June 2008

Interested in Joining our League? Click here for a Membership Form

May 28 (Wednesday) - 9:30-11:30 a.m., Training Session of Volunteers for Voter Satisfaction Survey, Election Process/Voter Turnout Committee, Good Samaritan Village’s Conference Room. Contact Marnie Leverett: 522-0347.

June 2 (Monday) - 5:30 p.m., Board Meeting, Branigan Library Board Room.

June 2 (Monday) - Reservation Deadline for Lunch with a Leader, RSVP Vickie Simons, 522-4813

June 3 (Tuesday) - Primary Election Day.

June 10 (Tuesday) - 9:30 a.m., Election Procedures/Voter Turnout Committee meeting, Good Samaritan Village, Conference Room. Contact Marnie Leverett: 522-0347.

June 15—Father’s Day.

On May 12, 2008, the Metropolitan Court Study Committee presented the League’s Metropolitan Court research and position to the Las Cruces City Council at a work session. The presentation was well received by the City Council. The questions posed by the Councilors brought to my mind the reliance our elected officials place on the League to provide them with informed and well considered positions on many of the important issues they deal with daily. The City Council will likely act on this matter by issuing a resolution of support. This action is based largely on the advocacy of the Study Committee with the backing of the League as a whole.

Similar to the way our community depends on the League to provide them with contact information for elected officials, unbiased forums during election season, and opportunities to register to vote, they also need the research the League conducts and the advocacy the League brings to bear on all sorts of issues. Now is a great time for all the League’s members to get involved in a study group or in the Election Process and Voter Turnout committee or in the production of the Voters’ Guide. The League will continue an advocacy role for Metro Court, Solid Waste/Recycling, and the Branigan Library positions. The Behavioral Health Services study group will continue to work toward an educational session for members this year. The committee to review and make recommendations about our current Land Use position is just beginning. This is a great opportunity for you to volunteer to work with a new or continuing study group.

I encourage each of you to choose a study committee to join and actively participate in the important work of the League. Also, let all your friends know why you are a member and what you enjoy about participating with the League and INVITE THEM TO JOIN.

We are piloting a different approach to our usual monthly meeting. Instead of Breakfast with a Leader we are going to try Lunch with a Leader. Still at Good Samaritan Village Social Center, Creative Arts Room. New time: 11:30 a.m. New Menu: Soup, salad, sandwich and dessert. Same Price: $7. If members like this new arrangement, it could become permanent.

Adam Guss, Regional Organizer, Southwest Environmental Center, kicks off our newly scheduled Lunch with a Leader program. His topic title is: The Border Fence and Wildlife—Can They Co-exist? JOIN US for an exploration of the impact that construction of hundreds of miles of fencing, high-powered lighting, and roads will have on borderland wildlife; everything from animal migration to the current restoration efforts on the Rio Grande. Included in the presentation is the Department of Homeland Security efforts to bypass local, state, and federal laws in an attempt to complete the fence before the end of the Bush Administration and current campaign efforts underway to halt construction of the fence.

The Southwest Environmental Center is located in the heart of Las Cruces at 275 Downtown Mall.

Use it up, wear it out, or do without

—New England Proverb

Recycling Saves Energy New Mexico recycling reduced energy consumption by 4 million BTUs in 2006, equal to one year’s energy consumption of 60% of the homes in Las Cruces, or 34 million gallons of gasoline.

Recycling Saves Resources According to Weyerhauser’s Environmental Savings, recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees, 6,953 gallons of water, 462.57 gallons of oil, 586.5 pounds of air pollution, 3.06 cubic yards of landfill space, and 4,077.45 KWhr of energy.

Ms. Holbert stated that 12 communities in NM provided curbside recycling in 2007. Lincoln County leads the state with a 59% recycling rate. In 2007, Doña Ana County had a 5% recycling rate. We landfilled 174,000 tons and recycled 10,000 tons. We landfilled more tons and composted fewer tons than the year before.

At its first meeting of the new League year, the Board held a planning meeting. at the home of Pat Kratz.  Among topics discussed were:

May 4 Bureau of Elections, Dona Ana County

June Adam Guss of Southwest Environmental Center

July NO MEETING

Aug Vision 2040 Update

Sep Civil Liberties

Oct International Relations

Nov History of the League

Dec Legislative Breakfast on Saturday, 12/06

Jan Behavioral Health Services Unit Meeting

Other Potential Topics

Special League Fund Raising Event

Fair Representation Unit Meeting

Arid Lands

Judicial Independence

Campaign Finance Reform

Sunshine Law—Open Meetings

JOIN US for an exciting year of activities. All members are invited to attend Board meetings that are held the first Monday of the month, 5:30 p.m., Branigan Library Board Room, unless otherwise noted in The VOTER. Please call me, 524-1373, or any of the Board members if you have questions.

Albuquerque/Bernalillo County has a new name: League of Women Voters of Central New Mexico. The name change, approved by national and adopted at LWVCNM’S annual meeting, reflects the wider area that is served: Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties.

Los Alamos is implementing an alternate leadership structure for the coming year. An Executive Committee composed of five directors will act in place of a president. The responsibilities are divided as follows:

This approach is a bit of an experiment. The Bylaws continue to recognize the position of President and electing a president and two vice presidents in subsequent years continues to be an option.

Robbie Levey

2282 Sunset Point Rd.

Las Cruces, 88011

Email: ASLRRL@zianet.com

Individual—$50

Household Member—$25

Send check to:

Pat Kratz

703 Homestead Circle

Las Cruces, NM 88011

To those who contributed generously.

Marcia Anderson

Kathy Brook

Helen & Robert Buggert

Bonnie & Bob Burn

Marjorie & Alex Burr

Marnie Leverett

Sue Liefeld

Christina & William Little

Lynn Olsen

Cliff Pelton

Nancy Phillips

Betty Pool

Vicki Simons

LaJune Smith

Donna Tate

On Primary Election Day, June 3, teams of volunteers from the League of Women Voters and the American Association of University Women, along with a few of their friends will be visiting 25 polling sites around Doña Ana County to get a sampling of voter satisfaction at the polls. Volunteers will form teams of two to poll about 20 voters per polling site on such issues as waiting time, proving identity, knowing the right place to vote and getting questions answered.

The project is being organized and managed by members of the Election Procedures/Voter Turnout Study Committee. Volunteers will meet for an orientation on Wednesday, May 28, at 9:30 a.m. in the Conference Room at Good Samaritan. They will also have a chance to meet after election day to compare notes and turn in their forms on Tuesday, June 10, at the same time and place

Under the leadership of Becky Beckett, active LWV/GLC member and president of NAMI New Mexico, the Behavioral Health Services Study Group is visiting major providers of behavioral health services in Doña Ana County. On April 17, the committee met with William Daumueller, CEO, and staff members at Southwest Counseling Center. SWCC provides a wide range of Behavioral Health services—from psychiatric and counseling services to Assertive Community Treatment to a Transitional Living Program.

On May 1, the committee toured Mesilla Valley Hospital. For adults, this facility can accommodate 21 beds for psychiatry in the Acute Unit and 11 beds for Chemical Dependency and Addictions. Up to 100 adolescents can be hospitalized at one time, divided between an Acute Unit and a Residential Treatment Program.

The next committee meeting will be held on June 5, in the morning, and there will likely be a visit to Memorial Medical Center. All League members are invited to join this very interesting committee that is getting an "inside look" into the provision of behavioral services in this community. Contact Chair Becky Beckett (644-3623 or email: rbeckett@zianet.com) or Recorder Bonnie Burn (526-0013 or burnb@comcast.net) for the meeting time or further details.

Voter services activities are going to take on a life of their own as we move through the summer toward the General Election.

Our first spring voter registration this year was a success netting 89 more registrations. There will be four sites for fall registration starting in late August or early September.

Dale Yeo and Janet Stevens are working on a layout for the Voters’ Guide to be distributed in time for the November 4 General Election. The Guide may be increased from 16 to 20 pages and fitting in the district precinct maps is a new goal for this project. Production efforts will increase in July. A committee of volunteers is needed to develop questions for the candidates and to produce the letters of invitation to candidate participants in the forums. Volunteers will be needed to staff the forums (more about this later).

Of the 4,000 copies of the 2008 Who’s Who that were produced, approximately 1,730 copies have already been distributed to our members or throughout the community. An errata slip was produced to correct Miguel Silva’s phone numbers: 541-2066 (W) and 640-5934 (Cell). Sharon Thomas’s term as councilor ends in 2009. At the Annual Meeting members brain-stormed additional places for distribution. If you need more copies or have a favorite place to give these out, please call Donna Tate (524-9303 or email: draytate@earthlink.com). After the results of the General Election are available, consideration will be given to including other entities in the Who’s Who (e.g., including Sunland Park elected officials). Many members tell me this document is one of the best public relations tool the League has.

Stay tuned for more details during this busy election year!

The last two years have been ones of change for the Doña Ana County Bureau of Elections—all for the better.

Much of the time was spent auditing the Bureau’s paper voting registration records—some of which go back 20 or 30 years or more—to make them current and weed out people who should have been purged years ago. In many, many cases, individuals were contacted with a request to up-date their records by returning a new registration form to the office. The net result is that when the Bureau’s physical records have to be checked, you can be confident that they will be accurate and quickly located.

Training of poll workers took a major step forward in May with the unveiling of a new computer-based, interactive poll worker training program. Although the law requires that poll workers attend one training course a year, this program will permit them to review election day and early voting procedures at their leisure, catch up on the things they may have missed, re-familiarize themselves with what they have learned, and take quizzes to measure their progress. For people not having computer skills, they can be supplied with a DVD.

We have also made poll working easier with the purchase of supply bags that can be wheeled around rather than picked up and toted—a not always easy task for the older poll worker. We are also trying out "split shifts" for the primary election, June 3. If all goes well, we will make this a permanent poll worker assignment routine.

To speed things up on elections day, two new early voting locations will be launched where they are especially needed: one downtown at Branigan Library, and one in Chaparral, from which people have had to travel a long distance to early vote in Anthony.

A major sight-unseen step has been taken to ensure ballot security. Unfortunately, when the new Government Center was designed, no thought was given to providing a secure facility for post-election ballot storage. Metal lockers have since been installed in the Recording Room vault. As ballot boxes are returned on election night they will be immediately placed in the lockers under lock and key for the required 45-day storage. The vault is locked each night.

Another sight-unseen step forward has been taken to more accurately match voters up with the true precincts and districts in which they reside, a process known as "street work." Over the years this job had been neglected. However, with the purchase of updated software, the Bureau is systematically reassigning people to precincts and polling places to which they belong. Needless to say, not everyone is happy to be moved, but under the law we have no choice.

As the county grows, so does the need for splitting precincts to prevent them from becoming too large. State law requires that precincts be divided, or "split," when more than 800 votes are cast in the previous general election. As a result, eight precincts were split to comply with law, and another was split in order to provide more convenient polling locations for voters at either end of the precinct. We now have 155 precincts.

Finally, the best news about the Bureau of Elections is that there is no news about the Bureau of Elections. Including the November 2006 General Election, the Bureau has directly run eight elections (general, county-wide, school and special districts) and assisted municipalities with five elections (four general and one run-off)—all of which were run almost problem-free. In fact, in two of the municipalities, municipal clerks were new to the job, and the Bureau was able to give them hands-on cooperation.

All in all, it’s been a good two years.

Vision 2040 is the first long-range, regional plan that includes Doña Ana County and its four municipalities: City of Las Cruces, Village of Hatch, Town of Mesilla and City of Sunland Park. The objective is to create a comprehensive plan for the region that covers the issues of concern to its citizens.

The plan will be developed from information provided by the public through public input meetings, survey questionnaires, and data gathered from already existing plans. Total cost of the project is $400,000 of which $200,000 is granted by the State Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) and with contributions from the City of Las Cruces ($150,000) and Doña Ana County ($50,000).

State funding came with certain requirements: (1) a cooperative regional effort between the City and the County, and (2) certain issues must be addressed by the plan (e.g., transportation, water, and housing). The State DFA granted the money to NMSU. Local governments will be reimbursed by NMSU as the above requirements are met. NMSU is also providing server space for file sharing and a website.

Peter J. Smith & Co., Inc., a firm that specializes in municipal comprehensive plans and is located in Buffalo, NY, was awarded the consulting contract.

Meetings began in November, 2007. The first county-wide public input meetings in 2008 were held March 5-12, and another series was held May 12-15.

During the March meeting participants were grouped around tables and marked maps showing commercial, recreation, housing, and open areas. They also expressed their top three priority issues regarding land use and environment, circulation, economy, and community services During the public meetings in May, the results of the survey questionnaires and a preliminary vision statement and goals and objectives were presented. Participants were asked to review the maps again and list first, second and third priority areas for land use development, industry, open space and tourism. Results will be available at a fall meeting.

League members are attending the public meetings as participants and the Advisory Board meetings as observers. Twenty-three members representing industry, agriculture, government, and community organizations were assembled into an Advisory Board.

As you can imagine, the paperwork involved in such a project is already accumulating. Work to date is available on the City of Las Cruces web site: www.las-cruces.org. Cursor to the bottom of the home page and click on the Vision 2040 icon. Printed copies are available at Branigan Library. For additional information, contact: Thomas Schuster, 528-3069, email: tschuster@las-cruces.org

SCSWA Director Patrick Peck provided an explanation addressing concerns raised at the last meeting about the discrepancies between incoming trash in trucks and amount transferred to the Corralitos Landfill. The operation had been using only an average tare weight, but now trucks are individually weighed. Residential loads in pick-ups, which had been estimated at 200 pounds, were individually weighed for a week and found to carry loads averaging 180 pounds. The weight of fuel in the trucks is now being taken into account. Tonnage IN and OUT is now more accurately metered.

OSHA and Safety: Director Peck said his goal is to have a safety culture in the organization, with much more emphasis on safety for all employees. The 1997 safety manual will be updated.

Resolutions were passed by the board. Among them was one to approve the 2009 budget of $6.4 million, of which $5.1 million is for operations, $171,000 for the landfill, and $1.2 million for equipment replacement. Another resolution was to make a budget adjustment in the 2008 budget to provide for a $55,000 increase in the cost of fuel for the rest of this fiscal year. Mr. Peck will update the City Council on recycling at the June 9 work session.

A meeting of the Recycling Task Force then convened. Several institutions gave presentations about their recycling efforts and plans. Art Lucero of New Mexico State University is very enthusiastic about the innovative programs that have been instituted. The 250 blue brutes that have been placed around campus allow for source separation of recyclables. All materials collected go to Master Fibers in El Paso. He has also recycled the materials from the salvage yards of the various NMSU crafts shops, (e.g., plumbing, electrical, roads), resulting in $30,000 income. Mr. Lucero said, "It’s not about money," so he can’t provide a cost/benefit for the effort; nor does he know what the "avoided" costs are. NMSU recently won the RecycleMania contest among colleges and universities nationwide.

Mary Kanman reported about recycling at the NASA White Sands Test Facility. They are promoting a culture of environmental sustainability, as well as compliance with regulations for federal installations. She related many ways in which they are recycling materials. Interesting was her story about trying to find a market for Styrofoam packing material; finally she found that Aldershot Nursery of Mesilla Park will take it in large lots for pelletizing and mixing with potting soil.

Las Cruces Public Schools reported that at present they do little or no recycling, but are willing to start. They surveyed all their schools and found most interest in recycling paper and aluminum.

The presentation by City of Las Cruces solid waste manager Klaus Kemmer included a discussion of curbside recycling. The tonnage of recyclables collected has gone down from the previous year, mainly in the area of yard waste. For an unknown reason, Asplundh, a tree pruner, has stopped bringing its materials to the recycling center and instead is throwing them away.

Nancy Phillips, Observer

Mayor Miyagishima informed Council that he wants to add a few advisory groups; the first one would be a group to advise him on the arts and cultural affairs in the city. A professor from the NMSU College of Business is interested in heading such an advisory group to bring together the City, Mesilla and Las Cruces Chambers of Commerce, the NMSU Business College and the arts community to promote art tourism and produce revenue for the City. Councilor Thomas is familiar with the many arts groups in town and will put together a list of them. It was also suggested to include any Hispanic art groups, as well as the Downtown Revitalization folks, and MVEDA.

All routine ordinances and resolutions were passed unanimously with the exception of a resolution establishing a funding mechanism for maintenance and operation of athletic and recreational facilities, which passed, as amended, with a vote of 6 to 1. A fee will be charged to those groups using the fields for sports, as well as for other functions. Youth teams will be charged half the amount of adult users.

A presentation was made about the arrival of additional army battalions at White Sands Missile Range. As many as 12,500 people may arrive between 2008 and 2015, WSMR received $10 million for facilities (e.g., schools, housing, recreation, etc.). Las Cruces will be affected.

Dr. Jeffrey Mitchell from UNM gave a presentation on "Mainstreet Development," saying there are 22 such projects in New Mexico. Las Cruces has the second largest growth in the state, but has a relatively low pay scale compared to other areas, and the population is significantly older than in other cities. MVEDA provided him with these statistics. Weaknesses in Las Cruces include little manufacturing, professional services, transportation and wholesale trade. Gross receipts are strong, and there is a good tax base. Wages are 10% below the state average (going from $23,000 to $29,000 per year over the last five years). The average wage in the downtown area is $41,000, compared to the rest of the city at $25,000. There is a lot of vacancy in downtown and not much evening or weekend activity. It will be necessary to integrate with nearby communities, increasing retail and entertainment activities. Currently there are no disincentives to hold properties vacant because of old codes, low property taxes and property values.

May 12, 2008 - Bonnie Burn, Observer

The final summary of the fiscal year 2009 proposed budget, the League’s presentation about a Metropolitan Court System in Doña Ana County, and Direction and Opportunities for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Best Practices were covered during this work session. Councilors had been through several meetings about the budget so there were few questions. At the end of the Metro Court presentation, Councilors offered consensus to support a resolution favoring establishment of a Metro Court. The Energy presentation involved speakers who developed a sustainable concept for the area, and managers of City of Las Cruces service departments reviewed what is already being done in this area.

The NMSU Board of Regents met on May 9, 2008 on the NMSU campus in the Board of Regents room in the Educational Services Building.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 15, 2008, at the Inn of the Mountain Gods Resort and Casino in conjunction with the Board’s annual retreat. The next meeting in Las Cruces is scheduled for Saturday, September 27, 2008, in the Colfax Room at the Corbett Center on the NMSU Campus.

A major change to the agenda allows for public comment prior to the consent calendar on other than action items, and prior to a vote of the Board on each Action item. The public is given up to three minutes on each item that may be limited or extended by the chair. Representatives from the employees union expressed their support for this change to the agenda, and a student from the College of Agriculture and Home Economics used the opportunity to express student support for a campus farm.

The consent calendar included approval of real estate leases, unspecified coaches’ employment agreements and amendments, and approval of candidates for degrees and honorary degrees.

The Board approved the operating budget for fiscal year 2008-2009 that totaled $583 million, an increase of $24 million from last year. The budget included a 2% COLA for all employees. They also approved the 2009 Capital Outlay Request, and a revised list of peer institutions for New Mexico State University. Stan Rounds, Superintendent of Las Cruces Public Schools, presented information on the new high school that will be built on land leased from the University northeast of the Farm and Ranch Museum off of Dripping Springs Road. The resulting extension of Sonoma Ranch Road will give the University access to 60 acres of land that will be used for turf research. An agreement between the students and the University was approved limiting tuition and fee increases to no more than 6% per year for the next four years. Finally, the Board delegated approval authority for limited real estate transactions to the University’s administrators.

President Martin discussed the accreditation review visit that was recently completed. He expects the resulting report to grant NMSU accreditation for the next 10 years. He also expressed pleasure in the recent achievements of the rodeo team, and men’s and women’s golf teams.

Volume 39, Issue 2– June 2008

Published Monthly

P.O. Box 8322

Las Cruces, NM 88006-8322

(575) 524-VOTE (8683)

www.zianet.com/lwv

President—Cathy Mathews

Vice President—Vicki Simons

Secretary—Nancy Phillips

Treasurer—Pat Kratz

Donna Tate

Bonnie Burn

Marnie Leverett

Sue Liefeld

LaJune Smith

Becky Beckett—522-8171

Marnie Leverett—522-0347

Marjorie Burr—522-2528

Barbara Goedecke—522-0323

Archivist—Barbara Myers

Historian—Judith Scott

Web Master—Jim Leverett

Bonnie Burn—526-0013

burnb@comcast.net

——————————-

The League of Women Voters of Greater Las Cruces, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Your sustained generous support of the League enables us to carry out our community service of voter education.

1st National Bank

Alta Vista Animal Clinic

Binns Construction & Realty

Joseph P. Camunez, DDS

Citizens Bank

Dolores Connor

Doggy Dude Ranch and Cat Farm

East Lohman Veterinary Clinic

Edward Jones Investments, Connie Lee, I.R.

Horizon Mechanical, Inc.

Lilley Law Offices

Francisco Mario Ortiz, Esq.

Jake Sims & Co.

State National Bank

Tate Associates

Wells Fargo Bank

Clinton F. Welsh, MD

Zia Engineering & Environmental Consultants