Speakers at a joint meeting of the Alamogordo City Commission and Otero County Commission urged officials not to reduce parking at the county fairgrounds, saying the lot supports the annual fair, emergency operations and school evacuation agreements. City staff described two conceptual options discussed in executive session: selling a front portion of the parking lot while leaving the remainder to the county, or reimagining and relocating the fair to a larger site such as city-owned landfill property.

Elaine Blythe, who identified herself as a 4‑H leader for Otero County, told commissioners the fairweek draws "thousands of people" and warned that reduced parking would be "detrimental, not only to the county fair, but the youth in particular." She said parking across White Sands Boulevard poses a safety risk when attendees must cross the road.

Andrew Carroll, a longtime resident, said the fairground is "the Otero County main evac primary evacuation site" and noted memoranda of understanding with Alamogordo High School and Cloudcroft High School for evacuations that require secure facilities, water and restrooms. Sid Gordon called any reduction in parking a "logistic nightmare" for large events.

City staff (identified in the record as Dr. Hernandez) told the joint meeting they had presented two options to the city commission in executive session: sell the front portion of the city parking parcel and leave the back to the county while pursuing satellite parking arrangements with nearby properties, or offer a large city site (the landfill off the bypass, described in the meeting as about 150 acres) to rehouse an expanded fair. Staff noted the cost and complexity of developing landfill property and cited a recent example in neighboring Roosevelt County where fairground upgrades reached $28 million.

Multiple speakers stressed the fair's current footprint and uses: the meeting record indicates the combined city and county fairgrounds total approximately 31 acres, a 3.3‑acre city parcel (appraised at about $1.2 million) and a reported attendance of nearly 60,000 last year. Speakers also said the parking lot served as an emergency command and staging area during recent fires and that CDL testing and other community functions use the site.

Commissioners said they understood the community concerns and suggested immediate protections while longer‑term planning proceeds. One county commissioner proposed leaving the lot intact for the next two to three years; another suggested a formal resolution or a time‑limited pledge not to sell the property to reassure the fair board and the public. City officials said they would put a related item on a future city agenda and consider drafting a resolution stating the parking lot will not be sold for a period to be determined.

Speakers also discussed financing for any relocation. Options mentioned included donating city land for a new fairgrounds site, applying for grants, and directing proceeds from any sale into a trust for replacement facilities; opinions diverged on whether sale proceeds should be reserved for a new fair site.

No sale or formal transfer occurred at the meeting; commissioners agreed to continue discussions and to place an item on a future agenda to clarify the city's and county's positions in writing.