Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

Roads, jails top talk

PORTALES — Among items emerging from the state Legislature discussed in Tuesday’s Roosevelt County Commission meeting, those pertaining to roads and jails were emphasized for improvements they could bring to local services.

In her county manager update, Amber Hamilton said “this really was a year for roads” when discussing House Bill 2, the general appropriation act of 2019, which passed the state Senate March 13.

“We’re expecting a spike in what’s available there,” she added, noting the county took a fiscally conservative approach in its recent capital outlay requests with an eye toward only funding those roads projects they knew they could complete.

Meanwhile other bills expand the services offered by correctional facilities while fine-tuning how inmates are handled while incarcerated. House Bill 364, passed March 15 in the Senate, places restrictions on the use of restricted housing in a correctional facility. Hamilton said that wouldn’t significantly impact operations at the Roosevelt County Detention Center, which is already largely in compliance with the new provisions, but that it was important to have an eye on it.

Senate Bill 192, “providing judicial discretion to release inmates who are pregnant or lactating,” is “one of those I was most closely involved with,” Hamilton said. It passed in the state’s House of Representatives on March 15.

House Bill 43, which passed March 16 in the Senate, allocates $1.5 million statewide toward behavior health interventions for incarcerated people.

The idea there is to “address those person’s behavior health needs while they are incarcerated and connect them to resources and services immediately upon release that reduce the likelihood of recidivism, detention and incarceration, such as supportive housing, public assistance, medical assistance, behavior health treatment and employment training,” according to the bill’s text. Counties will be eligible for those funds by applying for awards.

It would be a fine “compliment to existing health programs” in the county, Hamilton added.

All commissioners were present for the short meeting and votes were unanimous. The commission next meets April 2. Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

• Biannual update on Extension Office Services from county agricultural agent Patrick Kircher, who spoke to programs for elementary schoolers, a recent influx in 4H enrollment from military affiliates and a training next month for first responders on scene with large animals.

• In her update, Hamilton also said the county’s attorney Randy Knudson had submitted a request for information regarding the groundwater contamination originating from Cannon Air Force Base.

• County Treasurer Layle Sanchez presented on investment options on two sums for which bond was recently called in. Commissioners unanimously approved her recommendations that the $50,000 in general fund monies and $20,000 in assessor fund monies go into money market accounts for the time being.

• No action ensued from a brief executive session to discuss “threatened or pending litigation.”

• A fleet workshop following the meeting reviewed transportation equipment needs among various county departments in the coming years. In fiscal year 2020 the sheriff’s office hopes for two new patrol units, while the road department is interested in two pickups to replace aged fleet and three semi-truck replacements valued at roughly $35,000 each. The meeting is a preliminary phase of the fleet updates and no action was taken.