Commission to appoint replacement for Bryant

The Clovis city commission will appoint a replacement for District 3 Commissioner David Bryant, the commission decided on Thursday, and on Friday began accepting applications from candidates for Bryant's seat.

Applications for the position will be accepted until noon on September 18, in time for the commissioners to make a decision on who should fill the vacancy at their next meeting on September 21, the commission decided on Thursday.

Residents of District 3 may apply for the seat. The application can be found on the city's website at District-3-Candidate_9.8.2023.pdf (cityofclovis.org). Applications are also available by calling the city manager's office at (575) 763-9654, or by email at [email protected].

Bryant submitted his resignation on Aug. 23 , after he had stopped attending city commission meetings in June, when Mayor Mike Morris accused him of lying about attending a taxpayer-funded training session in Santa Fe.

Bryant has said he attended the training but declined to offer specifics or say how long he was there, just that, "I've attended every session of the program over my attendance at two separate offerings."

The Commission on Thursday also approved preparation of an affordable housing plan to be overseen by the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority after Claire Burroughs, the assistant city manager, reviewed the plan and how it will work.

The plan, according to Burroughs, exempts government donations to affordable housing from the anti-donation clause of the New Mexico State Constitution, which generally prohibits state agencies from making direct grants to aid private businesses or individuals.

Burroughs laid out the plan in four parts as follows:

1. Community and housing profile – demographics and housing market analysis

2. Housing needs assessment – existing and projected housing needs

3. Land use and policy review – analysis of land use and construction constraints

4. Goals, policies and quantifiable objectives – identification of resources and actions needed to create affordable housing.

The commission unanimously voted to approve moving forward with the creation of the plan with a budget that would not exceed $60,000.

Mayor Mike Morris expressed how those at Cannon Air Force Base believe there is a great need for one bedroom/one bathroom apartments in Clovis.

"This is something I think we could really benefit from," commissioner Juan Garza said after Burroughs discussed the plan.

Also at Thursday night's meeting, the commission voted to renew consulting services between the City of Clovis and Retail Strategies.

Retail Strategies is a consulting firm that the city contracted with in September 2020 to help with retail recruitment for Clovis.

Morris said it was important to continue the relationship with Retail Strategies, saying the retail business improves the quality of life for those who live in Clovis, while benefiting overall economic development.

"They're in the business of doing this, they have the contacts," Morris said.

However, some commissioners didn't believe they had really seen any true results since the city entered the contract three years ago.

"I'm just not seeing the results," Mayor Pro Tem Chris Bryant, , said. "That bothers me."

Commissioner Megan Palla agreed, saying, "We haven't seen the results we were hoping for."

Morris assured the commission that the results are there, and that every retailer that is in the process of coming to Clovis and those even thinking about locating to the area is on Retail Strategies' list and has been in communication with them.

Madison Neal, portfolio director for Retail Strategies, joined the meeting via Zoom. Neal specializes in retail recruitment and development in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Nebraska.

Neal presented some recruitment updates to the commission, after which the commission decided to renew the contract with Retail Strategies.

Commissioner Gene Porter asked that Retail Strategies give more regular reports to the commission about what is in the works. Morris said that would be arranged, and Neal agreed.

A proclamation was read declaring the week of September 17-23, 2023, as "Constitution Week", and was presented to Nancy Ann Streseman.

"The purpose of Constitution week is to emphasize citizens' responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution, inform people that the Constitution is the basis for America's great heritage and the foundation for our way of life, & encourage the study of the historical events which led to the framing of the Constitution in September 1787."