Trinidad Council Approves $79.6M Budget and Preserves Lodging Board

Trinidad city leaders closed 2025 by adopting a comprehensive 2026 appropriation that covers multiple municipal funds and maintains operations across utilities and services. The $79,636,075 budget includes allocations for General, Power & Light, Water, Gas, Sewer, Economic Development, Capital Projects, Lottery, and Tourism funds. City officials emphasized the need to balance fiscal priorities while keeping essential services functioning for residents and businesses.

Council members also defeated a proposed ordinance that would have dissolved the Lodging Tax Advisory Board and shifted lodging-tax oversight entirely to city staff. The ordinance failed on a 3-2 vote, leaving the advisory board intact and preserving a citizen role in tourism funding and marketing decisions. That outcome reflects sustained public interest and concern about how lodging tax revenues are governed following changes to the tax last year.

Several operational items cleared the agenda. The council appointed Renee Monohan to the library advisory board, ensuring continued oversight of library services. In a low-cost acquisition intended to secure future public use, the city purchased 4.5 acres of unplatted land behind Trinidad Plaza for $10 to reserve space for infrastructure or recreational projects. Council members also approved a 15-year water lease of 0.42 acre-feet for a proposed restaurant, RV and cabin development; the lease includes a 3 percent annual increase clause.

A previously approved lease with Torres Trout Hatchery was rescinded after the applicant declined to sign, removing an anticipated arrangement for hatchery operations from the council's active projects. The practical effect for hatchery stakeholders and nearby anglers will depend on whether interested parties return with revised terms.

Several major development and land-sale decisions were tabled for additional review and will return to the council at a January 6 meeting. Those items include a potential sale of industrial park land to Pilot Travel Centers and a workforce housing agreement tied to the Holy Trinity Project. The council also postponed renewal of the city’s tourism marketing agreement to allow further legal review, delaying decisions on how Trinidad will promote itself to visitors next season.

The meeting concluded with farewells to outgoing council members and Mayor Griego, who marked eight years in office. The combination of leadership change, close votes and delayed decisions signals a transitional moment for Trinidad. Residents can expect renewed attention in early January on the Pilot proposal, workforce housing negotiations and the tourism marketing contract as the council seeks to reconcile economic development ambitions with demands for transparency and community input.