CITY COUNCIL,

SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

 The meeting was called to order by the Mayor. These City Council sessions on the 4^th Monday of the month are limited exclusively to land use issues. Even so, they are long. This one only had one issue on the consent agenda!

 There were two issues to be discussed, both having to do with zoning changes on the east mesa. Both were passed unanimously.

 There followed an appeal for a denial of a decision to approve a preliminary plat phase of Mesa Grande Estates, near Jornada South on the east mesa. A resident of Jornada South requested the appeal process. Battershell procedures were closely followed. The basis of the appeal was two complaints about the process of approval. One was that the neighbor who brought the issue to the City Council did not receive suitable warning about the hearing at which approval was granted. He got the notice by mail the day before the hearing. He also complained that the signage on the subdivision property regarding the hearing was not large enough to be seen from the road.

 The appeal was denied. However, Councilor Strain made the point that, though City Council has no way of assuring prompt and accurate delivery of the mail, this tardy notice has been a problem for several years. And requests have been made before this for better signage.

Marnie Leverett

LWV of Greater Las Cruces