Estancia trustees issued no-confidence vote against mayor, tabled budget items, and imposed fireworks restrictions

ESTANCIA — The Estancia Board of Trustees held a special meeting on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, opening with extended public comment, followed by an executive session, and then a meeting that included a vote of no-confidence regarding Mayor Runnel Riley, the town's retention of a law firm, a fireworks ban tied to ongoing drought conditions and the town's water shortage, and approved the town's infrastructure funding priorities for 2028 through 2032.

The meeting followed an emergency meeting on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at which the board declared a local water emergency, albeit based on inaccurate data.

A legal procedural issue: notice described June 30 event as a meeting; mayor pro tem identified it as a "public hearing"

The Town of Estancia's public notice for the June 30, 2026, event described it as a meeting. During the June 25 and June 30 meetings, Mayor Pro Tem Albert Lovato referred to it repeatedly — six times — as "this public hearing," instructing attendees to "concentrate on what the public hearing is for."

The distinction is not merely semantic. Under New Mexico law, a "public hearing" can carry specific procedural requirements — including sworn testimony and formal evidentiary standards — depending on the statute or ordinance under which it is convened. The record does not reflect that any such procedure was followed, nor does it reflect the mayor pro tem's intent in saying it was a public hearing.

Public comment included criticism of the mayor's absence

Ben Bosma, a resident and former municipal public works employee, said the vote of no confidence would not remove Riley from office and cautioned trustees against treating it as a resolution to the underlying problem. He also renewed criticism of the water data presented at Thursday's emergency meeting, telling trustees that town officials cited a consumption figure derived from a 2012 engineering model rather than current billing data, and that actual usage was more than double what was presented.

Cruzita Zamora, an Estancia resident and business owner, said she had been unable to resolve a sewer and easement issue on her Main Street property since February 2026. Zamora said Riley repeatedly missed their scheduled meetings without notice, delaying resolution of the issue.

Torrance County Deputy Manager Michelle Jones (a former Estancia town clerk) and Estancia Fire Chief Chris Wolonsky also called for Riley's resignation. Jones said elections "have consequences." Wolonsky cited his own administrative leave he said was imposed without cause or justification. Wolonsky also noted that Riley had placed other first responders on administrative leave without justification.

Representative Stefani Lord told trustees she had not received a returned phone call from Riley since January, despite ongoing state-level efforts to secure funding for Estancia's water infrastructure, including work to expedite Water Trust Board funding for a new well. Lord said Riley's unresponsiveness during the funding process, combined with his absence during the water emergency, led her to conclude he had abandoned the office.

The Mountainair Dispatch asked Mayor Pro Tem Albert Lovato why the 2012 water-consumption data was presented as the operative figure for the June 25, 2026, emergency declaration, rather than current usage data. Trustee Martin Lucero interjected, saying he provided that data as part of using a 2020 preliminary engineering report, though this does not address why the current data was not used. Mountainair Dispatch also asked what commercial entity consumed the most water for the town of Estancia. Lovato answered that CoreCivic did. Asked how much of the town's largest water-use category - the 85.5 percent of consumption attributed to commercial customers, which includes the CoreCivic-operated Torrance County Detention Facility - was drawn by CoreCivic specifically, Lovato said he did not have that figure on hand. Lovato said that the meeting was not for water questions, a contradiction of what Lovato claimed at the June 25, 2026, emergency meeting. At that meeting, Lovato said regarding questions concerning the town's water crisis,

Real quick, so before we get started, I would like to just remind everybody that I know that there's not public comments on here [the agenda], but we will take questions after we're done speaking about this possible resolution that we're going to be discussing, but also next week, next Tuesday, we will have a public hearing, and that is for the public. Ask any questions about anything you want, but also what's on the agenda.
Albert Lovato, June 25, 2026 (emphasis added)

In accordance with Lovato's request on June 30, 2026, the Mountainair Dispatch limited its questioning to the Riley matter and asked what accounted for the delay between Riley's initial notice of leave and the board's determination that Riley had abandoned his post.

Lovato said he could not provide an explanation for the delay. The Mountainair Dispatch also sought to ask trustees whether Riley had received notice of, or an opportunity to respond to, the board's abandonment determination before the vote of no confidence. Lovato ended the Dispatch's questioning before that line of inquiry could be pursued.

While the Town of Estancia's clerk, Veronica Navarrette, has refused to turn over Riley's email regarding his leave of absence, it is believed his email was submitted on April 27, 2026. The leave of absence was first mentioned on the record by Mayor Pro Tem Lovato on May 4, 2026.

Board formally votes no confidence in Riley following executive session

Following public comment, trustees formally opened the meeting, approved the agenda and the June 18, 2026, special meeting minutes, and then voted to enter executive session. After executive session, Trustee Amy May then made a motion for a formal vote of no confidence in Riley, directing legal counsel present on behalf of Stelzner, Winter, Warburton, Flores & Dawes, PA (the trustees did not identify the lawyer by name during the meeting) to review relevant statutes and brief the board of trustees on her findings regarding removal of Riley at the board's next meeting on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. The motion passed unanimously.

Trustees separately approved a general counsel services contract with Stelzner, Winter, Warburton, Flores & Dawes, P.A. (also known as Stelzner Law). Martin Lucero noted that the board had already approved a request for proposals for legal counsel prior to the meeting, and that Tuesday's vote was a formality. The Estancia Board of Trustees has not had standing municipal counsel this year prior to this vote; in past matters, board members said they relied on legal advice obtained from employees of the New Mexico Municipal League.

Trustees adopt temporary fireworks ban, cite drought conditions

Trustees approved Resolution 2026-023, prohibiting individual use of fireworks within town limits without written authorization from the town, its fire chief, fire marshal, or town marshal. The resolution does not affect Estancia's planned Fourth of July celebration, scheduled to take place at the municipal baseball field.

Trustee Martin Lucero raised concerns about the enforcement of fireworks laws against unofficial fireworks displays, noting the town's volunteer fire department would be responsible for both lighting any authorized display and responding to any fires the display might cause. Estancia Police Chief Tom Carter told the board he could support enforcing the laws in principle, but wanted the trustees to confirm the town's existing ordinances contained enforceable penalty provisions before he would direct law enforcement officers to take action. The trustees did not do so. Deputy Clerk Roy Hubbard said he would review the town's ordinances the following morning for enforcement provisions.

The unnamed attorney told trustees similar bans had been adopted broadly across New Mexico jurisdictions in recent weeks under drought-related authority, typically for 30-day periods. New Mexico's Fireworks Licensing and Safety Act generally limits municipal authority to regulate certain types of fireworks, except for restricted sale and use during extreme or severe drought conditions. The attorney said enforcement would likely fall to the Torrance County Sheriff's Office following Carter's statement.

ICIP priority list approved for 2028-2032

Trustees also approved Resolution 2026-024, adopting the town's Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP) priority list for fiscal years 2028 through 2032, largely unchanged from the prior year's list. Deputy Clerk Hubbard told the board he had not had time to complete a revised ICIP priority list.

Trustee Amy May stated that water distribution system and wastewater treatment plant improvements remain lower on the list, at seventh and eighth of eleven priorities, because the state Water Trust Board has become the primary funding source for water infrastructure projects.

Water emergency update: CoreCivic use suspended, restart plan expected next week

Earlier in the meeting, Lovato told trustees that CoreCivic's water use had been fully suspended as part of ongoing conservation measures, alongside continued restrictions on the town pool and pond. He said that Hubbard, Trustee May, and he met with Torrance County officials on Monday to begin planning a phased approach to restoring water use.