The city of Artesia had a City Council meeting on April 8th. For a short video review of what happened at the meeting, click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18hcpE6QdG/
For a transcript of the recap, you can read below:
At City Council there was a review of the city's financial audit for 2024. The third party who did the audit said that everything was in order and there were no findings. We want to thank our finance department for their work and success in managing our money.
Next, Mayor Henry read and signed a proclamation declaring next week as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. The proclamation recognizes the vital work our local emergency dispatchers do in responding to 911 calls.
Then the council unanimously approved a big change to the youth recreation football program. The council voted to change 5th and 6th grade football from tackle to flag football. The recommendation came to the council after being approved unanimously both by the event board and the recreation advisory board.
The recreation department received input from parents, coaches and staff regarding the move. Moving to flag will allow kids to learn the basics of the game before being taught proper tackling technique at a higher level by a professional coaching staff.
The change is also aimed at reducing injuries at a young age. Injuries are a part of sports, however, minimizing serious injuries at a young age will prevent those injuries from being reaggravated and made worse as the kids continue to play at higher levels.
The move to flag will help resolve some of the size discrepancy issues that our rec league has been facing recently. Kids grow at different rates and the move to flag will eliminate controversies over who is eligible to be a ball carrier and help level the playing field for kids who may be late bloomers.
The council considered the mission of the recreation department in this decision. The recreation department seeks to provide opportunities for as many kids as possible to be involved in sports. By making the sport less of an injury risk and more accessible, the hope is that it will allow more kids to try it out and see if they enjoy the game.
Finally, our infrastructure director gave construction updates. The 26th street project is beginning concrete work as well as work on a retaining wall. The project is running on schedule, and the crews are still working. Work continues to be done on Grand and there are no delays in that project either. Please obey all traffic control objects and remember to slow down when driving near work zones.
Thank you for taking the time to read the recap. We hope you join us for our next City Council meeting April 22nd.