[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6251405,"mediaKeyId","3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34","parentId",3195723,"title","Alamogordo planner outlines subdivisions and new businesses as state now issues building permits","audioSeconds",255,"startMs",1179000,"endMs",1434000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34&start=1179&end=1434","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34/thumbnail_1179000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6251405/Alamogordo/Otero-County/New-Mexico/Alamogordo-planner-outlines-subdivisions-and-new-businesses-as-state-now-issues-building-permits","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251405-dfc781914805a2401fd74231608b5c0d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146852&Signature=JbK5M3wcBrj5buJgpicSwXoS8Fs1HtyJU4~y1qiyxFSQRwc0v8P4xlddwSOulmB9HXagDmP0iWlRoZ36hNUCvOJtG5JOM9T0m5Vt-9UPg2ik8VRTJxsgcdgRA~FqQ55uZWYwZHvwXezqfzk4UDCMpKkjaOQyE7xx25ireZdNrtNp~VHaDmeEeY9s~fcicj4nbs2aTNMQTrt~~~ARH9WodKCDQ8Va5AKpG4ggPT~WzXt5lv~iuI11rUtM5KhbX76od9xZpdL~FpDtz1ykq1Q4ExI00hGg2STcxp2B17gk5A9Puv-USVBX1RRjnCNtcRsjGySVvgGGtq1xyJkGiPCH4g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Alamogordo","date","2025-05-06T03:43:48Z","article","Stella, Alamogordo’s city planner, told commissioners Tuesday that the city’s Planning and Zoning department processed several hundred land-use and business items this fiscal year and that building permits are now issued by the state Construction Industries Division after the city’s building department closed in February.

Stella said the Planning and Zoning office logged 224 zoning-compliance applications and 117 business prerequisites since July 1, and assigned 393 new addresses this fiscal year. The department remains responsible for zoning compliance even though building permits are issued by the Construction Industries Division; Stella said contractors must obtain zoning approval from the city before they apply for state-issued building permits.

She reported three subdivisions in progress: a Phase 1 infrastructure installation for a 47-lot single-family development, another subdivision with plans under review for 30 single-family lots, and a North White Sands Boulevard subdivision of seven commercial lots. Stella listed several commercial projects in development, including Murphy’s on North White Sands and at Fairgrounds, Love’s Truck Center (with a Whataburger), a new Sonic on South White Sands Boulevard, a Take 5 oil-change, a plasma center on North White Sands and an in-store Der Wienerschnitzel at the Walmart location. She also said two apartment complexes and a seven-duplex project are in various review stages.

Stella described the department’s review process: staff intake of applications, meetings with contractors and property owners, Technical Review Committee (TRC) coordination with public-safety, utilities and on-call engineers, and public-notice and 200-foot property-owner mailings for matters that require commission action. She said the department is preparing zoning-code updates and other rule rewrites for commission consideration in the near term.

Commissioners did not take any action on the matters presented; staff said specific development approvals will return to the agenda as discrete items when required by state notice and city code.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Hearing 05/05/2025","oneSentenceSummary","City planner told commissioners the Construction Industries Division is issuing building permits for the city after the municipal building department was dissolved; Planning and Zoning reported multiple subdivisions, business registrations and address assignments during the current fiscal year.","taxTitle","Alamogordo, Otero County, New Mexico","taxId",58077,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251410,"Bonito Lake reopening, conservation and utilities reserves highlighted in Alamogordo budget workshop",5238,2848000,8086000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34&start=2848&end=8086","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34/thumbnail_2848000.jpg","/articles/6251410/Alamogordo/Otero-County/New-Mexico/Bonito-Lake-reopening-conservation-and-utilities-reserves-highlighted-in-Alamogordo-budget-workshop","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251410-31a4313e57986304d49f60edf9728676/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146852&Signature=acZ6b7MWKsUyI86TEAZ4LAPvQ2zwZwFpuXI3yXppOWXmbm6S3iPHPrcXR7YkNo3B0ssitRQdk00UqYV5opmMnXKMZZcPRV7pSVQyuH2wsy3gWfUxqXwAgbLYv3513o6e95jk1BEg8KOnxMgERq-MKARKr3LGFlJqUGp9h6NoKnrxQC5~3p28GZ9EZeP2N~O-HaDfoOzPSQxqEXTsthXiwRp8OUAJM-QJK5bip2qE1BAODCEeDyI3gYCtLtqa769kt-~OdFMLSVNgdkuQz0CwnrsnBNYmNL1LoRIMEP1GTSFpnccfu4RBroIKQ8qrL8o18gYLsjTaIXVqyVAhPAOVDw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Officials from Parks and Recreation and Utilities told commissioners Tuesday that Bonito Lake reopened after wildfire-related interruptions and remains a focus of preservation and upstream erosion-control projects.

Belinda Bass, director of Parks and Recreation, said the city-owned lake — located in Lincoln County — was dredged and refilled in 2023 and stocked with rainbow trout in May 2024. The lake closed briefly following a later wildfire in the area but reopened in August 2024. Bass said the city has worked with state and federal partners and regional engineers to construct sediment basins and other erosion-control features to protect the lake’s access, infrastructure and fisheries.

Bass described the lake as a high-use recreational site with “hundreds of visitors per week” and said the city has begun rehabilitation of the fishing access structure, including ADA stairway improvements and new railings. She also described an effort to preserve historic orchards above the lake using cloning and propagation work to protect heirloom tree varieties.

Utilities staff and engineers outlined broader water and landfill financial issues. Public presentation materials explained that the city’s wastewater reclamation facility is a sequencing batch reactor designed for average daily flows around 3 million gallons, with peak capacity near 6 million gallons per day; treated effluent is stored and used for irrigation at parks and fields. Utilities staff also highlighted the convenience-center transfer station and the Otero Green Tree Regional Landfill, noting modern landfill engineering and the regulatory requirement that the landfill maintain substantial reserves to fund a new cell and long-term closure/post-closure obligations.

A utilities presentation estimated that landfill reserve requirements exceed $2 million; staff said officials must balance those statutory reserves against the capital cost of the next cell. City staff said those figures will be part of the budget discussions that resume tomorrow and emphasized that some decisions must await confirmation of the city’s July 1 beginning-cash.","Parks and recreation and utilities staff briefed commissioners on Bonito Lake restoration and stocking, upstream conservation work and the city’s utility and landfill reserve needs as part of departmental budget presentations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251415,"Alamogordo police report higher call volumes and staff shortfall; mobile crisis team and animal-control programs expand",1206,7169000,8375000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34&start=7169&end=8375","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34/thumbnail_7169000.jpg","/articles/6251415/Alamogordo/Otero-County/New-Mexico/Alamogordo-police-report-higher-call-volumes-and-staff-shortfall-mobile-crisis-team-and-animal-control-programs-expand","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251415-dbc9983b940a4d3eb4c3f853aea3e411/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146852&Signature=RFxe3NVdA-R7AVWe7GBte1LtyXCn9wPh18h0vsw~DWaBt-BYsr0Mtmo-1z8CvMd09TXT2uJIqLQf69eID5rGBKLRy-wLtLHbA2-UwBsekwFuDbOhz5aE1mdgOKlKkdwqYMtYuRhgsB8~-hiND8nsJpT1ZKyyRL4iiNeTt7u-MWGUuAZjVNxmM-2DgYT8BwRoOW23XsOkJ4rgO6bLUtTuHBLNUwKGXwcvvLoB5qqZXRY5RSuQJWd2p5hFZ1z9g0Qk9rEu17ubktfVQjxUCaDmolMEVuKIYABy2THxxgauqse3r4ou5JNvLvS9cy0ppjRmzDutl57uNjavC0AfMgLLig__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alamogordo’s police chief told commissioners Tuesday the department handled roughly 34,000 calls for service in 2024 and remains short staffed, with 45 sworn officers filling 56 authorized positions.

Chief Kunehiro (full name not specified in the record) said the department logged more arrests and higher counts in several crime categories in 2024 than in 2023, including increases in crimes against persons and crimes against property. The department recorded five homicides in 2024 and reported 83 incidents in which officers were assaulted or battered last year.

Traffic crashes were also a frequent demand on the force: officers reported about 612 crashes last year, an average of about 1.6 crashes per day. The chief said the department is assigning traffic officers to reduce crash frequency and improve enforcement.

Animal-control staff reported higher shelter intake and a rise in adoptions after new grant-funded programs. Dwayne Martinez, who presented animal-control figures, described partnerships, grant-supported free spay/neuter and microchipping clinics, and a Trap-Neuter-Return program for feral cats that staff said reduced expected kitten births substantially. Martinez said the department now offers “positivity learning” classes (owner training and follow-up hands-on sessions) intended to reduce return rates for newly adopted animals.

The police department’s Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), led by Janette Barunda, presented its co-response model and outreach work. Barunda said the MCRT responds with officers on mental-health calls to de-escalate crises, perform on-scene assessments and, with consent, arrange follow-up treatment. She said the MCRT averaged 11–13 client contacts per day, provided thousands of peer-support contacts in 2024, and helped reduce unnecessary criminal-justice involvement for people in crisis.

Barunda described the department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training program, a 40-hour course used to improve law-enforcement responses to mental-health and substance-use crises. She said the city had trained more than 400 officers and partners since implementing its program and plans advanced CIT this year.

No formal police department policy changes were adopted during the workshop; commissioners heard the reports and will consider related budget requests in the follow-up session.","Police officials told commissioners the department handled about 34,000 calls last year, is 11 officers short of budgeted positions and reported increases in crimes against persons; the department’s mobile crisis response team and animal-control unit outlined programs intended to reduce unnecessary detention and improve adoption outcomes.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251419,"Alamogordo holds budget workshop as departments present priorities; final budget to reflect July 1 cash",8071,431000,8502000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34&start=431&end=8502","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3195723-bfbcd85d5abf10ca29b81d74dc709c34/thumbnail_431000.jpg","/articles/6251419/Alamogordo/Otero-County/New-Mexico/Alamogordo-holds-budget-workshop-as-departments-present-priorities-final-budget-to-reflect-July-1-cash","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251419-d31a9cbfaf7907bd89961d7aa014c714/orig.mp4?Expires=1771146852&Signature=EzlNdyHucIech6iBxEeAU2Jb4jEvvTmkQBYc6LeI3K0ZHxy3bqfVpf6x0oWzIXp4prfD9PqXAeMaa2io-Kq82Gk3tp7JBcL4fuZNRYaTSzEHQyrlnPgqRPeatgoy82tLC01RE45sOOL~Gk95XXGER9DBLYGU5Xlj~KYs-MCG0LE0O287oGjpQuor~YAfsGlgKMnoZZcf17Jv7GxljrXm48t5V7TDcKXLcmpaZ~70qfg8w~LUiu9t1iNAJurrc5d1KdQTZFglx8OxsgZPDdQVrho563QjpGYm1PO3~j-KjDHi58SYDikKMzym0johZY8NVqYRNE0Z0Ri6jSYfQcX9Yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Alamogordo officials held a budget hearing workshop Tuesday evening in City Hall, hearing short presentations from city departments and a Budget 101 overview from staff ahead of a follow-up meeting tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. to consider the preliminary fiscal plan.

City staff and department heads summarized programs, staffing and capital needs across utilities, public safety, parks and recreation, planning and other divisions. A presentation on budget mechanics explained the five parts of a municipal budget — beginning cash, revenues, transfers in, transfers out and expenditures — and stressed that the budget adopted in May remains preliminary until the city’s actual beginning-cash on July 1 is known.

The workshop combined quick departmental overviews with staff requests for follow-up. Presenters repeatedly asked commissioners to reserve detailed finance questions for the next session so department leaders could focus their five-minute presentations on services and program priorities rather than line-by-line accounting. City staff also reviewed the city’s rules on transfers between funds and emphasized that ending cash must be nonnegative under New Mexico law.

Departments showed recent activity and near-term projects: utilities and landfill staff described wastewater and landfill reserve requirements; parks and recreation highlighted Bonito Lake repair and stocking; public safety reviewed calls-for-service and staffing levels; planning and zoning summarized active subdivisions and business permits; and community affairs described tourism marketing and events. Finance staff said they will use the workshop input to refine revenue and expenditure projections before tomorrow’s session.

At the start of the meeting Mayor Susan Payne called the session to order and commissioners approved the agenda by voice vote, 6-0. The meeting recessed after the presentations and will resume tomorrow with more detailed budget discussion at 5:30 p.m.

Commissioners, staff and the public will see a final budget in July after the city closes its books on July 1 and confirms beginning cash balances.","City staff delivered a departmental budget workshop Tuesday, walking commissioners through operating needs, capital requests and a Budget 101 primer; city will finalize figures after July 1 beginning-cash is known.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Alamogordo planner outlines subdivisions and new businesses as state now issues building permits

Bonito Lake reopening, conservation and utilities reserves highlighted in Alamogordo budget workshop

Alamogordo police report higher call volumes and staff shortfall; mobile crisis team and animal-control programs expand

Alamogordo holds budget workshop as departments present priorities; final budget to reflect July 1 cash