A recent Inspection of Public Records request revealed more information about the complaint Santa Fe County filed against the Town of Edgewood in November.
According to records in response to an Inspection of Public Records request from The Independent filed in October, Manager Greg Shaffer notified the Town of Edgewood in April 2025 of an “apparent delinquency” in payments for fire and emergency services. According to county records, Edgewood’s contributions dropped from $658,077 in Fiscal Year 2023 to $52,426 in 2024, with no payments recorded for Fiscal Year 2025. Shaffer warned that the missing amounts appear to be “substantial.”
The dispute involves a 2005 Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) that requires Edgewood to pay “one quarter (.25%) of one percent (1%)” of its gross receipts tax for fire suppression and emergency medical services. According to the records, former official Michael Steininger had been calculating the town’s payments at 16%. Steininger explained that he used the 16% figure to ensure the county received only a share of the town’s original 1% tax rate, rather than its current, higher rate. Edgewood Clerk-Treasurer Michelle Jones questioned this calculation, stating that 16% “sounds like a lot more than 25 of 1%.”
Town Manager Nina McCracken raised the possibility that the 2005 agreement had expired; however, the county maintains that the contract is active because neither party provided the required 180-day written notice of termination. In July 2025, Edgewood Finance Director Trina Page submitted proof of several payments to the county. According to the records, county officials clarified that those funds were for a separate agreement regarding the regional dispatch center, not for fire protection. Shaffer has requested additional meetings to address the “significant and growing delinquency” under the fire services JPA.