Alamogordo votes to withdraw from Tularosa Basin regional dispatch authority after months of complaints

The Alamogordo City Commission voted 4-3 on April 22, 2025, to begin withdrawing the city from the Tularosa Basin Regional Dispatch Authority in accordance with the authority's joint powers agreement, after public testimony from current and former dispatchers and repeated complaints from city public-safety officials about dispatch errors and governance.

The vote follows months of discussion and a series of public comments from former Taburta dispatchers who described management problems after the consolidation of city and county dispatch operations. Former Taburta dispatchers Mikayla Finnegan and Rachel Craig told the commission they had left because of hostile work environment concerns and management practices they said undermined training and morale. "It's time for the city to step up and take back your dispatch center, your employees, and take control of the safety of your officers and your citizens," Finnegan said during public comment.

City public-safety leaders including Alamogordo Police and Fire Department officials also told the commission they had repeatedly raised concerns about incorrect or delayed dispatch information and the difficulty…