Meetings Watch — Roosevelt County Commission, Jan. 6

The following took place at the Roosevelt County Commission meeting Tuesday morning in the L.C. Cozzens Administrative Offices:

• Commissioners unanimously voted Commissioner Kendall Buzard as chairman of the board and Jake Lopez as vice-chairman.

• Commissioners heard a report from USDA Wildlife Specialist Cliff Rupert, who said the USDA has worked 80,925 acres in Roosevelt County in the last quarter.

• Commissioners heard a report from Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation Director Stan Livengood, who said he is continuing to work with Natural Chem to bring them to the Portales Industrial Park. He said the company is still acquiring funding to purchase property in the park.

He said Natural Chem officials will visit on Feb. 17.

• Commissioners received the last two months of call logs for the sheriff’s office from Sheriff Malin Parker.

Parker said the logs would illustrate what the office’s deputies do on a day-to-day basis and will show how busy the office was in the month of December.

• Roosevelt County Detention Center Administrator David Casanova told commissioners that the detention center currently has 63 total inmates, eight are female and one is being housed for Curry County.

He said his department has four positions open.

• County Clerk DeAun Searl reminded everyone that early voting for the Portales school board begins Friday.

• Road Department Superintendent Ricky Lovato said his department has been very busy dealing with snow and ice on the roads.

• Commissioners heard a report from County Manager Amber Hamilton, who said a special meeting at 9 a.m. Jan. 15 at the L.C. Cozzens offices will be open to the public. The meeting will discuss the county budget.

Hamilton told commissioners that the county has seen a minimum of a 5 percent decrease in revenue and she is asking all county departments and offices to help provide solutions.

• Commissioners approved two grants and the reports for those grants for the Milnesand and Arch fire departments.

Mandi Park said Milnesand is asking for $7,500 and Arch is asking for $75,000, because they have outdated equipment they would like to replace.

• Commissioners approved amending the 2015 county calendar by removing an out-of-town retreat.

• Commissioners appointed Jake Lopez to serve as the county’s Eastern Plains Council of Governments (EPCOG) representative for the remainder of the fiscal year since former representative Bill Cathey is no longer on the board.

Commissioner Shane Lee will serve as his alternate.

• Commissioners approved a temporary moratorium on hiring for the remaining 2015 fiscal year.

Sheriff’s office, road department and detention center officials expressed concern over lack of man power, but Hamilton and commissioners assured them that there would be exceptions to the moratorium if public safety becomes at risk.

• Commissioners approved a resolution for the Open Meetings Act, which is required to be renewed each year.

• Commissioners approved a resolution for public participation at commission meetings, which is required to be renewed each year.

• Commissioners approved a resolution to change the current pay period to allow the county more time to become more efficient with their payroll. The pay period will be cut by two days with the two days added onto the next pay period.

• Commissioners approved continuing participation in the Cannon Community Partnership Initiative and appointed Commissioner Gene Creighton to attend the meetings.

• Commissioners tabled an Intergovernmental Service Agreement with Curry County for housing inmates to see if they could re-negotiate costs with Curry County.

— Compiled by Managing Editor Alisa Boswell