Mountainair Council Approves Backlogged Expense Reports, Prepares to Use Rodeo and Community Center Grants

The Mountainair Town Council met for a regular session on November 18, 2025, at the Council Chambers, opening with a moment of silence requested by Mayor Peter Nieto in memory of community member Isabel Marquez, who recently passed away.

A significant portion of the brief meeting focused on catching up on three months of expense-report approvals. Mayor Nieto explained that the town had fallen behind due to staff turnover and the steep learning curve of the municipal financial software suite provided by Tyler Technologies. The system is widely used in Torrance County, and both Mountainair and the county have reported ongoing challenges with its complexity and software problems.

Council reviewed expense reports for August, September, and October 2025. Town Clerk Mary Zamora said Treasury Clerk Lori Archuleta had recently demonstrated how to generate a detailed, non-editable report directly from the Tyler system, a more accurate alternative to the condensed Excel summaries typically provided to council. The detailed report will be emailed to councilors going forward and, Zamora noted, will also begin appearing online as part of the town’s public meeting packets. The town organizes public meeting agendas, minutes, and other records in the municipal website’s “Documents” section.

After correcting errors and discussing several line items that will require follow-up explanations, Councilor Annette Padilla moved to approve the corrected expense reports, with Councilor Richard Torres seconding. The motion passed unanimously.

The council then turned to capital funding. Mayor Nieto announced that Mountainair has received $100,000 for improvements at the rodeo grounds and another $100,000 for replacing the HVAC system at the Dr. Saul Community Center. One HVAC quote has already come in at around $86,000, but procurement rules require the town to obtain three comparable quotes before awarding a contract. A budget adjustment resolution (“BAR”) to formally add the funds to the town’s budget will be introduced at the next council meeting.

Red Kingston, who oversees activities at the rodeo grounds, outlined his initial plans for the $100,000 rodeo allocation. He hopes to purchase a new tractor in the 80–100 horsepower range, a specialized arena plow for ground maintenance, and a CONEX-style storage container for banners and equipment. Kingston said he is gathering updated quotes. He also noted that the tractor could be made available for other municipal uses, provided that rodeo events have first priority.

Mayor Nieto used the discussion to clarify procurement requirements. Large purchases must include at least three “apples-to-apples” quotes for the same model from different vendors. Vendors can be compared on warranty, features, and suitability—not just price—and the town is not obligated to choose the lowest bidder. If a particular piece of equipment is only manufactured by one company, staff may document that fact to satisfy procurement rules.

The council also discussed whether grant-funded equipment must be new or whether lightly used machinery is allowed. Zamora said some grants specify new equipment only, pointing to the Dr. Saul Community Center HVAC funds as an example. She plans to verify the wording of the rodeo grant once the town receives its final documents.

With no further business, Mayor Nieto adjourned the meeting. The next regular Town Council meeting is scheduled for December 2, 2025.