Los Lunas council agenda includes DECA recognition, zoning hearing, NMDOT funding

The Los Lunas council will face a meeting agenda that mixes school pride with decisions that could shape where the village grows and how it pays for roads. Posted April 30 at 2:27 p.m., the May 7 agenda includes recognition of the Los Lunas High School DECA chapter, a public hearing and consideration of a zone map amendment for 976 Los Lentes Road NE, participation in capital outlay administered by the New Mexico Department of Transportation, and a request tied to code enforcement and animal control records destruction.

The DECA recognition will give village leaders a chance to spotlight a program that has quickly become one of Los Lunas High School’s most visible success stories. The chapter was the school’s first-ever DECA cohort, launched after business teacher Rick Cole returned to the district in 2023 to revive the business program. In June 2025, the chapter sent 78 students to the state DECA conference, where 27 were finalists and seven finished in the top three, a record that helps explain why the council is moving to publicly honor the group.

The zoning hearing is likely to draw the closest attention from residents watching development along Los Lentes. A Planning and Zoning Commission agenda dated April 15, 2026 identified the applicant as A.G. Services, acting agent for Duke City Property Investments, Inc., and said the request sought to change the 0.94-acre tract at the corner of Los Lentes Rd NE and Cinder Ln NE from A-R to R-1. The stated purpose was to allow single-family residential dwellings. In a village where land-use calls can influence traffic, neighborhood character, and future housing patterns, the council’s action on that parcel will matter beyond a single lot.

The capital-outlay item points to another practical pressure: securing outside money for infrastructure. The council had already been dealing with road costs that rose sharply after delays and changes, with a March 2026 report saying the original budget for those projects was a little less than $2 million and had climbed to nearly $3.5 million. That same report said the MAP funding tied to N.M. 6 and N.M. 263 was set to expire in June unless extended, making state-administered dollars especially important for Los Lunas as it tries to keep projects moving.

The agenda also includes routine records destruction for code enforcement and animal control files, a reminder that local government work is not only about big projects. The village says its Planning Division handles zone changes, conditional and designated uses, variances and subdivisions, while its 2040 Comprehensive Plan says growth is inevitable and calls for zoning, infill development, transportation planning and public-private partnerships. Against that backdrop, the May 7 meeting will show how Los Lunas is balancing immediate administrative business with the land-use and infrastructure choices that will shape the village’s next phase.