By Lynn Janes

The Village of Santa Clara held its regular meeting November 11, 2023. Mayor Richard Bauch called the meeting to order. Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza, and Trustees Olga Amador and Arnold Lopez attended. Peter Erickson did not attend.

Mayor's report

Bauch congratulated mayor elect Arnold Lopez. He also congratulated Olga Amador for her reelection and Ralf Trujillo for his election. He thanked all those who ran and support the village. "I'm glad for the Tamal Fiesta and having more room for the event this year."

New Business

The council approved the easement agreement at the industrial park between the armory and Dollar General store for a road down to Bataan Memorial Park. The County will incur the cost of doing the easement and road. The road will allow easier access to the memorial for elderly and disabled people.

The council tabled resolution 2023-18. Bauch said he had finished the draft but had not emailed it to the council to review. This resolution had to do with some changes made to the policies and procedures titled procurements, contracts, and accounting.

The council approved resolution 2023-30. This allowed the village to accept the donation of a property by Martha V. Holguin. The location of the property is 913 and 1002 Bard Street. Holguin inherited the property and had no use for it. The dwelling needs to be removed because of fire damage. This property has been on the list to be torn down. Sheila Hudman, village administrator, said they had been working on the donation for a few years. They had not been aware of the second part of the property until a neighbor had tried to obtain an easement.

The council approved resolution 2023-31. This authorizes the assignment of an authorized officer and agent for grants. Only these people will be able to sign requests for reimbursement on grants.

The council proclaimed November 18, 2023, as the official day of the Tamal Fiesta Y Mas 2023. The fiesta would be a celebration of the local unique Hispanic culture with food and music. Bauch thanked Amador for all her hard work and Hudman thanked Raul Turrieta. She said, "He was the driver of the event."

Public comment

Jeri Lee, Jim Lee's daughter ,addressed the council concerning the Saturday flea market held every week at the armory. Her dad felt he had always been loyal to Santa Clara, but they have not been loyal to him. "The new brewery in the armory is the straw that broke the camel's back." They have tried to compromise but must consider moving to another area. "We want to stay but if things don't change, we must look at other places. Many of the people that come to the flea market are Christian and the brewery was a compromise. My dad is tired of dealing with the problems and is hoping something will be done so they don't need to move." She said the mayor of Bayard offered them a space there. The flea market has brought a lot of positivity to Santa Clara.

A resident said what brought her to the council meeting and to give public comment had to do with the flea market and the problems they have been having. Losing the market would not be good for Santa Clara ,and Lee had put a lot of work into starting it up and has a large following. They have 20 plus vendors. Recently the brewery has caused some conflicts and the owners have been very hostile. The loss of the flea market will affect the comprehensive plan. The market has been long-standing and the brewery has been hostile. "They changed their hours and now are not what they agreed on. They threatened to have the flea market turned in for trespass. Brewery customers are driving through the flea market area. They think they own the entire armory, I was a witness to this." She encouraged the village to speak with the brewery and Lee to save the flea market.

Tom Caddel addressed the council. He had come to three meetings and complained about potholes. They had taken care of some, but one had not been done on Prescott Street. He had gone to the police chief, and he called someone else, and they finally put a barrel up. He understands the process, but no one had been doing anything. "This is not about me but about the citizens. Just put dirt in it. The police chief had gotten some asphalt and put it in, but he is not maintenance. You would not do it."

Bauch said he had not been aware of the problems at the armory with the new brewery and they would look into it. Some discussion went on about the problems.

Hiring, Raises, Terminations, etc.

The council approved the recommendation by Bauch for the termination of Teresa Medina.

The council also approved the recommendation by Bauch to pay two officers a retention bonus. They had done so in the previous year with funding received for that purpose. The village just received notice of that grant being approved again. It would pay each one $20,000 and they would be paid $5,000 each quarter.

Second regular meeting would have been Thursday November 23, 2023 - canceled due to Thanksgiving.

First regular meeting will be held Thursday December 14, 2023, at 6pm.

Meeting Adjourned