Council Hires Familiar Face for Second Police Officer. Plus, Higher Trash Rates and a Fiscal Roadmap Update
The Village Council worked through a full agenda, unanimously approving several items, including a new police hire, rate adjustments, grant applications, and a financial compliance plan
The Cloudcroft Village Council met on Tuesday, March 17, to cover a lot of ground. Most of it was catching up.
The trustees unanimously voted to fill a police department vacancy, increase garbage billing rates that hadn’t been updated since 2023, and put a state-required financial compliance plan on the record.
Police Department: Testa Returns
The council unanimously approved hiring Mike Testa as a police officer at a starting salary of $70,720 — bringing back one of Cloudcroft’s familiar faces in law enforcement.
Testa served as the village’s Chief of Police until May 2024, when he resigned alongside Deputy Chief David Sanchez and Officer Calib Bruce. The resignations came amid a dispute with the previous council over a proposed Panama schedule — 12-hour rotating day and night shifts — which Testa and his officers argued was unworkable with a four-person force. “I didn’t sign up for this,” Testa said at the time. He went to work as a logger with Ellinger Logging.
Chief Roger Schoolcraft, who himself resigned in December 2024 before returning under Mayor Wiley’s administration, made Testa his first and only pick.
“I looked at no less than 20 applicants since I’ve been back in the last few months, and Mike’s the only one that I’ve selected,” Schoolcraft told the council. He described Testa as someone who “brings a lot of character to the badge” and has family and businesses rooted in the village.”
The two plan to work a split schedule, providing coverage seven days a week. Testa can return to active duty after completing basic firearms qualifications. Schoolcraft said he hopes to have him on board at the start of the next pay period.
Testa told the Reader he’s “happy and proud and glad to come back and serve the community” and is “excited to return under the new administration.” His focus: “keep people safe.”
Schoolcraft noted the federal “safe schools grant,” which would fund half the salary of a desired school resource officer, remains frozen. “Until that gets unfrozen, Mike and I are just going to man the helm,” he said.
Going Well: Water Report
Public Works Supervisor J.J. Carrizal reported the village is currently running at roughly 5% water loss for February, well below the national average of 16%. The village produced approximately 4.3 million gallons and sold 4.1 million.
The number is a meaningful improvement from earlier this year, when the village was dealing with what Carrizal called “the big one” — a massive leak on Columbine Blvd. that was losing an estimated 2.5 million gallons per month before it was found and repaired in early February.
Garbage Collection Rates
The council unanimously approved two rate adjustments for waste collection services.
The first: a contractually allowed 2.4% increase, raising the collection haul rate from $17.36 to $17.88, effective July 1 through the Southwest Disposal contract.
The second was a correction years in the making. Village Clerk Jini Turri explained that Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based rate increases were approved by the council in both July 2024 and July 2025 — but were never entered into the billing software.
The village has been absorbing the gap ever since, paying additional haul rates from the general fund.
Trustee Matt Willett asked: will residents be billed retroactively? “No,” Turri confirmed. “They do not pay in arrears.” The unanimously approved 7% increase should take effect with the May billing cycle, once the software is updated.
Fiscal Compliance Resolution
The council unanimously approved Resolution 2026-11, formally addressing a corrective action plan required by the state Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).
The problems are not new. The FY2024 independent audit — presented to the council last November — found significant deficiencies in bank reconciliations, accounts payable, and segregation of duties, along with a missing capital asset list and material weakness in accounting records. Those findings bridged the administrations of both former Mayor Turner and Mayor Denney.
Turri told the council that the DFA has since released the special conditions, satisfied with the village’s corrective plan.
Turri was candid about the workload ahead. “These requirements fall on my shoulders right now,” she said. She and Finance Director Sylvia Hall are working through the backlog together, with support from contractors Karen Gutierrez, Judi Starkovich, and DFA budget analyst Bryce Brock.
Turri said she would eventually request hiring a deputy clerk — but not yet. “With where we are in two budget cycles, there’s not enough time for me to train (them).” She said her priority is getting the books current so that fiscal year 2026-27 “looks a lot better.”
Fire
The Lincoln National Forest recently raised its fire danger rating to “High” across all three ranger districts, effective March 16.
The council authorized Mayor Dusty Wiley to implement or adjust fire restrictions throughout fire season without requiring a council vote each time. During his meeting report, Fire Chief Erich Wuersching said he coordinates closely with the Forest Service, State Forestry, Otero County, and neighboring communities. “When it comes time to implement fire restriction, we try to do it about the same time,” he said.
Wiley later told the Reader he’ll defer to Wuersching’s guidance on timing restrictions.
Other Actions
Trustees Matt Willett, Keith Hamilton, Gail McCoy, and Danny Hardwick all unanimously voted to approve:
A preliminary engineering report contract with CDM Smith for a wastewater treatment plant master plan at $92,680, funded by an existing grant.
An application for a Clean and Beautiful grant, submitted on the village’s behalf by local artist and Burro Avenue business owner Samantha Odom.
A special use permit for Andy Anderson to sell chainsaw carvings near Cloud 9000 Coffee and Fernando’s Burritos.
Authorizing the submission of an NMDOT Transportation Project Fund application for paving roads.
A variance for a property at 1521 Rainmaker, consistent with a 10-foot rear yard setback granted to the same property under a previous owner in 2015.
Wiley confirmed that the next council meeting is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 24, along with two public hearings on Planning and Zoning matters.
See you there.
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