Socorro City Council approves police–school MOU, sewer fee waiver and rezoning; ambulance update presented

Socorro City Council on April 3, 2025, approved a memorandum of understanding formalizing mass‑casualty coordination between the City of Socorro Police Department and the Socorro Independent School District police and took action on several infrastructure and land‑use items while receiving an update on local ambulance services.

The measures approved at the meeting — held at 6:04 p.m. — included a fee‑waiver and reimbursement agreement for a Lower Valley Water District sewer extension, rezoning of a Las Milpas parcel with limits on dwelling units, a local amendment to the city's building code on automatic sprinklers, and a proclamation designating April 2025 as Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month.

The MOU with the district "solidifies" a previously informal agreement on how agencies will coordinate in the event of a mass‑casualty incident, Socorro Police Chief Robert Rojas said during the presentation, noting the first hours after an incident can produce confusion. Socorro Independent School District Police Chief George Johnson said the MOU formalizes protocols that agencies had previously handled by "gentleman's agreement" and reflects increased emphasis on school safety after the Uvalde incident.

Elite Medical Transport president Robert Campion gave the council a review of ambulance staffing and operations in Socorro. Campion said the company now staffs two dedicated ambulances for the city, added mobile intensive care in…