Las Cruces City Council has adopted a Resolution approving an employment contract that makes Ikani Taumoepeau (whose last name is pronounced Tau Moy Pey You) City Manager.
Source: City of Las Cruces
City Council’s approval of Taumoepeau’s appointment and contract were done at its regular meeting Monday, April 1, 2024, in Council Chambers at City Hall, 700 N. Main. The Las Cruces City Charter provides the Council with the authority to appoint the City Manager, who is the only city employee hired by City Council.
“I am humbled, blessed, and honored to be selected,” Taumoepeau said. “I promise to each and every one of you (Council members and City residents) that I will give 120 percent of myself.”
Taumoepeau’s contract is for a three-year term that began Monday, April 1, 2024, and continues to April 1, 2027. The contract includes an annual base salary of $216,000 a year, and a vehicle allowance of $500 a month.
Prior to becoming City Manager, Taumoepeau served as Las Cruces’ Assistant City Manager since January 2021. He was selected from among nine internal applicants for the City’s top administrative position.
During Taumoepeau’s time as Assistant City Manager, numerous City departments and programs reported to him including Airport, Community Development, Economic Development, Facilities Management, Fleet, Parks and Recreation, Quality of Life, RoadRUNNER Transit, Sustainability, and Visit Las Cruces.
Additionally, as Assistant City Manager, Taumoepeau has overseen projects such as the implementation of City GO Bonds parks improvements, RoadRUNNER Transit’s move to a zero-fare system, the successful roll out of a new brand campaign for Visit Las Cruces, and the City’s first airshow at Las Cruces International Airport.
Taumoepeau earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University. He also is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Also at Monday’s meeting, City Council adopted a Resolution approving fee schedules and charges for the remainder of the City’s 2024 fiscal year and its 2025 fiscal year for the City’s Quality of Life Department. Quality of Life Department staff and advisory boards for the Las Cruces Public Libraries and Senior Programs annually review the existing Fees and Charges policy for each program to ensure fees and charges are equitable and at fair market value.
Most services, programs, classes and exhibits offered by the Quality of Life Department – through its Libraries, Museums, and Senior Centers – are free of charge, but there are some exceptions. Some Senior Programs arts and crafts classes, social recreation activities, and recreation classes have nominal fees ranging from $1 to $12, and kits and supplies for some of those programs are sometimes extra. Senior Programs meal charges for guests younger than 60-years old are typically $7.50 per person.
The use of Las Cruces Public Libraries materials is free, and fines are not charged on overdue materials. However, Las Cruces Public Libraries books and audio/visual kits that are lost or stolen must be replaced by the borrower at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Lost, stolen, or damaged audiobook compact discs are replaced at a cost of $10 to $15, and Wi-Fi hotspots and kits can range from $50 to $80 to replace, if lost or damaged.
Admission is free to all Las Cruces Museums. However, fees for some Las Cruces Museums camps can range from free to $200, studio program costs can vary from $20 to $200, museum field trips can range from no cost to $50, and rental fees for Las Cruces Museums can be from $30 an hour to $150 per day.
