Eddy County reassigns lodgers tax, creates Community Development department and reassigns code enforcement

Eddy County commissioners on Tuesday approved multiple organizational changes meant to consolidate review and permitting functions, centralize lodgers-tax administration and create a new Community Development department.

County Manager Mike Gallagher asked the board to create the Community Development department to house planning, addressing, GIS and business-license functions. He said the new department would include a director-level position, to be advertised if the commission approved the change. Gallagher said the role would work with the business community and Carlsbad Department of Development and improve the county’s subdivision and review processes.

The commission also approved moving administration of the lodgers-tax program from Community Services into the county manager’s office. Gallagher said shifting the program to his department, where the public information officer resides, would streamline promotion and increase applications.

Separately, the board approved moving animal control and noncriminal code-enforcement functions out of the sheriff’s office and Community Services and into Eddy County Fire and Rescue. Gallagher said the change would group related non-law-enforcement functions under one department and allow cross-training for fire inspections, code enforcement and animal-control duties.

The commission approved a title change for a budgeted position in the county manager’s office from Director of Government and Public Affairs to Chief of Staff, a reclassification Gallagher said would better support county objectives such as internship programs, public engagement and coordination across departments. Gallagher said Adrian Jones, currently in the county manager’s office, was a candidate for the role.

All three organizational actions were presented as not having immediate net budgetary impacts beyond the planned director position and were approved by the board by voice vote.