Valencia County Voters Approve Arroyo Flood District; Judge to Appoint Five

Valencia County voters approved the creation of the Valencia County Arroyo Flood Control District in November 2024, setting in motion a judicial appointment process and a sequence of organizational steps to turn the new political subdivision into an operational agency for arroyo flood mitigation.

Judge Cindy Mercer of the 13th Judicial District issued a call for applicants; nine residents applied and the judge was set to appoint five unpaid members from that pool. A court-appointed board existed in early 2025, and an organizational meeting notice was published for March 13, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Valencia County Administration Building, 444 Luna Avenue, Los Lunas. The district’s formation rests on the Flood Control District Act, NMSA 1978, Section 72-18-1 et seq., with county resolution language citing severe arroyo-related floods in 2019 and 2021 as justification.

A photograph credit identifies Danny Goodson, Mike Montoya, Brenda Hume, Charles Schick and Tyler Otero as the five directors who were sworn in; the caption describes Schick, Hume and Otero as the newest additions to the board in 2026. The official record supplied states, “The new board of directors for the Valencia County Arroyo Flood Control District met on Jan. 15 to select officers and determine the length of terms each member will hold until the 2027 elections.” The documents do not specify the year of that Jan. 15 meeting, a timeline detail that remains ambiguous in the available materials.

Organizational guidance circulated to the board lists immediate governance tasks: appoint or confirm leadership including a director and legal counsel; draft bylaws and policies on funding, project prioritization and community engagement; establish a physical or virtual office and hire essential staff such as engineers and project managers; and secure insurance for board members and the district. The Plan to Operationalize also states that the district “will conduct their meetings using Robert’s Rules of Order (10th ed.) as a guide to parliamentary authority, except as modified by this document,” and emphasizes transparency: public access to proceedings and decision-making is crucial.

For residents, the practical implications are concrete. Regular meetings have been set: “Regular meetings for the VCAFCD will be at 6 p.m., the first Thursday of the month, at the Valencia County administration building, 444 Luna Ave., Los Lunas, in the Valencia County Commission chambers.” Brenda Hume noted that the May meeting will instead be held on the last Thursday of April because the chambers will be used for early voting during the 2026 primaries. The Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District has listed flood control and prevention as a partnership priority and identified collaboration with the new district, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District and federal partners for projects such as bosque management, erosion control and stormwater planning.

Key governance steps remain: formal adoption of bylaws, assignment of specific term lengths to individual members, confirmation of officer titles and any hiring or contracting for technical staff. For policymakers and residents alike, the new district centralizes responsibility for arroyo projects but will require active oversight to translate planning recommendations into funded, prioritized projects that address the flood risks identified in recent years. The coming months of meetings and document adoption will determine how quickly and effectively the district delivers on that mandate.