COMMENTARY:
City’s lofty national ranking is hard to comprehend
I wish I could celebrate this. We’re on the bottom of so many national rankings that coming in 11th should be cause for hearty congratulations and vigorous backslapping all around,
But the recent ranking by the finance app WalletHub of Las Cruces as the 11th best-run city in the nation has me scratching my head in bewilderment.
I assume that research for this ranking was concluded before the city discovered it had overspent by millions of dollars and is now forced to reduce public services as a result. Still, even without that multi-million dollar mistake, it’s hard to understand how we could possibly be nestled between Mesa, Arizona, with a median household income of about $85,000 and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on this list.
Half of the ranklings were based on city services and performance in six categories: financial security; education; health; safety; the economy; and infrastructure and pollution.
As to the first category, the city has overspent its budget and now is forced to make cuts in order to remain solvent. That’s in part due to massive budget increases, from $519 million in FY 2024 to $612.2 in FY 2026.
Schools fall outside the purview of city government. And while I have great respect for the local school board, teachers and administrators, our students typically don’t perform as well on standardized tests as those in other states.
As for health, the city and county have alleged that the corporate owners of Memorial Medical Center are in breach of their contract for failing to provide care for uninsured, low-income patients. And, we have seen doctors flee the state as a result of medical malpractice laws that were finally reformed this year.
Crime rates in Las Cruces are higher than the national average for violent crimes, and much higher for property crimes, with nearly 50 crimes reported for every 1,000 people.
The median household income in Las Cruces is a little over $55,000 a year, much lower than the national average of nearly $84,000. The local unemployment rate of 5.4 percent is higher than the national average of 4.3.
I have no complaints when it comes to infrastructure and pollution. Thanks in large part to the efforts of former Mayor Ken Miyagishima, city buildings and facilities emphasize renewable energy and a reduction of waste.
City services only made up half the ranking. And, our score on that half was a middling 85th out of 148 cities. It was in the category of Financial Stability where we really shot up the charts, ranking sixth overall.
Those rankings were based on Moody’s city credit rating and outstanding long-term debt per capita, two areas that I don’t really know anything about. I just know that the budget has increased over the past three years at a rate that isn’t sustainable and we are now forced to make emergency cuts as a result.
Please don’t get me wrong. I love living here. This is not a Las Cruces stinks column. The people, food, culture and natural environment are all amazing. But our city and county governments both have room for improvement.
I’m not alleging that city leaders are corrupt or inept. But 11th best in the nation?
By the way, for what it’s worth, Provo, Utah was ranked first and San Francisco was last. I’ve been to both cities and had a lot more fun on the coast.
Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com
Walt Rubel's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.