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Socorro Board of Adjustments elects chair, vice chair and secretary and amends bylaws to add second vice chair
Summary
At the meeting the board elected Jesus Ruiz as chair, Marion Cruz as vice chair and Judith Rodriguez as secretary; members approved an amendment adding a second vice chair and changing removal rules to a majority of members present. The board also tabled minutes and approved a 2025 meeting calendar.
The Socorro City Board of Adjustments elected new officers and amended its bylaws during a meeting Feb. (meeting date not specified), deciding to add a second vice chair and to change officer-removal language so removal requires a majority vote of members present rather than a two-thirds vote of the entire board.
Board member David Oropeza moved to appoint Jesus Ruiz as chair; Albert Lagunas seconded the nomination and the motion carried by voice vote. Oropeza then moved to appoint Marion Cruz as vice chair, seconded by Lagunas; that motion also carried. Marion Cruz made the motion to appoint Judith Rodriguez as secretary; Albert Lagunas seconded and the motion carried.
Later in the meeting, the board considered proposed amendments to its bylaws. After discussion about quorum and removal procedures, the board voted to amend Article 3, section A, so the officers will be "chair, vice chair, and second vice chair" and so that the chair, vice chair and second vice chair "may be removed from office by a majority vote of members present." A motion to approve the bylaws with those changes was made and the vote carried.
Members discussed operational details that prompted the change. Commissioners noted the board has sometimes struggled to field a full five-member panel and that having a second vice chair and clearer removal language would help the board continue meetings when officers are absent and would provide more opportunities for members to gain leadership experience. A staff member and board members also discussed that municipal laws and official ordinances are maintained in English; the board agreed it is permissible to read the standard opening statement in Spanish during meetings as a courtesy but that the legal code remains in English for enforcement.
The board took several administrative actions in the same meeting: members tabled approval of the Jan. 23, 2025 meeting minutes because the agenda listed an incorrect date for the minutes item; the board approved a proposed 2025 meeting calendar; and the board adopted a motion to adjourn at 6:50 p.m.
The transcript records voice votes and motions but generally does not show itemized roll-call tallies. Where the transcript lists a mover and a seconder, those names have been recorded; the record does not include roll-call vote details for each action.
