Cloudcroft Clears State Filing Backlog, Submits Two Budgets Ahead of Deadline
The village met a key state deadline a day early by submitting both the final FY 2025-26 and the interim FY 2026-27 budgets.
Cloudcroft has closed a years-long state filing backlog, submitting a rebuilt FY 2025-26 budget and an interim FY 2026-27 budget to the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), meeting the deadline a day early.
DFA confirmed the submissions.
The FY 2025-26 final budget required a complete redo beforehand.
The version filed in December with the DFA under the previous administration had never been accepted, requiring the finance team to rebuild it from scratch and resubmit it, according to Finance Administrative Assistant Barbara Garcia.
Last year, the Reader filed a public information request for the FY 2025-26 budget from the Village of Cloudcroft. Along with loan remittances and schedules, correspondence with the DFA, and more, here is what we received via email in October 2025:
The Reader also filed information requests with the DFA, and in December 2025, received this FY 2025-26 budget PDF via email:
Village Clerk Jini Turri said of the FY 2025-26 budget at the May 19 regular council meeting:
“The operating budget that we're currently in right now was presented to the state, which was never approved by the state. We will be going in and DFA will let be allowing us to pretty much wipe out all of that those numbers that are in there that are wrong and redo it.”
“There was a lot of zeros, there was a lot of exaggerations, and I understand the reason. A budget had to be put in (on time) to be in compliance, but it wasn't reasonable, and it was never approved.”
The New Numbers
FY 2025-26 Final Budget: The general fund closed with revenues of $1,987,725 and expenditures of $1,189,501, resulting in an surplus of $798,224.
The water and sewer fund posted revenues of $1,146,706 against expenditures of $1,395,434, a deficit of $248,728. The village will transfer $250,000 from the general fund surplus to cover that shortfall, according to Garcia.
FY 2026-27 Interim Budget: The council approved the interim budget for the coming fiscal year without dissent; Trustee Gail McCoy abstained because of her employment with the village-funded public library.
The general fund projects revenues of $1,782,295 against expenditures of $1,513,528, yielding a surplus of $268,767.
The water and sewer department projects revenues of $1,167,500 and expenditures of $1,138,180, resulting in a surplus of $29,320.
The total projected revenues for FY 2026-27 stand at $2,949,795, against projected expenditures of $2,651,708, resulting in a surplus of $298,087.
The budget submissions mark a significant milestone in a recovery effort Village Clerk Jini Turri began approximately five months ago, untangling years of financial records across multiple state reporting systems.
At a previous council meeting, Turri had set a December target for reaching full compliance.
Finance team members Sylvia Hall, Barbara Garcia, and Village Clerk Jini Turri were present at the meeting. The full meeting is available on the village’s YouTube channel at @CloudcroftNewMexico.
Trustees Danny Hardwick and Matt Willett attended via Zoom. Mayor Dusty Wiley and Trustees Keith Hamilton and Gail McCoy were present in the chambers.
MVD, Meeting Changes
Garcia confirmed that after the hiring of Motor Vehicle Department Clerk Malary Davis, the Village MVD's projected opening is set for late June or early July, upon completion of Davis’ training.
In May, the council voted to hold all regular council meetings on the second Tuesday of the month. The next council meeting is Tuesday, June 9, at 6 p.m. in the village chambers.
Here’s what’s on the agenda:
See you there.
This report is derived from previous Reader reporting and attendance at the May 19 regular meeting, budget workshops, a YouTube video of the May 28 special council meeting, and confirmed budget numbers from the Village of Cloudcroft Finance Administrative Assistant Barbara Garcia and Mayor Wiley, and public information requests from the Village of Cloudcroft and the New Mexico Department of Finance Administration.
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