Las Cruces City Council held a work session to begin work on the budget for fiscal year 2016.
Mayor Pro-Tem Greg Smith says this year’s budget, which totals about $273 million, is very similar to recent budgets and will maintain all the city’s services.
“Where looking at something very similar to last years and recent years budget’s as far as the general fund and maintaining those levels,” Smith said. “We’ve looked at it from the standpoint of not filling certain jobs or reassigning in ways that help us maintain those levels of service, as well as keeping things going on in the city that need to be. But also looking at how we can effectively maintain that budget in a way that allows a little redistribution and a little tweaking.”
The 3/8th’s of 1 percent increase in the Hold Harmless GRT tax is not included in this budget; instead the funds will be handled separately.
“Part of it is being used to maintain the level of services and things that we’ve normally done,” Smith said. “Because the state has started this year cutting back on the hold harmless piece, so we’re trying to make sure that level of funding remains. And then because we have an early bump with the GRT and a later deficit, we’re trying to look at ways that we can invest, so that the return for Las Cruces is good in the long term.”
Part of the budget includes salary increases for almost all city employees, Smith says it is important for the City of Las Cruces to remain competitive in the job market.
“We’ve constantly been looking at how we appropriately pay for the people who are doing the work for the city,” Smith said. “And trying to keep that in line with what other cities are paying their people. Because, in reality, a lot of times people want to compare what our city staff people get paid compared to the local economy. And the reality is yes that’s part of the picture, but it’s also are we going to watch people get siphoned away to new jobs in other cities, and that does happen.”
The City Council is hoping to pass the budget in May, so it can be approved by the state and take effect starting July 1st.
