Alamogordo — The Alamogordo City Commission recorded a series of unanimous actions at its Oct. 14 meeting. Key votes and formal actions included approval of the meeting agenda, adoption of a resolution authorizing a records-deletion method for files delivered via the city’s NextQuest/NextRequest portal, and first publication of a city ordinance creating a Gross Receipts Investment Program (GRIP). The commission also approved the consent agenda and confirmed an appointment to the Parks & Recreation Board.

Votes at a glance

- Agenda approval: Motion to approve the meeting agenda passed 7–0.

- Consent agenda: Motion to approve the consent agenda passed 7–0.

- Resolution 2025-31 (public-records deletion via NextQuest): The commission adopted Resolution 2025-31 authorizing automatic deletion of copies of records provided through the NextQuest/NextRequest portal after a retention period. City staff explained the proposal would apply to electronic copies delivered through the portal (not to original records, video, or lapel audio) and noted the city’s public-records-retention schedule requires copies from requests to be retained for one year after the request closes. Staff reported 76 requests had been processed through NextRequest in the first 30 days and that one email-heavy request delivered 18,000 emails and required more than 80 combined staff hours. Motion passed 7–0.

- Ordinance 17-18 (first publication creating GRIP): The commission approved first publication of Ordinance 17-18, which establishes a Gross Receipts Investment Program intended to reimburse qualifying projects for locally spent gross receipts taxes up to an annual cap set by the commission. The ordinance text presented added an annual budget/cap mechanism; staff recommended a $20,000 per-application cap and suggested an initial annual budget of $100,000. Commissioners noted the program reimburses only qualifying local expenditures shown on submitted receipts and that projects must come before the commission before breaking ground. Motion for first publication passed 7–0.

- Appointment to Parks & Recreation Board: Mayor Susan Paine appointed Jan Breending to the Parks & Recreation Board after staff confirmed Breending lives within city limits. The appointment was made during the meeting and no objections were raised.

- Adjournment: The motion to adjourn carried 7–0.

Why it matters: The records-resolution clarifies how the city will manage copies of records provided electronically through the public-requests portal and aims to reduce storage and administrative burden. The GRIP ordinance frames a local tool to reimburse qualifying projects for local spending; setting a cap and annual budget limits how much general-fund revenue the program can consume.

What’s next: The city will implement the NextRequest deletion setting for portal-provided electronic copies consistent with the one-year retention schedule. Staff will return to the commission with a formal GRIP budget recommendation and will process any GRIP or LITA applications that come before the commission under the updated rules.