Huge congratulations to the City of Artesia for recently being awarded the 2022 Rising Star Award for their budget and finance practices at the annual budget conference of the New Mexico Department of Finance. The criteria for the award is evidence of excellent budget practices and reporting, according to Artesia City Clerk Summer Velverde. “I was actually really excited about it as we were selected amongst all agencies statewide,” she said. The NM Department of Finance said, “Artesia demonstrated teamwork, exceptional communication, strong leadership, and strived for excellence in advancing our mission and goals to better serve your community’s needs, while meeting statutory budget and finance requirements.”