Las Cruces City Council has adopted a Resolution that will amend the City’s professional services agreement for police auditor services with OIR Group, of Playas Del Rey, Calif.
Source: City of Las Cruces “News Release”
The amendment will add as many as four community outreach meetings per fiscal year. The Council approved the Resolution at its meeting in Council Chambers at City Hall, on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024.
Adding the community outreach meetings will not change the amount of the original contract.
Specific locations where community meetings will be held still need to be finalized. The Council discussed the possibilities of conducting community meetings in Council Chambers at City Hall and at venues in any of the six City Council districts.
The community meetings will allow residents to directly address OIR Group findings in reviews it conducts of the Las Cruces Police Department.
Since March 2021, OIR Group has provided police auditing services of LCPD. The professional services agreement between the City and OIR Group has contributed to increased transparency for police procedures.
Also at Monday’s meeting, City Council approved a Resolution to award a professional services agreement for Metropolitan Redevelopment Area (MRA) plan development services to Sites Southwest, of Albuquerque. The agreement will not exceed $220,482, plus gross receipts tax.
The City recently designated two additional areas within the city limits as MRAs to address blight and poverty. An assessment of the City’s infill area was conducted, and multiple areas met the criteria for MRA designation.
As a result, City Council recommended to designate the El Paseo/South Solano Corridors as an MRA, with approximate boundaries of Lohman Avenue on the north, University Avenue on the south, Solano Drive on the east, and Main Street to the west.
By this summer, the City’s Economic Development Department anticipates returning to City Council with a proposed Resolution for a similar MRA plan development services agreement for the second designated MRA area, the West Picacho Corridor.
The professional services agreement approved Monday by City Council will continue the City’s prioritized efforts to alleviate poverty in the community. This agreement, and the one to be proposed later this summer, will provide significant resources to assist those efforts in addition to support for local businesses, options for quality-of-life projects, and affordable housing.
The MRA plan will define the City’s vision for the designated areas and will help identify priority catalytic projects to revitalize those areas.
