Community meeting discusses Santa Teresa incorporation efforts
The tight-knit community of Santa Teresa is trying to fend off annexation by nearby Sunland Park.
There was overwhelming support by residents at a community meeting Monday night who want to incorporate what’s being called the Village of Santa Teresa. A petition has already been prepared and registered voters who live in the proposed boundaries will be asked to sign it early in December.
The committee that held the meeting says boundaries would be west of McNutt Road, south of the northern edge of the Santa Teresa Airport, east of the western edge of the industrial park and north of New Mexico State Highway 9.
An organization calling itself “the provisional government of Santa Teresa” has begun taking monetary contributions. Members of the committee say funds will be used to hire attorneys in case Sunland Park fights their incorporation efforts in court.
Santa Teresa residents who attended the community meeting made it very clear they do not want to be annexed by their neighbors to the south. One man who’s lived in Santa Teresa for 25 years says he’s for the incorporation initiative, but only if that means his property taxes won’t increase.
“All my neighbors and everybody, they don’t want Sunland Park involved,” Neil Foley said. “They either want to incorporate, leave Sunland Park out of it or just leave us alone … and I don’t know if they can just leave us alone.”
People abc-7 spoke with said they’re also concerned about the condition of Santa Teresa’s roads, some of which are privately owned. A community leader told residents that if they do incorporate, one of their first priorities should be to take ownership of those privately owned roads so that the state and county can begin investing in that infrastructure.
