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Ruidoso resumes 'clean and lean' enforcement after buyout delay; council declares dozens of units public nuisances
Summary
Village officials said they delayed enforcing the decades-old 'clean and lean' ordinance to avoid disqualifying residents from an NRCS/EWP buyout; after FEMA urged enforcement, the council enacted the program, suspended action for properties in the buyout, and approved grouped resolutions finding multiple apartment units public nuisances.
Ruidoso officials told the council they intentionally postponed full enforcement of the village's long-standing ‘‘clean and lean'' ordinance during 2024'24 and 2025 while negotiations with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) over a buyout program were ongoing. Heath, a village staff speaker, said the delay was intended to avoid making property owners ineligible for an emergency watershed protection (EWP) buyout.
Heath said 77 properties were placed on a village resolution list in April and that 68 of those are also enrolled in the county-run EWP buyout program; for properties in EWP, the village will suspend clean-and-lean enforcement until buyout completion. The village described the enforcement mechanics: owners receive a 10-day notice to state their plans; if they do not respond, the village clears the property and places the cleanup cost as a lien (a "lean") on the deed.
Mayor Lynn Crawford and other councilors said FEMA had also pressured the village to begin enforcing its ordinance. "FEMA did tell us in February of this year that we had to start enforcing our ordinance," Heath said, adding the village coordinated timing so the buyout could proceed without denying owners opportunity to participate.
In a series of grouped motions the council then read and adopted multiple resolutions finding individual units at 206 Eagle Drive (Eagle Creek River Resort) and other addresses to be public nuisances. The motions were moved, seconded and approved on roll-call votes with the council voting unanimously in favor of the batches presented at the meeting.
The council and staff emphasized that the cleanup program is separate from the county buyout and the state's private-property debris removal program. "This is not a land grab," a council member said; staff reiterated the village will not take ownership of properties through clean-and-lean.
The village also announced a town hall at 6 p.m. Monday, June 15, at the convention center with representatives from the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, the county, NRCS and the village present to answer property owners' questions about cleanup and buyout options.
The council did not repeal previously adopted resolutions when property owners requested public hearings but were not present; staff said enforcement remains suspended for properties engaged in the EWP buyout process.
What happens next: the village will continue processing the listed nuisance resolutions and will pause enforcement for any property with an active buyout enrollment until the county's EWP process concludes.
