By Mary Alice Murphy

At Tuesday's work session, Grant County commissioners reviewed the regular meeting agenda for Thursday. Commissioner Gabriel Ramos was absent.

The first item of business will be to elect and approve the 2015 Commission chairman.

Three public hearings will address an ordinance to benefit low-income property taxpayers for taxable years 2015-16; an ordinance granting a franchise for cable services to Comcast of New Mexico, LLC; and an ordinance governing the connection to the public sanitary sewer in the extraterritorial area surrounding the town of Silver City, within Grant County.

County Attorney Abigail Robinson said a small language change had been made on page three of the version of the third ordinance the commissioners had. She also said the town had waived the connection fee for the residents.

Commission Chairman Brett Kasten asked where the $1,500 for each connection was coming from.

County Manage Charlene Webb said it was part of the grant received by the town of Silver City.

County Financial Officer Linda Vasquez presented the financial reports. The expenditure report of $1, 519,275.80 for the past month includes two payrolls, one for $217,716.28 and another for $208,668.64, plus clothing allowance for uniforms in the amount of $32,256.73. The payable checks were for $1,060,634.15 and included two payments to the Solid Waste Authority, with the first for $42,000 and another for $35,000 for tipping fees.

Engineers Inc. received about $27,000 for North Hurley Road; W. H. Pacific $22,000 for the Grant County Airport plan; the final payment to Sacaton Construction for the Tyrone Volunteer Fire and Rescue station project; $82,000 for inmate indigent fund for November; and $35,000 for three pumps at the Upper Mimbres VFR.

The General Fund had a cash balance, as of Nov. 30, 2014, of $1,720,386, with pending transfers, which took place in December. The projected cash balance at the end of the fiscal year on June 30 will be $2,609,718, minus the required three-twelfths cash reserve of $2,362,053, leaving a surplus of $247,665.

The Road Fund had a cash balance at the end of November of a negative $266,462, awaiting transfers into the fund. As of the end of the fiscal year, the projected cash balance is $138,141, minus the required one-twelfth reserve of $137,684, leaving a surplus of $457.

The Correction Fund also had a negative cash balance of $639,791 at the end of November, before transfers were made in December. The projected cash balance and surplus as of the end of the fiscal year is $39, with no required minimum reserve.

Commissioners at the regular meeting will consider approval of a letter of support for Health Council legislation. Grant County Community Health Council Coordinator Chris DeBolt said Senate Bill 79 had been pre-filed by Sen. Howie Morales and the House Bill would be filed by Sharon Clahchischilliage of Farmington.

"This legislation would help restore funding for 38 county and tribal health councils," DeBolt said. "It passed last year, but was line-item vetoed. We have since advocated with the governor's office and she now supports the issue. We are lucky in Grant County to have the support from the community, the hospital and the commission. The Health Council Alliance is the advocacy group for health councils and is getting some traction."

Commissioner Ron Hall said, having worked on the Continuum of Care for Substance Abuse treatment for the past year-and-a-half, "we couldn't have done it without the support of the Health Council."

Commissioners will also approve or disapprove Emergency Medical Services Fund Act applications from Gila Valley EMS for $24,000; Pinos Altos EMS for $3,000; Tyrone VFR, District 1, Tyrone and White Signal stations for $10,000; Tyrone VFR, District 2, Flying A and Wind Canyon for $7,600; and Tyrone VFR, District 3, Hachita for $7,200.

Up for approval are the VFR annual elections of officers for Cliff-Gila Volunteer Fire Department; Fort Bayard VFR; Lower Mimbres VFR; Pinos Altos VFR; Santa Rita VFD; Sapillo Creek VFR; Tyrone VFR; Upper Mimbres VFR; and Whiskey Creek VFD.

To be approved is an agreement with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management for the Operation Stonegarden activities by the Sheriff's Department in the amount of $255,638.

Five resolutions under consideration by the commissioners include the annual Open Meetings Act for 2015.

Commissioners will also discuss the travel policy changes on per diem and mileage. Webb said nearly every county department brought her concerns about the travel policy. "I rewrote the travel policy in its entirety. I updated it and clarified it pursuant to state policy."

Also under consideration will be the purchase cards or P-cards. "All other counties in the state can use them for travel purposes," Webb said. "I cleaned up the current policy and correlated it with the policy of Wells Fargo, which is our provider. I also added some disciplinary action, including we can take payments out of your paycheck."

Kasten asked how many cards the county has out.

"Numerous ones," Webb said. "We need to tighten it up, both in the number of them issued to each department and the limits on them. We want people to get purchase orders first. We have to follow state law. I will get with each one of you on this."

Kasten asked if the county or the state has limits.

"We will be rewriting procurement policy next," Webb said. "What we have is outdated."

A resolution to be approved or disapproved is an application to the New Mexico Finance Authority under the Colonias Infrastructure Fund for the North Hurley Road. County Planner Anthony Gutierrez said the county had received the recommendation from Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments executive director. "We wanted to take a break from North Hurley, because (Road Superintendent Earl) Moore is working on Rosedale Road. But because the Colonias fund is likely to see a decrease because of the decrease in oil and gas revenues, we are doing the application now, while colonias is fully funded. This year is likely the last year it will be fully funded."

Kasten said, personally, "the road needs repair. The sides are eroding, and it's hard on buses and tires."

Gutierrez said traffic counts show 3,000 cars using it regularly. "We also need drainage improvements on the road, because runoff goes into people's driveways. We will try to run some of the drainage underground. We want to make the shoulders more user-friendly, and we want to redesign the intersection."

"Tyrone has curb and gutter on its streets, but no ADA-compliant ramps," Gutierrez noted. "All the Tyrone streets are maintained by the county. Several years ago, the Department of Transportation reminded us to meet the ADA requirements."

The next article will cover county reports.