City Council Member Kim Skinner broke the deadlock that has left the mayoral seat empty on the Elephant Butte City Council since March 5. Skinner, as well as Mayor Pro-Tem Edna Trager, had nominated themselves to be mayor during the last two votes. City Council Member Gerald LaFont voted for Trager and City Council Member […]
Elephant Butte City Council elects new mayor after seven-month vacancy Read More »
The Elephant Butte City Council meeting may be crowded if any of the three interested parties interested in filling the mayor’s seat has gathered community support in an effort to sway City Council’s will. The City of Elephant Butte is in the strange position of having no mayor, with no election in sight until
Preview: Elephant Butte City Council takes up question of mayor’s seat again Read More »
Besides possibly filling the empty mayor’s seat (see other preview), the Elephant Butte City Council has other big items on the Oct. 2 meeting agenda. The city issued a “Request for Proposals” to find an experienced company to manage the Sierra del Rio Golf course, which includes a restaurant and pro shop. Only one company
The Truth or Consequences City Commission approved advertising an ordinance to sell six lots in the hot springs district at the Sept. 25 meeting, but city officials made varying statements on what the ordinance will accomplish. City Attorney Jay Rubin said the ordinance will announce the City’s private sale of real property. “We have a
Follow-up: Truth or Consequences will advertise sale of land in Hot Springs District Read More »
The Truth or Consequences City Commission will hold a public workshop on special-use permits allowing downtown business owners to also live in their place of business. Live/work special-use permits was on the Sept. 25 regular-meeting agenda as an action item, but the board only directed City Manager Morris Madrid to arrange a workshop, notifying all
Follow-up: Action held off for workshop on live/work permits for downtown businesses Read More »
All but two of the 10-person Truth or Consequences police force came to the regular City Commission meeting to show their support for City Manager Morris Madrid’s decision to fire Chief of Police Randall Aragon last week. When Aragon was placed on administrative leave Sept. 9, about 20 members of the public showed up to
Police show up in force to show support for chief’s firing Read More »
The Truth or Consequences City Commission changed how public comment works a few months ago and the Sierra County Sun sent each board member an email, none responding. Two commissioners did address the change, however, at the Sept. 25 meeting, without naming the paper, and unfortunately not answering the core question. Public comment is now
ANALYSIS: TorC Commissioners answer Sierra County Sun on limiting public comment Read More »
The Truth or Consequences City Commission may sell six city-owned lots for $26,000 that may be in, but are certainly near the Hot Springs District and the Rio Grande. The six lots are on the northwest corner of the intersection of Wyona Ave. and Clancy St., which the city acquired through a condemnation process, according
One dog is dead, one is barely alive and people were bitten in two separate incidents involving two different aggressive dogs that have still not been picked up. Both incidents occurred at the old Fish Hatchery Park below the Elephant Butte Dam, a popular spot for dog walkers. The owners of the dead and
Sierra County Commissioners said purchasing the Amin’s building, a recently-closed furniture store at 1712 N. Date St., is the least-costly means of acquiring an administration building to consolidate offices. The Commission unanimously approved the $2.17-million purchase after holding a public hearing at the Sept. 17 meeting. No one spoke at the public hearing. County Commissioner
Sierra County Commission approves Amin’s building purchase: $2.16 million Read More »
Truth or Consequences Chief of Police Randall Aragon was fired on Friday, Sept. 17 after being put on administrative leave on Sept. 9, according to city documents. City Manager Morris Madrid is responsible for hiring and firing employees and made the decision to put Aragon on administrative leave and then to fire him. He did
Chief of Police Aragon fired Read More »
A company fighting Endangered Species Act requirements, particularly the Grey Wolf Recovery Plan, will not get Sierra County’s business. The Sierra County Commission voted unanimously not to award an $18,000 contract, with travel expenses and other fees to be added, to American Stewards of Liberty at the Sept. 17 regular meeting. Commission Chairman James Paxon
The Sierra County Commission hired the law firm Gallagher and Kennedy of Santa Fe to represent it in a lawsuit against the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department for illegally withholding part of its gross receipts tax distribution. The firm will collect 22.5 percent to 17.5 percent of the recovered tax money, depending on whether
The Sierra County Commission accepted a nearly $500,000 grant to treat jail inmates’ behavioral needs last month, and contracts related to the grant are following. The “Intervention Demonstration Project” grant is to provide treatment programs to prevent inmates at the Sierra County Detention Facility from returning to jail, to address behavioral needs and disorders and
The law firm Gallagher and Kennedy of Santa Fe is proposing to represent Sierra County in a lawsuit against the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department for illegally withholding part of its gross receipts tax distribution. The firm would collect 22.5 percent to 17.5 percent of the recovered tax money, depending on whether the case
The Sierra County Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 9 a.m. to allow residents to weigh in on whether it should borrow nearly $2.2 million to purchase and equip the recently-closed Amins building, a furniture business in operation for nearly 40 years, located at 1712 N. Date St. The money would
The Sierra County Commission will consider whether to hire American Stewarts of Liberty, which states it is “a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting private property rights, defending the use of our land, and restoring local control. Our strategies are unique, effective, and the cause of some of the most important victories for property rights in
The Sierra del Rio Golf facility may have been a gift, but it comes with burdens for the City of Elephant Butte. Elephant Butte’s recent budget approval came with a warning from the state Department of Finance and Administration that “it needs to do something different” when it comes to the golf course, according to
AmeriGreen Organics, a hemp-growing, extraction-bottling and retail-sales company based in Santa Fe, is negotiating a lease with Lakeway Shopping Center for its remaining 54,000-square-feet of empty space to grow and sell hemp products. The shopping center is located at 1900 N. Date St. in Truth or Consequences. Truth or Consequences City Commissioner George Szigeti announced
Hemp company interested in remaining spaces at Lakeway Shopping Center Read More »
Atwell recused himself when a vote came up on hiring special council to represent the other council members at the Sept. 10 special meeting. The Council approved hiring Holt Mynatt Martinez, P.C., of Las Cruces.