City staff and department heads briefed the council on legislative policies the city plans to track in the 2026 session.

Andy Hume, director of the Las Cruces airport, described the state’s Air Service Enhancement Grant program (modeled on the FAA’s Essential Air Service) and said the city received $3.5 million in the first two‑year cycle and $1 million in 2025 and again in 2026. Hume said the program requires a local match (10% historically and possibly 20% going forward) and urged the council to support multi‑year, stable funding and a clearer distribution methodology so small airports can plan routes and schedules. He noted the airport is preparing to transition service from Albuquerque to Phoenix.

Natalie Green, housing administrator, outlined bills the city is monitoring: a statewide source‑of‑income nondiscrimination bill (the city already has a local ordinance), an eviction ceiling expected this session, consumer protection for mobile‑home parks, and large appropriation requests. She said Housing New Mexico is pushing for a multi‑year funding stream of roughly $400 million–$500 million to support affordable housing and homelessness programs and to close financing gaps for tax‑credit projects.

Police Chief Jeremy Story urged attention to juvenile crime trends and to bills that modernize law‑enforcement training. Story presented local counts of repeat juvenile offenders and said proposed legislation would give the Law Enforcement Standards and Training Council authority to create adaptive curricula to cover topics such as AI and ethics.

Carol Bray, director of Quality of Life, requested council support for the New Mexico library geobond and said an increase from $19 million to $24 million statewide would boost Las Cruces library allocations to roughly $554,800 under the bond’s population formula.

Several councilors stressed coordination and requested that staff bundle related priorities so the council can present a unified position during advocacy. The city manager acknowledged an internal coordination lapse on agenda packaging and promised improved alignment before advocacy events.