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Aztec Chamber asks city for $25,000 to expand events, cites rapid membership growth
Summary
The Aztec Chamber of Commerce asked the city for a $25,000 service contract to sustain expanded staffing and 75+ events over 12 months, saying the investment would support local businesses and is structured as a purchase of services to comply with New Mexico's anti-donation clause.
Hannah, executive director of the Aztec Chamber of Commerce, asked the Aztec City Commission for $25,000 in operational funding to expand staff hours and deliver what she described as a full calendar of events and business-support programming through 2027.
Hannah told the commission the chamber reorganized in 2023 and has accelerated activity since new leadership arrived in mid-2025. She said membership rose from fewer than 40 paid members to 122 active members in under a year, with 81 new members since January and more than 5,190 community attendees at chamber events over the past 12 months. "A $25,000 investment in the chamber funds 75 plus events, covers expenses that the chamber absorbs internally and generates an estimated 278,000 plus in local spending," Hannah said.
The chamber proposed that any city support be structured as a purchase-of-services agreement to address the state's anti-donation clause. Hannah said the chamber is prepared to "enter into a formal service agreement with the city of Aztec" so the city would be purchasing defined services rather than making a direct donation.
Commissioners asked staff and the city attorney to review and draft an agreement that documents deliverables and compliance, and to return the proposed agreement to the commission for approval. One commissioner said any funding must be approved by the commission after city-manager and attorney review; staff confirmed an attorney would help draft the agreement.
Hannah also said the chamber has applied separately for reimbursement funding through New Mexico Economic Development for a business retention survey and committed to reporting measurable outcomes to the city if funded, including membership growth, event attendance, walk-in and phone traffic, and progress on the retention survey.
The commission did not take an immediate vote on the chamber request; staff and the attorney were asked to review the proposed service agreement and bring it back for formal action.
The chamber presentation and the commission's request for a formal agreement are expected to return to a future meeting once staff and legal have prepared the contract language.
