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City clerk details 2026 legislative outcomes and capital outlay awards for Las Cruces
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Summary
City Clerk Christine Rivera briefed the council on 2026 legislation and funding: multiple bills affecting public safety, malpractice and child-care zoning passed, and the city received a range of capital outlay awards and grants including $3 million for Apodaca Park and an Amador Hotel grant of $4.84 million.
City Clerk Christine Rivera presented a summary of the 2026 legislative session and the capital outlay and grant awards Las Cruces secured.
Rivera highlighted several bills the city tracked during the short session: HB 61 (aggravated battery on a police officer, increasing penalties), HB 99 (medical-malpractice reforms and damage-cap structuring), HB 128 (firefighter occupational-disease presumptions), SB 40 (Driver Privacy and Safety Act limiting access to driver personal information with law-enforcement and emergency exceptions), SB 41 (changes to statute of limitations for certain crimes) and SB 58 (extension of certain property-tax exemptions from seven to 14 years). She also noted SB 96 modifies regulated child-care zoning to allow registered or licensed home-based child care in residential neighborhoods and said city staff are preparing code updates and public communications to align local regulations.
Rivera summarized local funding awards and grow funds: $150,000 for a youth prevention and intervention coordinator (to be housed at the police department), $180,000 for after-hours youth programming (parks & rec working with Las Cruces Public Schools), $180,000 for a sustainability project and $1,000,000 for the air show (through HB2 and the tourism department). Capital outlay and grant awards listed included Apodaca Park ($3,000,000), East Mesa Rec Center ($250,000), driving track ($2,090,000), Mesa Grande Drive ($2,050,000), Amador Hotel grant ($4,840,000), WIA Building ($900,000), Thomas Bridal Memorial Library ($1,700,000) and additional awards for stormwater, affordable housing and other projects.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about whether state bills such as SB96 would preempt city zoning. Chris Faber (city staff) advised the council that the city’s code will require only a few tweaks to align with SB96 and that home-based childcare must be treated as residential in residential zones. On SB58 (property-tax exemption extension) the clerk said property-tax administration occurs at the county level, so changes are implemented through county processes rather than immediate city code changes.
Councilors also discussed how to present cumulative funding totals in future reports and asked for staff to include other state-agency appropriations as they come in. Rivera said the communications department will publish detailed information on the city website by the end of the day and stood for questions.
Next steps: staff to prepare code updates where needed, coordinate public information regarding childcare zoning and continue to track capital outlay project status and timelines.
