City Council Recap for January 20, 2026

At its regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Las Cruces City Council discussed and voted on five resolutions. All five resolutions were approved by a vote of 7-0.

City Council approved a request for a craft distiller third location liquor license with on premises consumption and package sales to Icebox Brewing, LC, doing business as Farmesilla, 1840 Avenida de Mesilla. The City Council also held a public hearing on the request, which has been given preliminary approval by the Alcohol Beverage Control Division (ABC) of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. The public hearing, which elicited no public comments, is required by state law to determine if ABC should move forward on approving the license request.

City Council officially accepted the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025. State law requires every local government to undergo an annual audit and share the results publicly, ensuring transparency and accountability. This report is the City’s yearly financial check-up, showing how tax dollars are managed and invested in the community. The report was audited by Pattillo, Brown & Hill LLP and submitted to the New Mexico Office of the State Auditor on December 1, 2025. It covers everything from employment and day-to-day operations to major infrastructure and capital assets. Staff highlighted that Las Cruces has earned the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for 21 years in a row! That means the City consistently meets the highest standards for clarity and accuracy in financial reporting.

Then City Council approved amendments to the budget and the Capital Improvements Program.

Finally, a pre-commitment of funding for a federal low-income housing tax credit multi-family development project was approved. The approval waives fees for TWG Development for Golden Sands affordable housing project complex, 1501 Bataan Memorial Highway, a proposed 60-unit senior complex if they are awarded Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) funding through Housing New Mexico. The waivers will not exceed $500,000. If approved, the project will leverage approximately $18.3 million in additional investment of private funds in the community.

As a result of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, this week’s meeting was moved to Tuesday. Most City Council meetings are held on Mondays at 1 p.m.

This meeting and all City Council meetings can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.