Meetings watch — March 2

Roosevelt County Commission

The following were actions taken at the Roosevelt County Commission meeting Tuesday at the Roosevelt County Courthouse:

• Patrick Kircher of the Roosevelt County Extension Office came before the commission to inform them of changes in his office.

“Connie Moyers, who was our home economist and county program director, retired as of Jan. 31,” said Kircher. “At this point, we are without a home economist, and in that time, the university (New Mexico State University) has named me as county program director, so I am now in charge of the extension office.”

• Joseph Alaniz, interim director of the Roosevelt County Detention Center, reported that the facility currently holds 50 inmates with 14 females and six inmates on contract. According to Alaniz, the average daily population since a year ago is 68 inmates and the average length of stay is 28.13 days.

• Commissioners passed a motion to approve three claims, totaling $6,009.77, and to disapprove five claims totaling $2,249.

According to Carol Flores of the grants and health care assistance program, two of the claims up for approval were for Roosevelt General Hospital for $5,891.11, as well as a claim for Sunbelt ER Physicians for $118.66.

• Road Superintendent Ricky Lovato reported that a road crew is working on the New Mexico Department of Agriculture’s peanut station and will be done this week.

• Commissioners approved a motion to allow the sheriff’s office to submit a grant application for the 2017 fiscal year that would allow them to receive a grant from the Law Enforcement Protection Fund. According to Sheriff Malin Parker, the agency receives $20,000 plus $700 per officer after that.

“It’s got a strict set of guidelines on what we can spend that money on. Officer equipment, officer safety, that kind of thing. We usually use that to help out with our vehicles,” Parker said.

• Commissioners approved a request by Parker for Deputy Mark Morrison to travel out of state to attend a canine certification course.

“In order to be certified in court,” Parker said, “he has to go to recertification once a year.”

• Commissioners passed a motion to approve a modification to the road department’s organizational chart. According to Lovato, the department’s mechanic put in his two weeks notice. Lovato wanted to change the chart to drop the mechanic position and add another machine operator.

“Don’t get me wrong, I need a mechanic,” Lovato said. “But I need an operator more than I need a mechanic at the moment.”

• Commissioners passed a motion to approve architectural plans for the Roosevelt County ARISE Sexual Assault Services facility.

Raimund McClain of McClain + Yu Architecture & Design presented drawings of the clinic, which is to be located on West 18th Street, just north of Roosevelt General Hospital.

According to McClain, the facilities in the building include counseling and medical capabilities, while being “both durable and easy to maintain, all the while being environmentally friendly.”

• Commissioners approved a resolution allowing Johnny Montiel, rural addressing manager, and Lovato to turn in the annual certified county maintained mileage to the state. According to Lovato, the county has 1,233 miles.

• Commissioners approved a resolution to bring sheriff’s office employees up to a municipal policy member coverage plan five from their current three, which would allow the employee to “retire at a better percentage.” According to Parker, this will only cost the employee, costing the county nothing.

• Commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the county manager to apply for hardship funds through the New Mexico Department of Transportation.

According to County Manager Amber Hamilton, the funds are made available annually, and are “something that we feel very qualified to apply for in light of our budget constraints.”

Hamilton said that a tractor and shredder are a high priority on the list of equipment they would purchase with the hardship funds.

• Commissioners passed a motion to approve a resolution to adjust the road department and detention center’s budget.

“This budget adjustment is just to help follow the mid-year adjustments,” said Hamilton. “In a meeting with Ricky (Lovato), he is out of any kind of emergency fund and has no room to write any additional materials.”

Hamilton said that, with low fuel prices, that budget is high, so she requested to move $10,000 from fuel to the emergency fund, which will raise it to $70,000. This money will allow Lovato to purchase caliche to fill in holes in the county roads.

According to Hamilton, the detention center salaries will be reduced by $75,000 and added to employee overtime.

“That will be a zero dollar change. We’re just moving money from one account to the other to allow continued flow in those areas,” said Hamilton.

• Commissioners approved a motion to pass a resolution adopting an amendment to the RCDC policies and procedures.

Hamilton and Alaniz recommended a change to the procedures of the inmate mail program to follow changes made by the New Mexico Association of Counties.

Another requested change was to include sexual orientation, gender identity and genetic information disability in the administrative chapter of the employee contact handbook.

• Commissioners approved a proclamation designating March 1, 2016, as Fair Housing Day in Roosevelt County.

Commissioner Shane Lee read the proclamation, saying that “Roosevelt County acknowledges the importance of ensuring fair and equal treatment to all citizens.”

— Compiled by Staff Writer Eamon Scarbrough