Ruidoso Flood Video Interviews and Cloudcroft Village News
Reporter Jonny Coker checks in with Ruidoso Mayor Lynn Crawford and local citizens amid flooding issues. And, your Cloudcroft Village update in 8 bullet points.
By Jonny Coker
Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative
Ruidoso Flooding Update
Catastrophic flooding struck the mountaintop village of Ruidoso on July 8, 2025, after a downpour on burn scars left in the wake of two wildfires a year earlier.
The flooding destroyed homes and businesses along the Rio Ruidoso and killed two children and one man.
Village officials say the back-to-back disasters of 2024 and 2025 have been overwhelming.
And residents whose properties are in shambles question what's next.
Jonny Coker is a Multimedia Journalist with recent reporting for KRWG Public Media and the Southern New Mexico Journalism Collaborative. He has lived in Southern New Mexico for most of his life, growing up in Cloudcroft, and earning a degree in Journalism and Media Studies at New Mexico State University. He recently moved to Cloudcroft.
Village of Cloudcroft Last Week: 8 Takeaways
Money: The Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) approved the interim budget on a zero-balance basis—meaning budgeted expenditures equal budget revenues.
A zero balance basis ensures that, on paper, the Village's spending plans do not exceed its anticipated income, providing a stable, albeit potentially understated, financial starting point given the ongoing efforts to reconcile past financial records.
VoC-contracted reconciliation expert Judi Starkovich revealed that $1.1 million in bank drafts for vendor payments from fiscal year 2024 were not posted to the general ledger, and gross receipts tax calculations had been incorrect for the last five to six years. At present, the Village is still not able to produce an accurate balance sheet with confidence.
The council approved awarding a 4-year contract with High Water Mark to provide financial operational services, aiming to train the new Finance Director Sylvia Hall and improve financial procedures.
A public budget meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 24th, in the Village Chambers.Water Billing & Infrastructure: The Village acknowledged ongoing issues with water billing—like recent delays or double billing.
The council anticipates allocating funds for cellular water meter reads to help detect leaks and improve data collection, a long-term goal. Residents can also download the EyeOnWater app to monitor personal usage and detect leaks.Non-Federal Lands (NFL) Grant Wildfire Mitigation Kicks Off: According to Fire Chief Erich Wuersching, Cloudcroft became the “first government entity in New Mexico, and possibly the country,” to establish a per-lot rate for wildfire mitigation in wildland-urban interface areas.
Contractors were set to begin assessing properties that applied for the NFL grant last week, marking the boots-on-the-ground phase of this groundbreaking project.This article continues after a brief message. Thank you to our sponsor, High Altitude:
Library Reopens: The library is now open Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with plans to “open on Saturdays soon.”
Library Director Sandra Barr reported an average of 38 patrons daily since reopening. A relaunch event is scheduled for August 2nd, beginning at noon. The village recently received a $43,000 grant from the Rural Library program.
Village Pursues More Money: Grants Specialist Lauren Groesbeck announced that Cloudcroft successfully submitted its ICIP (Integrated Capital Improvements Plan) on July 10th.
The Village is still eligible for a $1.1 million Water Trust Board grant and is considering a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) without a match requirement this year. A public hearing for the CDBG will be held on Thursday, July 24th at 9:00 a.m. at the Village Chambers.
Proposed Wildlife Ordinance: Trustee Tabitha Foster brought up enacting an ordinance modeled after Ruidoso to prohibit feeding wildlife within village limits.
Aiming to protect animals and residents, Foster proposed requiring short-term rentals to post wildlife information cards.Proposed Parking & Short-Term Rental Ordinances: Discussions began on a new ordinance, particularly for short-term rentals (STRs), which would require all vehicles to park on private property, not public roads.
Foster cited accessibility for EMS, Fire, and snowplow clearance as necessitating such ordinances. Trustee Jim Maynard mentioned that no village parking ordinances currently exist.
Foster also proposed requiring STRs to display their physical addresses and the contact information of the property manager.Personnel Matters: Following a closed session, the council made a motion to discharge Village Clerk Jolene McTeigue, which unanimously passed. The council then moved to appoint newly-hired Utilities Clerk Ashley White as the interim clerk.
On Friday, July 18th, Mayor Tim King and Cloudcroft Chief of Police Rolando Hernandez confirmed to the Reader that Officer Chris Swanson was recently placed on paid administrative leave.
Mayor King and Chief Hernandez also confirmed that newly-hired Officer Daniel Sepulveda was relieved of his duties with the department.
Both King and Hernandez declined to comment on the reasons behind the decisions.
The Reader will continue to report on this story.
Don’t miss these upcoming Cloudcroft meetings:
Cloudcroft Schools Board of Education Tuesday, July 22nd, 6:00 p.m.
Community Development Block Grant Public Meeting Thursday, July 24th, 9:00 a.m.
Village Budget Meeting Thursday, July 24th, 10:00 a.m.
Planning and Zoning Tuesday, July 29th, 9:00 a.m.
Special Council Meeting Tuesday, July 29th, 6:00 p.m.
Parks and Rec Monday, August 4th, 6:00 p.m.
Planning and Zoning Wednesday, August 6th, 9:00 a.m.
Fire/EMS Meeting Wednesday, August 13th, 6:30 p.m.
Village Council Meeting Tuesday, August 19th, 6:00 p.m.
See you there.
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