Sunland Park cannabis dispensary permits rejected after council ratification fails

SUNLAND PARK, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — Sunland Park City Council rejected special use permits for two proposed cannabis dispensaries Tuesday night after an attempt to ratify earlier votes failed.

Council members were asked to ratify, or confirm, votes taken on May 11 on special use permits for Station X and Cronica, two proposed cannabis dispensaries near the Texas-New Mexico state line. Station X is proposed next to Independent Nation’s future entertainment hub, while Cronica is planned off Emory Lane.

For Station X, the May 11 vote was 3-2 with one abstention. Bertha Salmon, Albert Jaramillo, and Robert Telles Jr. voted in favor. Maria Burciaga and Armando Mata voted against it, while Mili Sandoval abstained.

For Cronica, the May 11 vote was 3-1 with two abstentions. Salmon, Jaramillo, and Telles voted in favor. Mata voted against it, while Sandoval and Burciaga abstained.

Following the votes, the council declared both items denied. However, a 1992 city ordinance says an abstention can count with the side that has the most votes.

That raised questions about whether the abstentions should have been counted with the yes votes, meaning the dispensary items may have actually passed.

Jordan Salas reports on Sunland Park cannabis dispensary permits rejected after council ratification fails (Credit: KFOX14)

During Tuesday night’s meeting, council members tried to ratify the previous votes. Three members voted yes, and two voted no.

Councilor Mili Sandoval, who abstained during the previous vote, recused herself Tuesday night, citing a conflict of interest related to pending litigation.

Raul Carrillo, an attorney representing the dispensaries, said he expected the city to correct what he described as an earlier mistake.

“I walked into the meeting with the notice from the city attorney telling me that they were going to correct the mistake that they made last week. And so you saw what happened today. That obviously did not occur the way that it was expected to occur,” Carrillo said.

Cassandra Hernandez, a community organizer who opposed approving the special use permits, said she believes the council has already made its position clear.

“They continue to ask for additional votes, additional votes. And not once, not twice, but three times now this council has reaffirmed their vote that they do not want an organization or an applicant cutting corners and putting Sunland and El Paso residents at risk,” Hernandez said.

Carrillo did not say what the next step will be for the dispensaries, but said his side will have to address the matter moving forward.

Tags: