By Mary Alice Murphy
At the Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 Grant County Commission meeting, the commissioners reviewed the Thursday regular meeting agenda.
The first item of business is the election and approval of the 2016 chairman of the Grant County Board of Commissioners.
After public input, commissioners will hold a public hearing for consideration of an ordinance to amend the dedication of a county local option gross receipts tax. At the December 2015 meeting, commissioners approved a notice of intent to consider the ordinance, which would reallocate one of the two 1/8 increments that go into the Indigent Fund. Because the fund has more money than it needs, the county wants to reallocate the funding to the General Fund for other uses.
County Manager Charlene Webb at the Dec. 08, 2015 work session said that, if additional funding were to be needed for the Indigent Fund, it could be transferred to that use by budget adjustment. "We need to start taking care of ourselves," she said at that time.
If approved on Thursday, the effective date of the amendment shall be July 1, 2016, which will be at least three months from the date this ordinance is delivered or mailed to the Taxation and Revenue Department.
On Thursday, after the public hearing, commissioners will approve or disapprove Ordinance No. 16-01.
A public preliminary hearing for the Loma Verde Estates assessment roll for the proposed creation of an improvement district will follow. "Any owner of a tract or parcel of land in the subdivision to be assessed or upon which it is proposed to impose an improvement district property tax may contest the following:
1) the proposed assessment or tax;
2) the regularity of the proceedings relating to the improvement;
3) the benefits of the improvement; or
4) any other matter relating to the improvement district."
The commissioners, at this preliminary hearing, "may:
1) correct any mistake or irregularity in any proceeding relating to the improvement;
2) correct an assessment to be made against or an improvement district property tax to be imposed upon any tract or parcel of land;
3) in case of any invalidity, reassess the cost of the improvement against a benefiting tract or parcel of land; or
4) recess the hearing from time to time."
Action will be taken later in the meeting through a resolution to confirm the assessment roll.
At the work session, Financial Officer Linda Vasquez presented the monthly expenditure report from Dec. 8, 2015 through Jan. 11, 2016. Included were expenditures $83, 137 for the second quarterly safety net care pool payment; $129,479 to Stoven Construction for the demolition of the Business and Conference Center interior; $73,942 to Bohannon Huston for continuing work at the Grant County Airport; $34,000 to Stone McGee for the 2015 audit; $19,318 to Wright Express for fuel; $104,500 to the Bank of Albuquerque for debt service; $139,471 for Type 6 brush truck for Whiskey Creek Volunteer Fire Department; and $13,968 to Engineers Inc. for continuing work on the North Hurley project.
Also included in the expenditures were the last two payrolls of calendar year 2015 and the first payroll of 2016 for a total $659,459.70. Total expenditures for the month were $3,107,019.24.
Under new business, Raul Turrieta will give the 2016 annual tax report.
Heidi Ogas of the High Desert Humane Society Animal Shelter will present the 2015 intake and animal control report.
Commissioners will consider the inventory deletion/transfer of items from the assessor's office, the treasurer's office and the sheriff's department.
Also to be considered will be the fiscal 2015 assistance to firefighters grant program application from FEMA, and a request with the New Mexico Finance Authority to Firefighters Grant Program Application to purchase a new HME Ahrens-Fox Model 18 Engine for the Tyrone Volunteer Fire Department.
Roger Groves, TVFD chief said the FEMA grant program would be for bunker gear for the firefighters. "We have already received approval from the Fire Marshal's office for the engine. It is for the wildland-urban interface fires. We were quoted $396,000, got a grant for $100,000, with a 20 percent match. We would like to bump up our match to make it $200,000 and then request a 10-year financing plan for $196,000. The truck at Wind Canyon is a 1985 engine and it's time to retire it. We would transfer one of our newer pumpers to Wind Canyon and use the new one at Tyrone. The engine we're hoping to replace we got from the city of Bayard. We paid $1 for it and it got a lot of use, but it's time to retire it.
Commissioners will approve or disapprove New Mexico Department of Health EMS Fund Act requests from the Emergency Medical Services at Gila Regional Medical Center; Gila Valley EMS; Pinos Altos EMS; Tyrone Volunteer Fire and Rescue EMS at District 1 Tyrone and White Signal Station, District 2 Flying A and Wind Canyon and District 3 Hachita Station; and Whiskey Creek EMS.
Also to be approved are the annual service reports from Gila Valley EMS; Pinos Altos EMS; Tyrone Volunteer Fire and Rescue EMS at District 1 Tyrone and White Signal Station, District 2 Flying A and Wind Canyon and District 3 Hachita Station; and Whiskey Creek EMS.
Commissioners will approve or disapprove the volunteer fire and rescue departments' annual election of officers for Cliff-Gila VFRD, Fort Bayard VFRD, Lower Mimbres VFRD, Pinos Altos VFRD, Santa Rita VFRD, Sapillo Creek VFRD Tyrone VFRD, Upper Mimbres VFRD and Whiskey Creek VFRD.
Agreements under consideration include the renewal of the Securus contract to provide inmate telephone services with no changes and a sub-grant agreement with the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security for $1,000 to support activities to prepare for, prevent and respond to terrorist attacks and other all-hazards events. The match is also $1,000. The third agreement is between Grant County and the village of Santa Clara for the county to provide chip-sealing services for streets in the village to be paid for with Local Government Road Fund money for $40,000 per year for road projects.
Under resolutions, commissioners will approve the Open Meetings Act for 2016, with the only change being a monthly regular meeting on the second Thursday of each month, with the work session the preceding Tuesday.
A resolution will authorize the placement of an Army asset on Grant County property. Webb said no formal action had been received by the Army for the donated helicopter, which had been placed at Forgotten Veterans Memorial at Bataan Memorial Park, "so we need a resolution."
Commissioners will discuss a resolution for application for the LS Mesa Fire Station, which has received approval from the state Fire Marshal's office.
A resolution will confirm the Loma Verde Subdivision community area improvement district assessment roll.
Commissioners will also address a resolution of budget adjustments including grant agreements. Vasquez said the revenue increase is $1.3 million, with expenditures of $1.4 million, with an overall impact to the budget of $73,000.
A resolution will authorize the execution and delivery of a loan agreement with the NMFA to pay a principal amount of $192,503 for financing the cost of purchasing and equipping a new brush truck for the Fort Bayard VFD, and lastly a resolution is needed to publish a legal notice of intent to adopt ordinance No. O-16-02: Loma Verde Subdivision Community Area Improvement District Assessment Levy.
County reports will be covered in a future article.
The regular meeting will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 at the Grant County Administration Center.