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A majority of the Las Cruces City Council joined Mayor Eric Enriquez on Monday in supporting the repeal of an ordinance that allegedly enabled a select committee to conduct public business in secret.

鈥淎s much as I still love meetings 鈥� I don鈥檛 like secret ones,鈥� Councilor Cassie McClure said Monday.

Last week, the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government notified the city that an it amended early in 2020 had been used to establish a public safety select committee that violated the state's Open Meetings Act for years.

The ordinance authorized establishing committees with formal notice to the full council 鈥渢o provide the mayor and city council with information and advice on the goals and objectives stated in the city charter or the city's strategic plan.鈥�

FOG said it permitted committee members, including certain city council members, to discuss policy proposals and decide what would be aired in open sessions on police uses of force, mental health assessments for officers, law enforcement, gun safety and other matters.

None of the current elected officials participated in the select committee. Enriquez added, 鈥淪ince I took office, we have not had the policy review committees and we have not had any select committee meetings.鈥�

FOG alleged, based on reviews of city council meetings and agendas as well as email correspondence going back to 2019, that the committee appeared to have 鈥渆xisted and operated months 鈥� and possibly years鈥� before former Mayor Ken Miyagishima used the ordinance to notify city council about it.

FOG鈥檚 executive director, Christine Barber, called on the city to repeal the ordinance as an acknowledgement of multiple potential violations of the city鈥檚 charter and state law.

鈥淩epealing the ordinance would demonstrate to the public that the City Council recognizes the seriousness of these violations and is committed to ensuring that similar conduct does not occur again,鈥� she said.

The present council indicated that it received that message. Councilor Bill Mattiace did not address it, but the other six leaders indicated their support for repeal during their input toward the end of the meeting 鈥� a signal to staff that they would like a repeal ordinance brought to them in the future.

Enriquez said, in light of FOG鈥檚 research, 鈥淥ur job is to repeal it.鈥�

Algernon 顿鈥橝尘尘补蝉蝉补 is the Journal鈥檚 southern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at adammassa@abqjournal.com.