Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
PORTALES — The Roosevelt County Commission unanimously voted to extend the sunset date of the Roosevelt General Hospital gross receipts tax by 10 years during Tuesday’s meeting.
RGH Chief Executive Officer Kaye Green said by extending the sunset to July 1, 2047, the hospital can explore 20- or 25-year financing to pay for a new $4.5 million emergency department and new operating rooms.
Commissioners Matthew Hunton and Shane Lee were absent.
In other business at Tuesday’s meeting (all votes 3-0):
• Following an approximately 45-minute executive session held to discuss court cases and the acquisition of real property according to the agenda, the commission voted to authorize County Attorney Randy Knudson to negotiate with the owner of 1320 N. Boston Ave. to purchase the property. The lot is adjacent to the road department and county fairgrounds.
• During her regular report to the commission, County Manager Amber Hamilton said the county was not awarded a Community Development Block Grant for improvements at the Roosevelt County Fairgrounds.
“We were very close and provided some great feedback so I feel like there’s a lot that we can do to improve the application and there’s some aspects we can do to improve the shovel readiness, which is what they’re looking for,” Hamilton said.
Commissioner Dennis Lopez said he felt the county should have received the funding.
“I was a little disappointed, not with our side but with the state board of directors,” Lopez said during the meeting. “I think they were unfair, I think they had ulterior motives and I’ll put that on record without caring because I think under the points system we should have been awarded.”
• The sheriff’s office requested the creation of a full-time civilian evidence technician position to assist with the office’s ongoing evidence review, which deputy David Meeks said would streamline that process.
“It’s taking us off the streets. That means there’s less deputies on the streets for traffic control and proactive law enforcement,” Meeks said.
Hamilton said the position is not currently budgeted and would come back before the commission in November when the county has a better idea of what the salary would be.
• The commission approved five contracts including two renewals related to the road department, a $72,000 contract with New Mexico State University to fund the county extension office and an agreement with the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation to continue managing the Enterprise Center.
Hamilton said the county did not receive any qualified responses to two Request for Proposals related to the management of the county-owned building.