Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Detention center may have full staff

MANAGING EDITOR

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After months of being understaffed, the Roosevelt County Detention Center is finally on its way to being fully staffed again.

Commissioners approved the hiring of three full-time positions and two part-time positions for the detention center at their Tuesday meeting.

“These are clear, identified needs based off the new schedule we asked him to adopt,” County Manager Amber Hamilton told commissioners, referencing jail Administrator David Casanova moving his officers from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts.

“Due to the current staffing conditions, they like the 12-hour shifts, but it has caused some burden on them,” Casanova said after the meeting Tuesday, adding that the detention center will likely stick to the 12-hour shifts for awhile even though filling the five new positions will bring RCDC back up to full staff.

“At 12-hour shifts, they only work three days a week, so it’s really a benefit to them, and they enjoy the time off,” Casanova said.

Roosevelt County Sheriff Malin Parker mentioned to commissioners during his administrative report that his office is in the middle of interviews to fill a vacant position, but he anticipates losing two officers to the Portales Police Department sometime soon.

The following also took place at the Tuesday Commission meeting:

• Commissioners heard a presentation from U.S. Department of Agriculture representative Brian Archuleta. He said the county’s Animal Plant Inspection Wildlife Services representative Cliff Ruppert is relocating. That gives commissioners options: They could delay filling the position until July 1, saving the county $9,000, or cut the position to part-time.

“One of the problems with not hiring someone now is the continuing wildlife issues in the county that could be a problem for ranchers,” Archuleta said.

• Commissioners heard reports from department heads:

— Connie Moyers, of the County Extension Service, said several programs are coming up on the agricultural side of the extension service, such as a weed control program and a vegetable growers program as well as Extension Agent Patrick Kircher starting his spring chick-hatching program with second graders.

She said her department will also be holding its annual advisory meeting on April 27 to hear public input.

— Roosevelt County Community Development Corp. Director Stan Livengood said the Natural Chem project is still “up and running” with the company getting financing through Southwest Capital Bank and still looking into acquiring water from Dairy Farmers of America.

He said his organization is also looking into rural business grants for the community.

— Treasurer Layle Sanchez said her office is in the second phase of collecting taxes and taxes will be delinquent by May 10, so she hopes to see a lot of taxes coming in in the next month.

— Capital Projects and Health Care Assistance Administrator Mandi Park told commissioners the environmental assessment for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to build a new facility for the ARISE program is ongoing. The assessment covers possible negative environmental or cultural impacts of the facility.

She also asked commissioners to approve $600 for indigent cremation. Commissioners approved the cremation, but Park said it would be the last one the county could pay for from indigent funds this fiscal year.

— Road Superintendent Ricky Lovato said the capital outlay projects on Roosevelt Roads W and 9 have been completed.

— Hamilton told commissioners they needed to schedule a date for a special meeting to review organizational charts, the first step in the process of creating the 2016 fiscal year budget.

She also informed commissioners that Senate Bill 125, which amends the default speed limit on county roads from 75 mph to 55 mph has been signed by the governor.

She added that the courthouse renovations are on schedule and staff will be allowed to begin moving back into the first floor sometime in the next week with the second floor being ready later this month.

• Commissioners approved District Court spending its own funds to make minor renovations to offices.

• Commissioners approved Hamilton’s list of county residents to be part of the new land use sub-committee.

Members will include Hamilton, Commissioner Kendell Buzard, Charles Bennett, Pat Boone, Patrice Caldwell, Quentin Carnes, Commissioner Gene Creighton, Sharon David, Ted Fares, Jim Idsinga and Jerry Partin.

• Commissioners made a formal proclamation to declare April 7 as National Service Recognition Day.

• Commissioners approved making a formal request to the governor to denounce the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program.

“Basically, what the resolution states is that we oppose the wolf program, and we are requesting that the governor hand over management of these predators to our state Game and Fish Department, and that they manage it like any other animal or particular predator in the state,” Buzard said.

• Commissioners approved a resolution for the Certified Property Appraiser Compensation Incentive Program, simply updating a resolution already in place that authorizes quarterly incentive pay for the county assessor and chief deputy assessor for certifications.

• Commissioners approved an ordinance for the issuance and sale of Taxable Industrial Revenue Bonds for the Milo Wind Project.

The Roosevelt Wind project was recently split into two, the Roosevelt Wind project and the Milo Wind Project. The ordinance specified that Roosevelt Wind will pay $366,000 of the county’s annual $441,000 Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds from the projects and Milo Wind will pay the other $75,000.

• Commissioners approved renewing a contract with Eastern New Mexico University to continue use of an irrigation well owned by the university, a service that the county paid $1 for.

• Commissioners went into executive session to discuss attorney-client privileged information pertaining to threatened or pending litigation.

No action was taken after executive session.

 
 
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