County manager warns low Elephant Butte Lake levels are depressing visitor dollars

Amber Vaughn, Sierra County manager, presented data the commission said showed signs of a weakening visitor economy tied to historically low Elephant Butte Lake elevations.

Vaughn said holiday visitation counts dropped sharply in 2026 compared with recent years — “Memorial Day visitation was approximately 60,000 in 2025 and about 35,000 this year,” and July 4 visitation fell from about 110,000 in 2024 to 82,000 in 2026 — and that lodgers tax revenue for January–June declined from roughly $268,000 in 2024 to about $229,000 in 2026 (a decline she called roughly 14.7 percent). “This right here shows you just over the last couple years the physical condition of the lake,” Vaughn said while showing charts and tourism-sensitive gross receipts that have trended down.

Vaughn told commissioners she analyzed tourism-sensitive categories (accommodations and food, bars and entertainment, and retail trade) because total gross receipts can mask local effects, and cautioned that while overall city GRT remained strong, those tourism-sensitive categories “have gradually declined year over year.” She recommended continuing to track these indicators and coordinating regionally with nearby jurisdictions to present a united case when seeking assistance or technical study.

Commissioners pressed for follow-up data from July and August and discussed marketing and mitigation options. The presentation led directly into consideration of a local disaster declaration that the commission later adopted to align with county and neighboring jurisdiction declarations.