Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

DWI program cut by almost $100,000

Staff writer

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State lawmakers have cut almost $100,000 from Curry County’s DWI program, County Manager Lance Pyle told commissioners on Tuesday.

“As you are aware, (Senate Bill 2) from the special session was signed by the governor on Oct. 19,” Pyle told commissioners.

“Section 3. (4) states $3,645,000 is transferred from the local DWI grant fund. Curry County will need to cut $98,649.89 from our DWI distribution budget, bringing our original budget of $281,334.00 down to $182,684.11.”

Pyle said Curry County’s DWI program is one of the best in the state and will continue efforts to provide optimum prevention, enforcement and treatment, adding the county would work with the DWI Task Force chair and the administrative services coordinator to determine the best course of action.

“We anticipate making a budget resolution recommendation to the commission in late November, early December,” he said. “In the meantime, we have frozen all non-essential spending in the program. We want to keep programs we have currently operating.

“There is also a staff vacancy and we’ve elected not to fill that. No jobs have been lost and my plan is to do everything we can to cut the $98,649.89 without having to have any reductions in staff. That will be the last option.”