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Commission approves amended burn ordinance, extends burn restriction, adopts ICIP and several appropriations
Summary
The Luna County Commission unanimously adopted an amended burn ordinance, extended an open-burning/fireworks restriction, approved the ICIP for FY27–31 and finalized several appropriations including $10,000 for the Chamber and $46,900 for USDA APHIS contingent on reporting; multiple roll-call votes were unanimous.
The Luna County Commission voted on a series of resolutions and budget items after presentations and discussion.
Amended burn ordinance: Staff explained the proposed amendment updates statutory references and removes a now‑repealed citation. "The amended ordinance just reflects statutory changes last year," an unnamed staff member said during the public hearing. The Commission approved Resolution 25‑47 by roll call; all three commissioners voted yes.
Fireworks and open burning restriction: Commissioners discussed whether recent rains warranted lifting the county's fireworks/open burning restriction but were told the state still lists Luna County under a restriction. The Commission extended Resolution 25‑26 for 30 days to remain consistent with the state's designation.
Appropriations: The commission finalized fiscal‑year appropriations with two items under discussion. After debate, commissioners agreed to raise the recommended Chamber of Commerce allocation to $10,000 (from an average recommendation of about $7,200). For the USDA APHIS wildlife services request, the commission discussed concerns that prior reporting had not been visible locally and that residents outside agricultural users lacked clear instructions for accessing the service. Commissioner 11 pressed the issue: "We're looking at $47,000 just to be clear of taxpayer money, that's going to 1 person that is providing a service for very few individuals," and asked for better reporting and outreach. Commissioners approved funding for the USDA APHIS request (about $46,900) but directed staff to require quarterly reports and to post contact information so the public knows how to request wildlife services.
ICIP and other resolutions: The commission adopted Resolution 25‑48, the Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan for FY27–31, which lists 23 projects and prioritizes the port-of-entry berm (still needing about $9,000,000), outdoor recreation projects, a juvenile justice facility, a technical trade center and a community recreation complex among the top items. The commission also approved participation in Local Government Road Fund projects for Blue Quail Road (total project cost listed at $182,879; county responsible for costs above that figure), Hermanus Grade Road and Country Club Southeast, and adopted a procurement policy amendment aligning per diem and hotel reimbursement with current state rates (the staff summary referenced per‑diem and $350 hotel rates). All these measures passed on unanimous roll‑call votes.
Corre Camino: The commission approved a long-standing $70,000 local match for Corre Camino transportation services and agreed to reconcile a $63,000 average recommendation in the printed packet to the $70,000 figure in the formal resolution.
Claims board and adjournment: The commission recessed to convene as the claims board, reviewed indigent claims and reconvened as the County Commission. The meeting moved into executive session later in the agenda and reconvened with no action taken. The meeting then adjourned.
Commissioners recorded roll-call votes for each resolution with Commissioner Trejo, Chair Chandler and Commissioner Harvey voting yes on recorded items.
