October 14th, 2026
Monthly Meeting Report
The 314th AFDRA meeting was called to order at 1904, and after the pledge of allegiance, Morris Gutierrez led us in an opening prayer. We held a Moment of Silence for Robert “Gary” Hanson and family, the meeting attendance was very good.
Roll call of Officers and Advisory Board members. Donny Sanchez was on an excused absence.
Our Guests tonight were New Mexico Representative Cyntia Borrego, and Firefighter First Credit Union Representative Arian George. For many years Cynthia has advocated for Firefighter and PERA issues at the State Capital and is seeking reelection. I have been working closely with Cynthia on COLA reform all year and we hope the work pays off in January. More on that later
Adrian Greorge talked about the benefits of joining Firefighter First Credit Union and the low loan rates and great interest rates they provide.
President’s Report;
By Kerry Horton
The association has decided to upgrade our trailer to an enclosed trailer to help protect and keep our picnic equipment cleaner. The membership approved this expense tonight. We will be selling our current trailer to offset the cost of the new, or used, enclosed trailer. If anyone knows about an enclosed trailer, 18 to 20 foot, please let me know.
On Tuesday, October 13th, there was an Investment Pension Oversight Committee meeting calling for concerned parties to present preliminary legislation concerning COLA reform. There were about 10 proposals turned in and these will be reviewed and any similar proposals will be combined to narrow the numbers. PERA Cola reform has been attempted the last several years with no success, and there is no promise this year, but I am seeing a lot more interest in getting it done this year than I have in recent years. The main theme seems to be a cash infusion from the excess gas and oil monies that would be used to fund 1.5% compounding colas for the next seven to ten years while the fund continues to improve the recent unfunded liabilities it has suffered. I will announce the November IPOC meeting when it is posted.
If you are interested in a new retiree ID card, please text me a shoulder up selfie at 505-934-2969. I’m trusting that you all will behave.
Vice President’s Report;
By Donny Sanchez
Donny was absent due to preparing for a vacation in Hawaii, that’s a pretty good reason to miss a meeting.
Secretary’s Report;
By Eddie Abeita
Eddie read the September minutes, and a motion was passed to accept the minutes as read.
Treasurer’s Report;
By Mike Fox
Mike read the September financial report. A motion was made and passed to accept the financial report as read. As always, the financial books are open for everybody to review.
Historian’s Report;
Greg Aragon gave a 10-minute PowerPoint presentation on AFD history during the time that we became a mechanized department
Committee Reports;
Funeral Committee, Sam encouraged everyone to preplan your funeral wishes and let your families know what you want and where your documents are. He expressed the difficulties that families have when you don’t preplan.
Christmas Dinner, the date of our 2026 Christmas Dinner will be December 10, at the Moose Lodge. The menu will be steak and all the fixings. The price per ticket is $20 and ticket sales start at our November meeting. There are only 100 tickets available so plan to purchase your tickets as soon as they are available. I will post more information as we get closer.
Motorcycle Committee, Robby gave a brief accounting of the Motorcycle Group’s trip to Shanksville PA, and some of the fun stuff that occurred along the way. A big thank you to all who donated to make the Rally happen
Matters Good for the Association.
A reminder that our Kitchen Table meetings this month are as follows;
October 15, Station 14 at 6:30 pm
October 22, Union Hall at 6:30 pm
October 29, Station 21 at 6:30 pm
Keep up with events and dates by checking out our website or Facebook page.
Visit our website at afdretirees.com
The meeting was adjourned at 2110.