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Alamogordo City Commission to Consider Subdivision Overhaul, Airport Fee Hikes at Tuesday Meeting

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Alamogordo City Commission to Consider Subdivision Overhaul, Airport Fee Hikes at Tuesday Meeting

The Alamogordo City Commission convenes tonight for its regular meeting, with commissioners set to take up a rewrite of the city’s subdivision regulations, a new rate schedule for the Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport, and the dissolution of a decades-old senior volunteer advisory council.

The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Donald E. Carroll City Commission Chambers at City Hall, 1376 E. Ninth Street. Mayor Sharon McDonald will preside, joined by Mayor Pro-Tem Joshua Rardin and Commissioners Baxter Pattillo, Stephen Burnett, Warren Robinson, Al Hernandez and Mark Tapley.

Tonight’s Agenda at a Glance

Following roll call, an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, approval of the agenda, the city manager’s report and a public comment period, commissioners will take up eight items:

Consent Agenda

1. Approve minutes of the June 23, 2026 regular meeting.

2. Approve statements related to the executive closed session held June 23, 2026.

3. Resolution 2026-24, dissolving the Senior Volunteer Programs Advisory Council. (Roll call vote required)

4. Resolution 2026-25, accepting a $325,000 Municipal Arterial Program cooperative agreement with NMDOT for 1st Street rehabilitation. (Roll call vote required)

5. Grant funding of $565,246 from the Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging for senior programs.

6. A $44,161 agreement with the New Mexico Economic Development District’s Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging for the Nutrition Service Incentive Program.

Unfinished Business

7. Ordinance 1724, for adoption and final publication, repealing Chapter 22 (Subdivision Requirements) and adopting updated subdivision regulations in Chapter 20, the Land Development Code. (Roll call vote required)

New Business

8. Resolution 2026-21, approving the FY 2027 Rates & Fees Document at the Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport. (Roll call vote required)

The meeting will then close with adjournment. Below is a closer look at the items expected to draw the most discussion.

Consent Agenda

Six items are slated for the consent agenda, where they are typically approved together without individual discussion unless a commissioner asks to pull one out. They include approval of minutes from the June 23 regular meeting and related executive session statements, along with several funding items:

• A resolution dissolving the Senior Volunteer Programs Advisory Council, a body created in 1993 to oversee the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, Foster Grandparent Program and Senior Companion Program. City staff say volunteer participation has declined steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic, along with state funding tied to service levels, prompting the city to end its Senior Volunteer Program contract with the New Mexico Aging & Long-Term Services Department effective June 30.

• A $325,000 cooperative agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to help fund rehabilitation of a portion of 1st Street, with the state covering $243,750 and the city contributing $81,250.

• Roughly $565,000 in grant funding from the Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging to support senior programs in fiscal year 2027.

• A $44,161 agreement with the New Mexico Economic Development District’s Non-Metro Area Agency on Aging for a Nutrition Service Incentive Program, which funds congregate and home-delivered meals using U.S.-grown food.

Unfinished Business: Subdivision Code Rewrite

Commissioners are expected to give final approval to Ordinance 1724, which would repeal Chapter 22 of the city’s subdivision requirements and replace it with an updated set of subdivision regulations housed in Chapter 20, the city’s Land Development Code. The ordinance, brought forward by Community Development Director Shelley Dowhanik-Baron with planning firm Bohannan Huston, requires a roll call vote for adoption.

New Business: Airport Rate Increases

The commission will also consider Resolution 2026-21, which would approve the fiscal year 2027 rates and fees document for the Alamogordo-White Sands Regional Airport. Airport Manager Troy Orr’s staff report says the Airport Advisory Board reviewed the proposal in April and recommends raising leased-land rates by 2.7%, in line with federal Consumer Price Index data, and increasing commercial landing fees to 40 cents per 1,000 pounds per aircraft landing. City ordinance requires the commission’s annual sign-off on airport rates.

Fallout from Last Meeting Still Fresh

Tonight’s session follows a contentious June 23 meeting in which commissioners voted 5-2 to approve a city manager employment agreement with Robert Stockwell, ending a monthslong, largely closed-door search process. Mayor McDonald and Commissioner Robinson cast the dissenting votes, both saying their objection centered on the process rather than Stockwell’s qualifications. Commissioner Pattillo, who led the effort, told the commission he had been in informal talks with Stockwell since July 2025 and that the city charter does not require a formal application process for hiring a city manager — only a vote of four commissioners. In addition last meeting had a heated exchange between former Mayor Susan Payne and Commissioner Josh Rardin where Rardin singled out Payne on a payment issue, and Rardin claimed investigative reports would never be released though Payne encouraged IPRA requests to have them released. She alluded that at least one of those investigations implicated Rardin negatively. Rardin claimed they will never be released. Multiple IPRA’s have been filed concerning their release and a threat of more litigation could result in their failed release. 

At that same meeting, the commission also adopted its Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan for fiscal years 2028-2032, identifying the top five capital projects for state submission, and approved a $83,068 change order for new apparatus bay doors on a fire station construction project, over Commissioner Hernandez’s objection.

As always, the meeting opens with a public comment period; residents wishing to address the commission must sign up in advance of the start time with the City Clerk and are generally given three minutes to speak. The full agenda packet is posted on the city’s website, ci.alamogordo.nm.us.

More News from Alamogordo

3 responses

  1. ALMCitywatcher Avatar
    ALMCitywatcher

    2nd Lufe, it IS agreed by me that there is more than one method to ensure the City Manager gives priority to the City Commission requests concerning City Hall processes.

    However the proper way is by compliance with the City Charter and the terms and conditions there-in. THE City Charter and the by-laws that go with it are intended to be the ultimate authority in the interactions of business in our City Hall.

    What makes it a unique document on behalf of the people is the fact it can be amended if the people approve the specific amendment by referendum.

    Only the City Charter focuses on the representation of the people this way. So if the City Charter is thought to be INcorrect on any issue, then it cannot be left in an incorrect state. It must be amended to resolve the issue, and that amendment must be accepted by the people through referendum.

    If it is not accepted by vote of the people then it must be modified to be acceptable OR NOT PASSED. ONE OR THE OTHER.

    The intentions of the City Charter are that is must be complied with or it must be amended and approved by the people in that regard.

    The Amendment process is also a part of the City Charter.

    Right now the City Charter states, among other things, that the City Manager and the City Commission both work for the People.

    IT DOES NOT state the City Manager works for the City Commission who works for the People. That would provide an uncountable number of Conflicts of Interests involving the City Commission if it were the case. WE HAVE LEARNED THIS LESSON THE HARD WAY, HAVEN’T WE?

    THE CITY CHARTER MUST BE RESTORED TO BE THE GUIDING DOCUMENT FOR OUR CITY HALL TO COMPLY WITH.

    ALAMOGORDO DOES NOT HAVE A “CITY MANAGEMENT COMMISSION” FORM OF GOVERNMENT AND IT IS NOT INTENDED TO. THE CHARTER DOES NOT PROVIDE FOR THAT TYPE OF GOVERNMENT FOR US.

    Reply
  2. ALMCitywatcher Avatar
    ALMCitywatcher

    The Mayor-at-Large needs to regain control as the citywide elected leader of the Commission. She has the responsibility to do this as soon as possible as the leader of the Commission that represents the people of the City. There are too many hidden agendas being sourced within the Commission and they are affecting the Commission meetings. This on turned out to clearly indicate pure apathy on behalf of all of the City Commissioners except for the Mayor-at-Large who at least asked for comments. There were none, zero, in response to this question. In fact, the Commissioners did not even offer support to the Mayor-at-Large.

    I suggest she regain control by using the City Charter. That is one of the reasons it exists, which is to provide guidance concerning City government interactions in City Hall. Considering that we now have a City Manager on seat (regardless of the questionable way the process was completed) I recommend the Mayor-at-Large take the following steps:

    Write a Letter to the City Manager copied to the City Clerk and Human Resources to amend the Contract for the City Manager to have the City Charter attached to it.

    The letter to the City Manager should contain the following items:
    1) This is an amendment to the City Manager Contract that informs the City Manager he is to comply with the City Charter in all matters and including the Charter listing of his job responsibilities.

    2) Reason for this amendment is to clarify that if there is any doubt at all in what the City Manager duties are, the City Charter should be the first document consulted for official guidance.

    3) The City Commission will be copied with this Amendment to your Contract, which now has the City Charter attached to it.

    4) This Amendment Cover Letter should be signed by the Mayor-at-Large and the following Concurrences of Agreement.

    a) City Commissioner District 1. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    b) City Commissioner District 2. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    c) City Commissioner District 3. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    d) City Commissioner District 4. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    e) City Commissioner District 5. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by
    initials.
    f) City Commissioner District 6. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    g) City Commissioner District 7. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    h) City Clerk. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED by initials.
    I) Department Head, Human Resources. Signed: Accepted by signature OR NOT ACCEPTED
    by initials.
    j) Office of the Assistant City Manager for information purposes when filled.

    While the City Charter authorizes approval for this Contract Amendment to be well within the Delegation of Authority for the Mayor at Large, this Amendment is sufficiently important to merit unanimous support from everyone involved and directly confirm the understanding of the City Charter by the City Manager.

    A copy of the signed or initialed final Amendment Letter should be copied to the Office of the City Attorney for reference and opinion when the position is filled, and to the Attorney General in Santa Fe for information and for opinion responses.

    While the City Manager should already be aware of his responsibilities to the people of Alamogordo by way of the City Charter, this provides him with documented proof for understanding his obligations, and the Contract related rights, he is provided under the City Charter. if possible I request to be provided with a personal “Citizens Copy” of the Amendment to include the transmittal letter to the Attorney General.

    Mayor, according to 2nd Life, the District Court in Grants has recently processed a case there that was decided by this statement: The City must comply with the City Charter. This solution does exactly that and will be the first step toward informing the City Manager and City Commissioners that the City intends to, and is, doing so in all City Hall offices.
    Ted Morgan

    Reply
  3. ALMCitywatcher Avatar
    ALMCitywatcher

    Can 2nd Life always supply the link to the youtube meeting video? This one especially because it shows some serious disdain for the public through an apathetic Commission meeting.

    Reply

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