Commissioners address long agenda quickly

By Mary Alice Murphy

On Wednesday afternoon, the Grant County commissioners held a combined work session, regular session and vote canvass meeting.

County Manager Charlene Webb asked that one item on the agenda be changed to allow the manager to negotiate and agree to purchase aviation fuel and lease a refueler at the Grant County Airport.

Linda Vasquez, financial director, gave the financial report. The total expenditures for the period ending Nov. 10, 2014, totalled $924,693,57. Of that amount, $212,300.26 went to payroll and the rest for accounts payable. Vasquez said $187,041 was paid to Gila Regional Medical Center for Detention Center Inmate medical care; $21,000 to a vendor for food for inmates; $14,000 to Emergency Management for the rewriting of the emergency plan; $10,000 to Pitney-Bowes for a full year of postage; $41,000 to the Southwest Solid Waste Authority for tipping fees; $27,917 to architect Kevin Robinson for the design of the vault for the Sheriff's Office; $32,000 to Stone, McGee and Company for the audit; and $43,803 to Mira Loma Construction for the Fair Ground exhibit building. The report was approved.

Commissioners also approved a letter of support for the Youth Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition in applying for a local grant.

"This group does a good job," Commissioner Ron Hall said. "Their 101 Things for Youth to Do In Grant County was great and successful. I hope they continue to do it. I am proud to make the motion to approve this letter of support."

Also approved was an employment contract renewal for two years for County Attorney Abigail Robinson.

"I want to thank Abby for all she does for the county," Commissioner Gabriel Ramos said.

Commissioners approved the Gila Valley and Tyrone EMS Fund Act, Local System Improvement Project application for fiscal year 2016. Gila Valley EMS will receive $8,340 to upgrade radios to narrow band, and Tyrone EMS will receive $8,500, with a $2,000 match for training and certification of volunteers. Ramos asked if all the volunteer fire departments are up to speed on the narrow band. Randy Villa, General Services director, said the fire departments were already in compliance. "This is more on the EMS side."

An agreement between New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for a dispatching computer, laptop computers for patrol vehicles, rope rescue equipment for a typed swift water rescue team and body cameras for certified officers was approved for $50,000.

Emergency Manager Gilbert Helton said his office is very fortunate to get four out of six items approved for funding. "This is a continuing effort to equip local agencies."

Commissioners approved an agreement between the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, Local Government Division Fund 892 Capital Appropriation Project for improvements to the Grant County Administration Building.

Webb said the funding would go toward the improvement of the Sheriff's Office evidence vault and to improving the entrance to the building. "But it will likely fund just the vault."

In another NMDFA, LGD Fund 892 capital appropriation for $150,000, commissioners approved improvements to the Forgotten Veterans Memorial at Bataan Memorial Park. Armando Amador, who has been instrumental in developing the memorial, said the group is seeking a maintenance building, to help them clean their equipment after use. "We also have no place to eat a sandwich, so this will help us, as we continue moving forward on the memorial."

Ramos thanked the veterans in attendance "for everything you do."

Commission Chairman Brett Kasten echoed the comment and added: "Thank you for keeping us free." Hall said: "We appreciate you."

The next agreement approved was for $6,000 to be matched 50 percent by lodgers' tax funding for a New Mexico Tourism Department Cooperative Marketing Grant to promote travel to New Mexico and Grant County.

An agreement between Grant County and World Fuel Inc. for aviation fuel and leasing of a refueler at the airport was changed to allow the county manager to negotiate and approve the agreement. "There has been a slight delay," Webb said. "The agreement had language that our insurance does not allow, so we are working through that issue." To a comment about people calling wanting aviation fuel, Webb replied: "Soon."

Under resolutions, commissioners approved a policy for renting and use of Bataan Memorial Park Pavilion and Concession facilities. The policy addresses deposits and costs of renting, Webb said.

A resolution approved by commissioners authorized the execution and delivery of a local government planning grant agreement between NMDFA and Grant County for $50,000 for a water preliminary engineering project. Webb explained it was for use of Fort Bayard water, which plan had already been done, but there had been a delay in funding for review by the Environment Department.

An approved resolution supported the updated 2014 legislative priorities of the New Mexico Association of Counties.

Webb said the request came from NMAC to replace the resolution previously passed on the safety-net care pool and would restore the sunset clause. Kasten explained that at an NMAC board meeting, the members decided to "buy time to fix the problem. We don't know how the Medicaid rollout in two years will happen."

Several budget adjustments were made and approved to revenues and expenditures. Kasten explained that when the budget begins to be developed each March, the county has to guess on the numbers. "Now, in September and October, we know how much the amounts are, so these adjustments reflect them."

Commissioners approved a resolution between NMDFA and Grant County for the benefit of the colonia of the community of Rosedale, in the amount of $692,133. County Planner Anthony Gutierrez explained the funding was initially set aside under former Gov. Richardson's GRIP II program. "We had the engineering done," Gutierrez said, "so we applied to the Colonias Infrastructure Fund to fix curves and drainages on Rosedale Road, as well as to relocate utilities. Some we will do ourselves and some we will have to send out to bid, such as paving and moving utilities."

To a question from Kasten, who said he didn't know there was a community of Rosedale, Gutierrez said a lot of colonias in the county were developed prior to incorporation. San Lorenzo and Hanover were another two examples of colonias.

A bid to retrofit an existing Class A pumper to a compressed air foam system for Santa Rita Volunteer Fire Department was approved upon the manager's recommendation of accepting the single bid.

A single bid for an off-road firefighting apparatus for Pinos Altos Volunteer Fire and Rescue was also approved for $46,000.

Villa explained the vehicle was a side-by-side vehicle. "It has been approved by the state fire marshal's office, but those who will be operating it must complete mandatory training first." To a question, he said he thought it was for the Cottage San substation.

Commissioners recessed and reconvened as the Grant County Indigent and Health Plan Claims Board to approve 180 claims for $121,267.09 to GRMC for hospital and ambulance claims.

The commissioners reconvened as the Board of Commissioners, recessed and reconvened as the Grant County Canvassing Board to approve the vote tallies.

Clerk Robert Zamarripa said he had met with the elections board the first time on Thursday. "We had a couple of locations where a person took a ballot, but did not vote and return it. At the conference center, one person tore up a ballot and threw it in the face of the volunteer poll workers. These people are paid a small amount, but basically they volunteer for the important work. We were one of the first counties in the state to report."

Zamarripa said he would like to remind voters that it is their responsibility to register and to change their address in the Clerk's Office.

"We had a 43 percent turnout, which isn't bad," Zamarripa said. "We're nearly always above the state average, which was 40 percent this year."

Zamarripa thanked his staff and the voting machine techs, who got the new voting machines ready by learning the system, so "we went through without a hitch with the new machines."

Kasten said he noted the county was among the first to report. "I thank you for that."

The final article will cover county reports.