Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Roosevelt officials approve support of joint resolution

PORTALES — Roosevelt County commissioners on Tuesday narrowly approved supporting a joint resolution in the New Mexico Legislature that could give counties the option to transfer their probate court jurisdiction to magistrate or district courts.

“Your vote today is nothing more than giving the Legislature direction to support this or not support it,” said Commissioner Dennis Lopez, noting the proposal would still require approval by the state’s supreme court and voters.

Commissioners voted 3-1 to approve the resolution, with vice-chairman Matthew Hunton absent from the meeting and commissioner Tina Dixon in opposition.

“I think it takes a special person to be a probate (judge),” she said. “It’s a whole different (position) than a magistrate or district or something else.”

The resolution before the commission noted the probate court handles civil cases not exceeding $3,000 and had 29 filings in the previous calendar year.

The commission next meets at 9 a.m. March 19. Also at Tuesday’s commission meeting:

• Approval of multiple letters of intent to the New Mexico Department of Transportation requesting funding for road work projects in the coming year.

• Approval of housing contract for the Roosevelt County Detention Center, with jail administrator Justin Porter noting the facility often has additional space for housing other county inmates on a temporary as-needed basis.

• Presentation on the recent audit, which came up clean and showed the county with over $21M in assets at the end of that fiscal year 2019.

• Approval of a resolution reducing the posted speed limit to 45 miles per hour from US 60/84 about 5 miles south North Roosevelt Road AV to the bombing range. The U.S. Air Force will do road improvement work at that location and Cannon AFB anticipates traffic increasing there.

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