipper said.

The county presented a plaque to local artist Meg Friermuth and accepted an extension of her artwork loan to the county for an additional 10 years; Skipper said the piece will remain on display in the Government Center rotunda. Mark Roper, division director with the state’s economic development division, gave an overview of state incentves and programs, Skipper said.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the consent agenda unanimously; it approved changes to the county health insurance plan for fiscal year 2026; and it voted to appoint three planning and zoning commissioners to serve two-year terms. The transcript recap did not include recorded roll-call tallies for the health plan or appointments.

The meeting recap was delivered by Anita Skipper, chief public information officer for Doña Ana County. The board meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Government Center in Las Cruces.