Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Meetings watch: Roosevelt County Commission

The following were actions taken at the Roosevelt County Commission meeting Tuesday in the Commission Room of the county courthouse:

• Paul Grider was named chairman and Gene Creighton vice chairman of the commission for 2017.

• Department heads and elected officials presented reports to commissioners.

Sheriff Malin Parker told commissioners that there has been a slight spike in burglaries recently, which is common around the holidays, but he hopes to quell the problem quickly.

Larry Phillips, administrator for the Roosevelt County Detention Center, said the county recently received payments from Curry, Colfax and Guadalupe counties for housing inmates.

Johnny Montiel, the rural addressing and floodplain manager, reported that individuals will be presenting two subdivision proposals to commissioners in the next commission meeting with the subdivisions appearing before city council Tuesday night.

Road Superintendent Ricky Lovato reported that the biggest complaint with county roads currently is tumbleweeds, so roads crews have been working to remove them as calls have come in.

County Manager Amber Hamilton updated commissioners on the analysis of Roosevelt Road Q.

In the December meeting, Hamilton had told commissioners that Lydick Engineering of Clovis would be doing a survey of the ditch and the road in order to understand the right-of-way on the road and how much room drivers have.

She told commissioners on Tuesday that neither the city and the county have received a copy of the survey, so she will be having Montiel contact the engineering company for results.

“Cost is going to be significant, Gentleman, any way we look at it with this road,” Hamilton told commissioners. “We’re looking at anywhere from $100,000 to $200,000, whether we close it or leave part of it open or anything along those lines.”

She added that commissioners should see it appear on the agenda sometime in February, and she and Lovato will have several options of what can be done to present to commissioners.

Hamilton also told commissioners that the county would submit their top priorities, which entails road improvements, for capital outlay to the state, but she does not anticipate the county being awarded anything.

• Commissioners approved the ratification of former commissioner Richard Leal’s authority to sign Jan. 6 accounts payable documents.

• Commissioners approved the submission of an application for a CDWI grant for the sheriff’s office.

• Commissioners reported on their walk through of the detention center in December, saying that the facility looked clean and seemed to be operating efficiently.

“It looked really good, and everything was on task,” Grider said, with new Commissioner Dennis Lopez, who also attended the walkthrough, stating from the people to the professionalism, the facility was much more impressive than the last time he had been through in 2008.

• Commissioners approved Roosevelt County committee assignments.

The following is a sampling of the assignments:

— Board of directors for the New Mexico Association of Counties: Malin Parker

— Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railroad Committee: Dennis Lopez and Amber Hamilton

— Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors: Matthew Hunton

— Cannon Community Partnership Initiative: Paul Grider and Amber Hamilton

— Emergency Preparedness/LEPC: Johnny Montiel and Amber Hamilton

— Local Growth Management Committee: Matthew Hunton, Dennis Lopez and Amber Hamilton

• Commissioners approved the treasurer transferring $441,000 to the general fund reserve account, which would bring the fund back up to $1.44 million.

Hamilton said the money was the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funds received for the Roosevelt Wind Ranch built between Elida and Dora. She said the payment is recurring with this being the second annual payment.

• Commissioners approved a resolution regarding compliance with the Open Meetings Act.

• Commissioners approved a resolution regarding public participation at Roosevelt County Commission meetings.

• Commissioners approved a resolution delegating authority to the county manager for disbursement of vendor checks to be able to pay the county’s debt service.

• Commissioners approved a resolution delegating authority to the county manager to enter into certain contracts and settlement agreements.

• Commissioners approved a resolution to continue the Roosevelt County Loss Prevention Committee for the 2017 calendar year.

• Commissioners approved a resolution setting fees, rates and costs for Roosevelt County. The costs were the same as the previous year, according to Hamilton.

• Commissioners approved a resolution for a budget adjustment for the purchase of a tanker fire truck for the Milnesand Volunteer Fire Department.

• Commissioners went into executive session to discuss pending or threatened litigation. No action was taken.

— Compiled by Managing Editor Alisa Boswell

 
 
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