The Raton City Commission in a 3 – 2 vote, turned down a resolution that would have declared a temporary one year moratorium on the issuance of a business license and zoning approvals for any Data Centers that might want to come to Raton.
The moratorium would have been put in effect pending the adoption of an ordinance that the commission is working through that would regulate Data Center operations.
In voting against the resolution, Commissioner Dan Campbell explained his reasoning that Raton, unlike most other municipalities, owns its own utilities and that both the RPS and Raton Water Works (RWW) already have safeguards in place, plus Raton doesn’t have the power generating capabilities necessary anyway and our surface water situation, as opposed to groundwater, is another limiting factor that would discourage possible future centers. Campbell concluded his remarks by saying he did not see any advantage of being the first entity in the state to pass a moratorium resolution.
Mayor Pro-Tem Mark Honeyfield, also voted no and said he was nervous about several aspects of the resolution, including the status of Data Centers already in place such as the Century Link facility on 4th and Cook Ave and without a legal review he could not support the resolution.
Commissioners Linde’ Schuster and Sally Hoger moved and seconded supporting the resolution. Schuster said data centers are very much up in the air in the entire country and until we can get an educated understanding and an ordinance in place, this moratorium would give the community handrails to hang onto to provide a calmer feeling in the community until the ordinance takes effect. She felt it was a common sense move and shows to investors that we care about the community.
Hoger said the moratorium would protect us while the long process of drafting the ordinance takes place and we could also see where the state legislation is headed. She also asked, “Why not? It’s not binding and we could rescind it if we need to.”
Mayor Lori Chatterley also voted no and said that in addition to the stops of RPS and RWW regulations, the NM Environment Dept. also has an incredible amount of oversight and strong stipulations in place for any proposed businesses of this type. She stated the ordinance would actually be the best way to regulate and there is currently no project or proposal in the works and we’re already 8 months into it because of the earlier MOU with Atterix.
Prior to the Commission’s vote, during the Public Comment section of the meeting, Kimberly Burke submitted a petition with 477 qualifying signatures of Raton residents opposing any Data Centers.
In other action, the Commission had a public hearing before unanimously passing an ordinance that amended both Chapter 115 Business registration and license fees and Chapter 156 Zoning which established guidelines and fees for short-term rentals (30 days or less) within the City. The ordinance sets the framework for collection of City’s Lodgers Tax and gets the city aligned with state regulations.
The commission also unanimously approved an Encroachment Agreement between the City and property owned by Gilbert and Shelly Padilla at 333 East Cook Avenue. The property was the old Mel Mar and then Elite Sporting Goods and the Padilla’s are going to put in a laundromat, but the building was found to be encroaching in the alley on City property. The finding has delayed the project by some three months and finally is set to move forward with the City’s Agreement.
The City also approved an estimate from Mosark, LLC for $29,041 for 8 air handling units in the Raton Convention Center that will allow the facilities heaters to work properly.
The City’s Budget, along with RPS and RWW were given final approval by the Dept of Finance and Administration, pending submitting a final audit of 2025.
City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci also submitted the August 2026 Financial Reports for approval and noted that Lodger’s Tax collections were down almost 3.5 percent and it was hoped the passage of the ordinance concerning short-term rentals earlier in the night would help bolster that fund and might be included in the collections of December or January of next year.
Public Works Director Jason Phillips gave some background on the Outdoor Recreation Trails+ Grant application with a total project cost of $499,000 of which the City would match $163,333. The original grant was awarded for the underground pedestrain tunnel on First Street, but when that project was found undoable, it was pivoted to Climax Canyon. If awarded, this grant would include 5 miles of trails and widening of some of them to include mountain biking.
In his report, City Manager Neil Segotta, reported that the infrastructure street work on Second Street should be completed by the end of October. Work on the Animal Shelter should be completed by Thanksgiving. The counter top upgrade at City Hall will start soon and should be completed by the end of the month and an audio upgrade for the commission chambers. The demo of the Spanish Bungalow building does not have a set start date yet, but may be moved back to next spring. The Picuris Casino project is still in the works and the Pueblo seems to be in support of the project moving forward.
In other business, the event form for the Safe Trick-Or-Treat was approved for Raton MainStreet on October 31, and the City disposed of a salvaged ambulance and an old hydraulic lift and a vacuum from the Aquatic Center.
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