The Las Cruces City Council held their first meeting of the month and passed resolutions providing funding to nonprofits as well as selling and donating city owned land.
City council voted 4-2 to approve $600,000 per year to help fund 18 different nonprofits in the area.
The money comes from the Telshor Facilities Fund and each of the nonprofits will receive $33,333.
Councilor Cassie McClure voted no alongside Bill Mattiace. McClure said that she has concerns about how this money is so evenly divided saying that more could be done with the money.
“I don't quite understand how all the needs cut exactly the same way. I find it disturbing that we haven't been able to just say ‘Hey, there is a couple more needs in this arena than this arena,’” McClure said.
The city also approved the sale of a plot of land in the industrial district for just under $574,000. Private company CLS Development Partners bought the property and plans to build warehouses.
Councilor Bill Mattiace said that investment like this is what helped make other industrial parks grow.
“In the eight and a half years that I was at the New Mexico Border Authority as director, this is what made Santa Teresa grow. When we had these warehouses ready and built and the plats done, we just saw the businesses pour in,” Mattiace said.
City council also voted to approve a HUD required planning document to help lay down plans for affordable housing development. Among the city's goals include increasing affordable housing, reducing homelessness and improving infrastructure.
This resolution also allocated funds to various needs revolving around affordable housing.
The city also approved resolutions to donate land to Crosstown Ministries to help build a property to help women getting out of jail adjust back into regular life.
In addition to this donation of land, the city also donated four vacant parcels to Tierra Del Sol to build affordable housing.
