By Mary Alice Murphy

On Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at the Grant County Commission's January regular meeting, Commissioner Gabriel Ramos nominated Commissioner Brett Kasten to remain in the chairman's seat. "I thank you again. You've been doing a good job for us for five years."

Commissioner Ron Hall, after seconding the nomination, echoed Ramos' comments. "You've been chairman during my three years here. I think you are doing a good job representing us."

No one stepped forward to give public input and no one commented during the public hearing for consideration of Ordinance No. 16-01, which was approved. County Manager Charlene Webb had explained at the work session that the ordinance would reallocate a 1/8 gross receipts tax increment to the General Fund from the Indigent Fund. If ever additional funding was needed in the Indigent Fund, the money could be transferred into it through a budget adjustment.

No one came forward during the public preliminary hearing for the Loma Verde Estates assessment roll proposed creation of an improvement district, although residents were present. No protests were heard.

Financial Officer Linda Vasquez gave the expenditure report dated Dec. 8, 2015 to Jan. 11, 2016. Expenditures included 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.

Assessor Raul Turrieta gave his annual report of the previous year. It included items such as the moving of the Mapping Department to the Planning Department in 2015. He noted that many recorded property documents had not been processed in 2014. Turrieta sought the help of the state Property Tax Division and hired the retired mapper on contract to assist with processing the 2014 documents.

When the mapper in the Planning Department received a new computer, it broke the path to the assessor's office. In May 2015 the backlog of documents were completed. Notice of values were sent out, with no change in values on residential and non-residential properties. In June, the office caught up with backlogged 2015 recorded property transactions.

Because the computer system administrator, Tyler, was unable to fix the path to the computer at the mapping department, Turrieta said the updates have to be downloaded on a weekly basis.

Two vacancies were filled in the office, and the assessor is in the process of hiring for an additional appraiser 1 position and will advertise for a parcel mapper. The office also moved all the old documents out of the old Courthouse.

The state Property Tax Division is helping the department, along with the IT personnel and a contract IT person, to solve the path problem between computers. PTD is also monitoring the office to ensure all tasks are completed.

Heidi Ogas of the High Desert Humane Society thanked Commissioner Hall for his work on the proposed animal ordinance, which she said she is excited about.

She gave the 2015 intake and animal control report from the Animal Shelter. Ogas said that impound fees are up, and license revenue is down. In her opinion, it's because the cost of licensing spayed and neutered animals is less than for the non-spayed and neutered, and the numbers of the spayed and neutered licenses are increasing, while the sales of more expensive ones for the non-spayed and neutered are decreasing.

Since 2000, the intake of animals is down 40 percent, the adoption rate has doubled and the euthanasia rate has been reduced by one-third.

"It looks like you're working yourself out of a job," Kasten said.

"I would love to have someone come into the shelter and say: 'What? You don't have any animals?'" Ogas replied.

Commissioners approved:
G