By Roger Lanse

The deer trapping and transplant program conducted by the New Mexico Game and Fish Department in the north area of town since 2012 appears to have been effective in reducing deer numbers in Silver City, according to New Mexico Game and Fish Department's (NMG&FD) Southwest Area Supervisor Ray Aaltonen and Silver City Town Manager Alex Brown.

Aaltonen told councilors that, since 2012, 314 deer have been trapped, transplanted and harvested by hunters in special hunts. Brown advised councilors that dead deer picked up by contractors inside the town limits in 2012 numbered 140; in 2013, about 100; and so far in 2014, 30.

The department plans another deer trapping event in February 2015, Aaltonen said.

James Baldwin asked the council to consider repairing the many potholes on Alabama Street. He also continued his attack on the plastic bag ban recently approved by the council. He said, "Plastic bags do not consume any living organism for their manufacture. The production of toxic chemicals in their manufacture is minimal when you consider what is required and what is produced from the production of paper sacks or the, quote, green bags.

"I looked at a green bag at the Office of Joint Sustainability the other day. It was in my opinion despicable, and I'll tell you why. It was made in China. It had to be transported by ship across the ocean, then it had to be transported by a vehicle of some sort to get to Silver City. There's a tremendous amount of pollution involved in that.

"One of these plastic bags costs one of the retailers in town 1.2 cents each. A thousand of these weighs between 5 and 6 pounds. In contrast a paper sack that has handles on them, they cost 8.3 cents each. And who's going to be paying for that extra cost? You and I are every time we go in, and they will pass the cost on to us. Or we can buy the green sacks and pay for those. The green sacks are not green in any sense except the dollar bill green.

"The green sacks require laundering; laundering requires the use of water, which then goes into the septic system, whether it is a private system or the city's system.

"The weight of 1,000 of these handled paper bags is between 30 and 35 pounds. The manager will not permit his female employees to pick up a thousand sacks because of liability."

District 3 Councilor Jose Ray asked Brown if anything can be done to prevent people from walking in bike lanes. Brown said he will look into it.

Brown stated that the Town now owns 941 acre-feet of water out near the airport which will be used for the Regional Water Plan project.

Jeff Fell, Silver City Fire Department Assistant Chief, reported that Silver City Fire Marshal Milo Lambert was selected New Mexico Fire Officer for 2014. He also informed council that the department is developing a 3-year community protection plan to reduce wildfires and also covers evacuation, prevention, and community risk assessment.

Town Clerk Ann Mackie reminded the council that the day to file for the March 3, 2015 municipal election positions of District 1 and District 3 councilors is Jan. 6, 2015. A two-sided informational sheet about the election is available at City Hall.

James Marshall related that he is working with Gary Stailey, who is in charge of the program involving children doing community service. Marshall said the children work at The Volunteer Center, the landfill, and the Restore, and that it is an excellent program.

The council approved an ordinance granting a franchise for cable services to Comcast of Colorado/Florida/Michigan/New Mexico/ Washington. Brown said it was the exact same document the council approved as a Notice of Intent at their last meeting. The main conditions were that the company must replace any infrastructure damaged or destroyed andthat the replacement must meet existing code.

In new business, Brown recommended to council to place a $400,000 gift for the Silver City Library from the estate of Fred S. Norton with the Library Foundation. The foundation has only handled small amounts of money before, Brown said, so he recommended using the Silver City Museum Foundation as a model. District 1 Councilor Cynthia Bettison, District 2 Councilor Lynda Aiman-Smith and Mayor Michael Morones asked Brown to consider actually having the two foundations work together rather than the one just using the other as a model. Brown answered that he would bring that suggestion to the Library Foundation.

Councilors approved two resolutions authorizing loan agreements with the State of New Mexico: one involving a $591,905 grant, including a $59,191 loan for a belt filter press for the town's wastewater treatment plant; and the other involving a $489,643 grant, including a $97,925 local match for street and drainage improvements on Silver Street between Pine Street and south of Lamb Street.

The council also approved two resolutions supporting applications to the New Mexico Finance Authority under the Colonias Infrastructure Fund for street and drainage improvements in the Vista de Plata Subdivision, and for wastewater treatment plant improvements.

A resolution supporting a recreational trails program application and maintenance commitment in the amount of $45,000 from the New Mexico Department of Transportation was approved. Ray, who brought the resolution forward, said it would involve bicyclists, walkers, signing and directions to points of interest in town. "It's going to be a good thing for Silver City," he said. Brown said it would be federally funded, and Marshall interjected that the town's share of the cost would be about $6,500.

The council approved a resolution supporting the submittal of a re-certification application to the Mortgage Finance Authority for the 2014-2015 House-by-House Homeowner Rehabilitation Program. Brown told the council that the program has been going on since 2002 and remodels homes which are "barely habitable" and that 38 homes have been improved since the program's inception.

Councilors approved a resolution supporting the designation of the Murray Ryan Visitor Center as the Silver City Urban Trailhead and a resolution authorizing financial assistance and project approval for a Bicycle Master Plan. Brown said, "Once we're done with this plan, we plan to update our comprehensive plan, which will incorporate all of these plans into the comprehensive plan."

Morones appointed current chair, Sherry Nell Clements, to the Planning and Zoning Commission and appointed Hannah Nell Weeks to the Library Board.

In a final action, councilors approved changing the regular council meeting scheduled for Jan. 27, 2015 to Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015 at 6 p.m. at the same location.