The Raton City Commission met for the first time in 2026 and had a different look with two newly elected members, Dan Campbell and Sally Hoger assuming their new duties in a special session on Tuesday, January 6.
The first item of business was the re-organization of the Commission and Lori Chatterley was elected as the Mayor of Raton with Mark Honeyfield chosen by the Commission as Mayor Pro-Tem. Most of the board assignments remain the same with Dan Campbell being appointed to the RPS board and Mark Honeyfield taking on the financial board appointment and the water board. Sally Hoger will be on the Senior Citizen’s board and the Library board.
A public hearing on an ordinance amending the Raton Code of Ordinances to update general traffic and parking regulations was adopted as the State of New Mexico has stipulated municipalities must conform with the updated 2025 Uniform Traffic Ordinance (UTO) and itself updates the 2010 UTO.
The Commission denied an appeal by resident Stephen Draper for property located at 1521 Cedar Street. Draper had earlier requested permission and been denied a permit to construct a covered porch over an existing mobile home. Code Enforcement Officer, Richard McGarry, told the Commission the trailer was out of compliance with zoning requirements and by law, no improvements or additions can be permitted.
The New Mexico Finance Authority (NMFA) Grant for $100,000 that was approved during last year’s NM legislative session for the Kearny Film School Project was finally received some 11 months later, and Acting City Manager, Jason Phillips said the money is earmarked to be used for construction and is another part of the equation for funding put together through multiple sources to try and get Kearny School Film Project fully constructed.
City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci went before the Commission with the November 2025 Financial Report which showed projected Gross Receipts Tax collection was almost 6 and 1/2% above what was projected, but both the gas tax and lodgers tax were down. The Gas Tax was almost seven percent off when compared to last year, and the Lodgers Tax collection was down some 8% which equated to some $25,000 and is of concern as the requests are starting to come in and will have to be watched carefully.
In other action: the Commission awarded the Municipal Airport Engineering Services contract to Molzen Corbin, continuing the services that the company has provided to the City for a number of years. Molzen Corbin was graded the highest of two proposals that were received; re-appointed Kathleen Hanson to the City’s Personnel Board; approved out-of-state travel for Commissioner Chatterley to attend the Ports-To-Plains meeting March 1 through 5; approved an addendum for the extension of the Raton Country Club liquor license lease agreement; approved the Open Meetings Resolution which stipulates the public meeting policies including public notice of meetings.
Raton’s current Public Works Director, Jason Phillips was formally appointed as acting City Manager following a closed executive session in which the Commission also decided to wait until a special meeting on January 12, to further discuss the search criteria for the City Manager’s position.
In his “State of the Union” report to the commission, Phillips announced that after almost four decades, the Raton Train Depot is back in the City’s hands and with the help of NM and Raton MainStreet, plans to restore/renovate the building are starting to take shape.
City Engineer Jaden Welch has helped procure hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants to help with electrical wiring upgrade at the Shuler and upgrades at the Animal Shelter.
Construction projects set to begin this year include the Railroad Avenue Bridge, rehabilitation of the North Underpass, South Second Street and chip sealing of some 50,000 square yards of roads that are “badly in need of repair”.
Phillips also announced Raton has received over $1 million for repair/upgrade on the walking trails at Roundhouse Park, including adding fitness equipment and to upgrade Bonahoom Field for adult softball. Phillips noted the grant was made possible because of help from Ann Theis and JR Alderette.
The NM 30 day legislative session gets underway on January 20 and nationally Raton’s congressional requests for funding for a I-25/27 realignment study, and a request for funding for the Raton Airport apron rehabilitation project have both been successfully passed out of committee and will go to the Senate floor.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Raton City Commission is set for Tuesday, January 27.
