Las Cruces voters will decide Tuesday, Nov. 3, whether to approve a $26 million general obligation bond to renovate and expand the Thomas Branigan Memorial Library.
The project would add approximately 20,000 square feet to the building, which opened in 1979, according to the Las Cruces Bulletin. Plans call for expanded children's programs, a podcasting studio, a demonstration kitchen and additional study rooms.
City officials say approval would not increase the property tax rate. Las Cruces uses a recurring bond cycle in which older debt is paid down and new bonds are issued, allowing the city to finance projects while maintaining its existing rate.
"It's a simple answer. There's no increase in taxes," said Cynthia Alamillo, who works with the city's Capital Improvement Program, according to the Bulletin.
The library bond is the only proposal on the city's 2026 GO bond question. The Las Cruces City Council approved a resolution in July 2026 placing the measure on the ballot, according to the city's GO bond page.
A project decades in the making
Carol Brey, director of the Las Cruces Quality of Life Department, said the project has been a long time coming. Brey was director of Branigan Library in the late 1990s when consultants first recommended a major renovation. Their report, published in 2000, concluded the library needed more space to serve a community that had doubled in population since the building opened.
A new library system master plan, completed in 2024 and unanimously approved by the city council, again recommended renovating Branigan and expanding it by 20,000 square feet.
Very little has changed in the building since those original recommendations, Brey said, beyond the addition of the Roadrunner Room and some interior work.
"It's still painted the same color that I was responsible for getting it painted in 1998," Brey said.
Running out of room
Library Deputy Director Sarah Booth said the system has approximately 44,000 square feet of space to serve more than 111,000 residents. Consultants recommend one square foot of library space per resident.
The library runs about 30 programs a week, including activities for babies and caregivers, teen programs, book clubs and sewing classes. It also offers 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and baking pans for public use.
The children's area is estimated at one-fourth the size needed, according to the Bulletin. Study rooms would increase from two to 10. The existing two makerspaces would expand, and a third would house the podcasting and recording studio.
Desert Peak Architecture developed the design with input from library staff, city officials and the public.
What happens if voters say yes
If voters approve the bond, the city anticipates selling bonds around March 2027, with construction beginning as early as May or June 2027. The renovation is expected to take 18 to 24 months, potentially allowing the library to reopen between late 2028 and mid-2029.
The library would have to vacate the building during construction. No temporary site has been finalized. Services at the smaller Munson Center and Sage Café branches would expand during construction, and a new bookmobile, expected in December 2027, would help extend services to neighborhoods.
The project has also received support through other funding sources, including tax increment development district funds, legislative allocations and the capital improvements fund, according to the city.
Even with the expansion, Las Cruces would remain below the library space its master plan recommends. Library officials envision eventually developing full-service branches of 25,000 to 30,000 square feet in other parts of the city, with the growing East Mesa area among the locations identified.
No funding or timetable has been set for those future branches.
