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Learning the Ins and Outs of Las Cruces Utilities

The City of Las Cruces hosts the Neighborhood Leadership Academy (NLA) twice a year to provide first-hand information about city services and programs, to encourage greater engagement and connection with City government and various departments.

Each weekly class visits a different department, and this night was reserved for many of the sections and services of Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) - from Gas to Solid Waste, to Water, Wastewater, and Water Conservation. Customer Service and Billing and Receivables were also on the agenda.

This night the NLA group also learned about options LCU offers anyone struggling to pay their current Utilities bill. There is a wide array of options, including: bill paying assistance, payment plans, preferred payment dates, charitable funding sources, and customers can even sign up for the budget plan to “level” their bills and reduce the ups and downs in monthly payments.

“We can assist customers who are having a hard time with their utility bills,” explained Billing and Receivables Supervisor, Steven Valdez. “You can call, email, or come in person. We want to work with everyone.”

Nicole Cano, participant of the fall 2018 NLA, mentioned that it had been eye-opening for her to get a behind-the-scenes view of all the different work that LCU does.

“When you see the workers sitting in trucks, you really don’t know what they’re doing,” she said. “Now I’ve been able to see how much monitoring they do inside with their computers.”

“This gives us a chance to let residents become ambassadors for Utilities,” said Utilities Director, Jorge A. Garcia, Ph.D., P.E. “They ask exactly what they want to know directly to those who are doing these important jobs. Employees are residents just like they are and take pride in the work they do.”

The 15-week Academy is free but limited to the first 35 people who apply. Anyone who lives within city limits and is 18-years of age or older is eligible to apply to the Neighborhood Leadership Academy. Learn more at www.las-cruces.org.

Submitted by Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.