Ruidoso Downs council approves NMDOT extension, several engineering task orders and auction of surplus items

The Ruidoso Downs council on April 27 approved a request to extend a New Mexico Department of Transportation Local Government Road Fund participation deadline and signed off on multiple engineering task orders and a surplus-equipment auction.

Council introduced Resolution No. 2026-10 to extend the termination date for the town’s NMDOT-funded right-lane project from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2027. Staff explained the extension is requested so remaining funds from the project can be reallocated to other local road work. “This is for a time extension for our right lane project… we’re gonna get it done by the due date, but there’s gonna be quite a bit of money left over. So I’m gonna… request a time extension from DOT because later on, we’ll see we’re moving that money to a different area,” said the staff member presenting the item.

Why it matters: the extension preserves state grant eligibility while staff reallocates unspent dollars to roads with immediate needs, staff said. The council approved the measure after a motion and second; roll-call responses of 'Aye' were recorded from council members present.

The meeting also cleared several engineering task orders. The council approved Venice Engineering task order 2026-02 for NMDOT project L200655; Staff noted that changes to scope typically raise engineering fees. Council approved Dennis Engineering task order 2026-03 for Sierra Lane and Hilltop Drive road improvements ($8,000, exclusive of NMGRT) and task order 26-04 for the NMDOT-funded L200693 North Central Drive improvements (also $8,000, exclusive of NMGRT). The council approved an amendment to Dennis Engineering task order 26-01, adding $2,500 for additional services; staff said that increase will be covered by grant funds.

Staff described the local funding picture: “Like, Hilla Harris, we got… I think we have 290,000. We’ll be able to move roughly probably 50,000 over. The original ask was, like, 580,000. The state came back and said, here’s 280-something,” the staff member said, summarizing available and previously-awarded amounts.

Council also approved placing obsolete or unusable town items on GovDeals (Govdeals.com) for public auction. The presenting staff member described the posting process—cleaning, photographing and listing items for roughly a four-week period—and said proceeds would return to departmental budgets. The staff member noted title issues for some older vehicles would be addressed before sale.

Council action and next steps: motions to approve the resolution and task orders were moved and seconded during the meeting and received affirmative roll-call responses; staff will proceed with the NMDOT extension request and coordinate the engineering task orders and surplus-auction postings. The mayor also reminded residents of an upcoming buyback closing date tied to FEMA work (see mayoral comments).