Los Lunas weighs interchange funding, road grants, and staffing hires

Los Lunas is moving to close the financing gap on the I-25 Interchange and East/West Corridor Phase I project, a step that could shape how traffic moves in and out of town and what residents see next around one of the village’s most important corridors. The council packet included a public hearing and ordinance discussion tied to a loan agreement with the New Mexico Department of Transportation to finish funding the work.

That road package was paired with two more funding items that signal where the village’s immediate pressure points are. Los Lunas also put forward resolutions for the 2026/2027 Municipal Arterial Program and the 2026/2027 Local Government Road Fund, both of which point to street and infrastructure needs beyond the interchange itself. For residents, that means the village is not just talking about one signature project, but also about the broader road network that carries daily traffic, school runs, deliveries and emergency response.

Staffing needs were part of the same discussion. The meeting packet called for an executive session to discuss hiring two firefighters/EMT, a park ranger II, summer recreation college aides, summer recreation high school aides and summer youth employment participants. That list shows the village is trying to keep core services staffed before the busiest months arrive, especially in public safety and recreation. If those positions are filled, the first residents to feel it will likely be families using parks and programs, and anyone who depends on faster emergency response.

The village’s budget calendar adds to that picture. Mayor and council budget workshops were held on April 14 and April 16, placing Los Lunas squarely in the next fiscal planning cycle. In nearby Belen, the City Council was set to consider a resolution for fiscal year 2026 budget adjustments on April 20. Peralta Town Hall was scheduled to meet on April 21, and the Los Lunas Board of Education had hearings and budget presentations set for April 20 and April 21 as it prepared for its 2026-27 budget. Those dates matter because they show how quickly local governments are lining up spending decisions, staffing plans and capital projects for the year ahead.

Elsewhere in the county, the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District’s April 16 agenda included a possible fiscal year 2027 quarter-mil levy rate, planning for a summer conservation camp at Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area, a recommendation for the East Valencia Urban Gardens program and discussion of a district manager opening. Taken together, the county’s public agendas show a spring season defined by roads, staffing and land stewardship, with money and personnel now moving to the center of the decisions.