Council Hears Updates on Opioid Settlement, El Paseo-South Solano MRA

Las Cruces City Council met in a work session Monday, June 23, 2025, and received an update on planned uses for funds the City will receive from the National Opioid Settlement and an overview of the Metropolitan Redevelopment Area plan for El Paseo Road and south Solano Drive.

The City is set to receive $9.8 million through 2038 from the nationwide opioids settlements that were reached in 2021 to resolve opioids litigation brought by states and local governments against pharmaceutical distributors, manufacturers and retailers.

Still to be known is how much the City of Las Cruces might receive from the $7.4 billion Purdue Pharma settlement that was announced June 16, 2025.

Barbara Bencomo, Chief Administrative Officer, said the guiding principles for using the settlement funds are to save lives, use evidence-based methods, invest in youth prevention, focus on racial equity, and develop a fair and transparent process.

Bencomo presented the goals, settings and populations for the use of funds that were recommended by the local Opioid Settlement Advisory Council. Details can be seen online on the City’s Opioid Settlement Funds webpage.

Also during the work session, representatives from Sites Southwest presented a draft plan for the El Paseo Road and South Solano Drive Metropolitan Redevelopment Area that’s been in the works since April 2024.

An MRA designates an area with blighted conditions and helps stimulate economic activity while also improving the quality of life for those who work and live there. The El Paseo Road-South Solano Drive area is one of several MRAs the City has identified.

Sites Southwest has received feedback from the public and is working with City staff on plans to reimagine and revitalize the neighborhoods surrounding El Paseo and south Solano corridors between Lohman Avenue and University Avenue.

While specific plans are still in the works, the City hopes to increase safety, mobility and economic growth along the two corridors.

Council will vote on the plan in an upcoming meeting. More information on the El Paseo and South Solano MRA can be found online.

Monday’s work session, along with all other Council meetings and work sessions, can be viewed on the City’s YouTube channel.

City Council will next meet in a regular meeting at 1 p.m. Monday, July 7, 2025, at City Hall, 700 N. Main St.