The City of Las Cruces held a General Obligation (GO) Bond
election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. This initiative was
an opportunity for voters to provide input about what projects they
would like this GO Bond to fund, helping to shape the future of our
community.
Las Cruces voters approved $23 million in General Obligation bonds for projects including an affordable housing trust fund, a new fire station on the east mesa, park improvements, and continued improvements of the East Mesa Recreation Complex.
In preparation of the upcoming election, the City of Las Cruces and its planning team gathered public input, developed cost estimates, prioritized potential projects, determined packaging options, and prepared draft and final reports of the process. The team completed its final report in July 2022 (available below).
Further details about the City's efforts and the Bond election are available below.
About
General Obligation (GO) Bonds are an important source of funding for
basic capital improvements (bricks and mortar) that our growing
community requires to thrive. General Obligation Bonds are best
suited for projects that benefit the general public but generate
little or no revenue to pay debt.
Some of the typical uses of GO Bonds include:
New public buildings, facilities, and parks
Infrastructure improvements and renovations
Roads, sidewalks, trails, and drainage facilities
Equipment for transit, fire, police, and technology
Athletic and cultural facilities
Other projects with strong local support
2022 GO Bond Schedule
Anticipated 2022 GO Bond Timeline
Date Range
Event / Milestone
January 1 - April 30, 2022
Public awareness and input
May 1 - July 31, 2022
The City Council will consider what projects to be placed on the ballot, and approve the ballot language
August 23, 2022
Questions for the ballot to DAC Clerk
November 8, 2022
General Election
The City of Las Cruces retained Architectural Research Consultants, Incorporated (ARC) and ASA Architects to conduct General Obligation (GO) Bond facilitation services. These services included the following objectives:
Facilitate public input on potential projects to consider for the upcoming 2022 City of Las Cruces General Obligation Bond
Prepare pre-conceptual estimates of probable cost for potential projects
Develop and administer project grading, ranking, and prioritization
Formulate bond package options for consideration
Prepare a draft and final report
The ARC/ASA team worked closely with City staff throughout the facilitation process, and completed the findings in July 2022. The finalized report is available as a 10 MB PDF:
Below are some common questions about the general obligation bond
process. To submit a question of your own, please
contact us.
What is a GO Bond?
A GO Bond is a form of debt financing secured by property tax
revenue. It does not result in higher taxes. General obligation
bonds can be issued for general purpose projects.
In New Mexico, state law limits this financing to 4% of total
assessed valuation, and requires each specific project to be
presented as a separate question for voter approval.
The City’s previous bond election passed successfully. What
did voters approve?
In 2018, voters expressed support for a $35.6 million GO Bond.
Approved projects included:
2018 GO Bond Project List
Project
Cost
Park Improvements / Dog Park / Sports Fields
$16.9 million
New Animal Shelter Facility
$9.6 million
Fire Station 3 Replacement
$6.2 million
Walking, Jogging, Biking, and Recreational Trail
Improvements
$2.7 million
Total
$35.6 million
More information about these projects is available from
the City’s website.
How is GO Bond debt retired?
Retiring a debt refers to repaying it full. The borrower typically
pays the debt back in 10 to 15 years with an interest rate based
on the City's credit worthiness. A municipality can borrow at a
better than private market rate.
What is the bonding capacity of the City of Las Cruces?
By state statute, New Mexico limits the amount of general
obligation bonds issued by municipalities to 4% of total assessed
valuation.
Will the City hold more GO Bond elections in the future?
Yes. Generally, communities issue and repay GO Bonds on a regular
cycle—that is, every 2 to 6 years. The City of Las Cruces
has initiated a 4-year GO Bond Cycle.
Does the City have other sources of capital funding?
Yes. Las Cruces has a Capital Improvement Program (CIP) that is
now primarily funded by revenue bonds. These are bonds issued
against a regular source of revenue such as the City’s share
of the New Mexico Gross Receipts Tax (GRT). More information about
the City’s CIP program is available from
the City’s website.
How much money will the City ask voters of the 2022 GO Bond
election to approve?
The City anticipates the 2022 GO Bond will ask voters to approve
about $23 million in projects. No property tax increase is
associated with the request.
When will the 2022 GO Bond Election Occur? When will the 2022 GO
Bond Election Occur?
The next General Obligation Bond election took take place on
Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The City of Las Cruces
provides
resources
like this website to help voters determine the issues and
priorities that will be put to the community for a vote.
What capital improvement projects will the 2022 GO Bond election
include?
The City is asking for public input about what projects should be
included in the election, and has scheduled public meetings to
identify and discuss possible capital investments. Public input
will also be solicited through a questionnaire on this website.
The City of Las Cruces provides resources like this website to
help you determine the issues and priorities to present to the
community for review and a vote. City officials have offered the
following potential projects to begin the discussion about how to
best use the GO Bond resources to meet city needs:
Complete Phase 2 East Mesa Public Recreation Complex
Library System Expansion and Renovation
Park Development and Rehabilitation
New Parks
Villa Mora Dam Build Out
Open Space Acquisition
Continued Trail and Multi-Use Path Development
Archery and Shooting Ranges
Skate Park
Multi-Purpose Community / Recreation Facility
Affordable Housing Initiatives
Historic Building Renovation
Metropolitan Redevelopment District Initiatives
Public Safety Improvements
This list is neither comprehensive nor definitive, but more of a means to promote public feedback.
This website soon will provide additional information on these
projects and others as they develop through the public input
process.
How to Participate
The City welcomes your thoughts about the GO Bond and the
implementation of its projects. You can provide input by attending a
public meeting and emailing your suggestions to
gobond@las-cruces.org.
It is incredibly important that we get this feedback from the
community to help set the direction for what projects the City
will choose to benefit the community.
— David Weir, deputy director of the Community Development
Department
Public Meetings
In-Person Public Input Meetings
The introductory presentation from each of the public input meetings is
available for download
(PDF).
During each public meeting, participants express their support of a category or potential project with a green dot, opposition with a red dot, and added additional thoughts with notecards. The team is still documenting and categorizing the feedback, but an overview of the preliminary input appears below.
Public Input by Topic (Above)
*Topic response also may include specific project requests; Input gathered from 9 public meetings.
Content Written on Category Boards (Above)
Input gathered from 9 public meetings.
Comments from Public Speakers (Above)
Some speakers spoke about multiple topics, and this list may represent an overlap between general project topics and the speaker’s specific project ideas; Input gathered from 9 public meetings.
April 5, 2022
The on planning team held a community input meeting on April 5, 2022 at the Frank O'Brien Papen Center Auditorium.
Community input session examples from
March 31, 2022
The on planning team held a community input meeting on March 31, 2022 in the City Council Chambers.
Community input session examples from
March 19, 2022
The on planning team held a community input meeting on March 19, 2022 at Branigan Cultural Center.
Community input session examples from March 19, 2022
March 16, 2022
Two public meetings took place at Doña Ana Community College (DACC) on March 16, 2022.
Community input session examples from March 16, 2022
