Village Updates: Congressman Vasquez Visit, Advisory Boards and Commission Seats Open
Gabe Vasquez visits the Village Chambers for a round-table talk. Lodgers Tax, Library Board, and Planning and Zoning need members. Plus: Tuesday's Council meeting agenda.
On Thursday, July 10th, Congressman Gabe Vasquez and his staff visited the Cloudcroft Village Chambers after spending the morning and early afternoon in Ruidoso and Mescalero, following the recent catastrophic floods.
Mayor Tim King and Village Trustees Gail McCoy, Tabitha Foster, and Jim Maynard were in attendance, along with Chief of Police Rolando Hernandez, Fire Chief Erich Wuersching, new Village Finance Director Sylvia Hall, and Clerk Jolyn McTiegue.
The group openly discussed Cloudcroft’s needs. And, how to best secure the ears and pocketbooks of state and federal legislators.
Centering Mountain Needs
Fire danger, water systems, and forest relationships were the main topics of discussion, with the following concerns:
Fire danger, mitigation
Our outdated Wastewater Treatment Plant
Partnership with rotating federal forest personnel and supervisors
Water scarcity
Flood and erosion mitigation, especially for the Pumphouse and Toboggan Canyons
How to secure funding and get the village’s needs prioritized
Vasquez is one of the 64 Democratic congressional votes in favor of the Fix Our Forests Act.
According to a summary on the Congress website, the bill promises to establish requirements for managing forests on federal land, expedite the review of certain forest management projects, and implement forest management projects and other activities.
More about H.R.471, which passed the House in January of this year and has now moved to the Senate, from Congress.gov:
“The bill expedites the review of certain forest management projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and exempts certain activities from NEPA review.”
“It also establishes intra-agency strike teams to accelerate the review and any interagency consultation processes under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act of 1973, and the National Historic Preservation Act.”
“It also limits consultation requirements concerning threatened and endangered species under the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 and the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976. Finally, it limits litigation involving fireshed management projects and limits remedies that courts may provide.”
“Additionally, the bill supports reducing community wildfire risks, carrying out forest restoration and stewardship activities (including watershed protection and restoration), conducting biochar demonstration projects, advancing technologies to address forest wildfires, and assisting wildland firefighters and their families.”
Vasquez encouraged the council, if they support this bill, to craft a formal letter of support to share with our state and federal representatives.
Open Seats (By Appointment)
Citing health concerns, Chairman Karl Campbell announced his departure as chair of the Lodgers Tax Advisory Board (LTAB) at their meeting on Thursday, July 10th.
Campbell said that “following this meeting, I will remain an active board member through the conclusion of this fiscal year's grant cycle.”
The LTAB also has an open seat. Eligibility requirements are listed in the Village Code, which you can find online.
The Library Advisory Board (LAB) held its first meeting in the Village Chambers last week, where they’ll meet from now on.
Newly-hired Library Director Sandra Barr, Trustee Tabitha Foster, Mayor King, non-profit Friends of the Library (FOL) President Jon Brinkmann, and more were in attendance.
Discussions of a grand opening celebration, patronage (Barr announced an average of 38 patrons per day since reopening), village leasing agreements with FOL, and other matters took place with LAB Chair Andrika Ruiz at the helm.
The LAB has an open seat. Here are the requirements to serve on the board.
The Planning and Zoning Commission will appoint a new chair soon, and also has a vacant seat. Find out more about the commission online.
Interested parties can submit letters of interest to the Village Office, email Mayor King, or check the Village website's GIS dashboard for application details.
On the Agenda: Staffing, Spending
The Village Council meets on Tuesday, July 15th at 6:00 p.m. in the Village Chambers.
One notable item up for discussion and possible action by the council is a proposed four-year contract extension with High Water Mark, the financial triage consultants currently working with the village. The Agenda reads:
“Discussion/Possible Action- Approve contract with High Water Mark to provide the Village of Cloudcroft, New Mexico with financial/accounting support, capacity building, fiscal year end audit support and other related services deemed necessary. Commencing July 15, 2025, and terminating on July 15, 2029.
View the full agenda here:
Also on the docket: allocating the first round of Lodgers Tax funds, a budget update from contractors Karen Gutierrez and Judi Starkovich, the Cloudcroft Ice Rink, and more.
The Reader will see you there.
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