By Lynn Janes

The town of Bayard held a regular meeting April 23, 2026. Attendance included Mayor John L. Ojinaga, Mayor Pro Tem Eloy Gonzales, Eloy Medina, , Gilbert Ortiz and Charles Gray. Martha Salas, city clerk, also attended.

The council approved the agenda.

Proclamations

The city of Bayard proclaimed the week of April 20, 2026, to be Cobre High School cheer week and the week of April 20, 2026, Cobre High School power lifting week. They had both placed in the state championships. The teams and their coaches had attended to receive the proclamations.

Public input none currently.

The council approved the consent agenda that included minutes from two meetings, accounts payable and department head reports.

Planning and zoning

Cordell Jones, planning and zoning chair, said the committee has been very much concerned about the appearance of the storage containers used in the community. They have been seen at various locations and do not feel they will be appropriate in residential areas. He hoped to see some limitations on them and maybe requiring them be fitted with cladding and regular doors. The current doors make them unable to open from the inside. They also wanted to see them have venalation so they will be safe to use as a storage unit.

Corey White, 303 Empire Street, had requested to place two metal containers in his backyard. Cordel said at this time they do not have any city legislation to prohibit this, and White had agreed to meet the setback requirements. Ortiz suggested that they have a workshop in the future to discuss the matter and Gray agreed. The council voted three to one to approve the request. Medina and Eloy Gonzales voted yes, and Gray and Ortiz voted no with Ojinaga breaking the tie with yes.

The council approved the permit to move a mobile home to 404 North Foy Street by Vanessa Sedillos. Jones said this person had previously requested permission to remove a single-wide mobile home from this property and it had taken place. This mobile home will be doublewide. She had originally requested a five-foot setback, but the committee denied that and required a seven-foot setback.

New business

Isaac Mendoza, senior auditor, Beasley Mitchell and Co.,  joined the meeting online to provide a presentation on the 2025 audit for the city of Bayard. They had a clean audit opinion and no current findings. Mendoza went over the documents they had provided the council and explained them. The city's responsibilty would be to prepare the financial statements, and their role has been to independently audit them and issue an opinion. As part of their audit, they must consider internal controls, and it will be their duty to pass on any difficulties they might have encountered. They had not encountered any difficulties or disagreements with management. In prior years, there had been findings made but all had been resolved, and he went over those. He then reviewed the financial statements and went over assets, reserve cash, liabilities and overall financial position. A resolution will be done at a later meeting to approve the audit. Medina and Eloy Gonzales thanked Salas for her hard work on the audit.

The council approved the request from Cobre Consolidated Schools to use the little league field for Elementary Fun Day.

The council approved the storage container for the community garden, so they had a place to store their supplies. It will be painted.

Senator Gabriel Ramos and Representative Luis Terrazas had come to provide an update on the recent legislature to the council.

Ramos thanked them for their time. It had only been a 30-day session and started at 7:00 am to about 1:00 am every day. He and Terrazas had been able to reach out to each other to provide a heads up on what would be coming from the two chambers and had worked very well together. They had passed a really big bill on malpractice. Several years earlier the legislature passed a bill to take away any caps on malpractice lawsuits, and it had caused malpractice insurance to increase greatly for doctors, causing many to leave New Mexico. Within six months of the prior bill 30-40 percent of doctors had left. This bill will reverse that, and they hoped to see doctors starting to return. They had also passed a bill that would go after people that commit crimes against law enforcement, so now it will be a major felony to obstruct a police officer and try to harm them. This legislation will also provide law enforcement and behavioral health providers more tools to mandate treatment for unstable, dangerous offenders.

Ramos went over the Clear Horizons bill that had been defeated. It would have required zero emissions from businesses. It would stop the chili plants and copper industry. It would have also shut down all diesel performance vehicles needed for construction. The states budget consists of 55 percent from oil and gas, and that would have been shut down. Another bill they had stopped would have shut down law-abiding gun dealers and the only people that would be able to sell guns would have been the large dealers such as Cabela's.

He had an update on the mining sculpture for Bayard. The money had been reauthorized and gone to cultural affairs, and he will be working with them to move forward on having the sculpture built. It will recognize all the miners and will be about ten feet tall and eighteen feet wide. Many miners have risked their lives to produce copper and bring money to their families. He can't wait to see it in Bayard.

Ramos said they had been able to bring $1 million to the city of Bayard and $250,000 would be for work around the little league field. The remainder of $750,000 would be for road maintenance and drainage improvements. The total brought in for Grant County had been $15.2 million. It had taken a lot of reaching across the aisle. He asked the council to let him know what they would need him to work on for the following year. They have already started working on projects with their interim committees throughout the state and knew they would need funding for the wastewater plant.

A lot of meetings had been happening concerning Fort Bayard. Ramos didn't want to see it go for housing. He thought the acreage Bayard had acquired would be a great deal and a good place for people to live. Currently they don't have much housing and the only ones available have been dilapidated. New homes will do a lot for the city and schools. He thanked all that had attended Grant County Day during the legislature because it helps them to obtain more funding.

Terrazas thanked the council for the opportunity to speak to them. He let them know how helpful it had been to have so many come to Grant County Day. They can't fit everyone in the room and the other 32 counties can't fill a room. It makes a huge difference in their ability to carry bills and have support.

Terrazas had sponsored30 different pieces of legislation. Some being medical malpractice, public safety, veterans' property tax cuts / exemptions, etc. He had worked on what he calls kitchen table topics. "I am worried because of how people in our district struggle, especially people with fixed incomes, to pay their bills with the increase in inflation that has been going on since 2020. People's social security has not grown with the rate of inflation." He serves on the Veterans and Labor Affairs Committee and when they have heard bills he has tried to explain as a businessman that the increased regulations will cost more money, and the consumers will carry that cost. They have legislation that when passed will increase the cost of living right away. The veterans property tax change had been one small thing to help veterans. The medical malpractice removal of caps he had voted against in 2021 and warned what would happen and it did, the loss of a lot of doctors in the state. This new legislation he sponsored will help to bring doctors in.

They had been able to secure $5.5 million for the hospital's cancer center. Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC) supports not only Grant County but Catron County, Hidalgo County and some from Luna County. This will save people having to travel to Tucson or Las Cruces. Many struggle to pay a co-payment much less be able to drive long distances. He, Ramos, GRMC CEO Robert Whitaker,  and Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales had worked together on that funding.

Terrazas went over some of the other bills they had been able to stop that Ramos had gone over also. The bill for zero emissions would just increase the cost of living and force people to purchase things they can't afford and continued the far-reaching negative effects of that legislation. People already struggle to afford a normal house and this would require construction that would make the homes even more expensive. Electric cars would not even make sense in this rural area. No charging stations and a lot of miles between places. He understood that the environment needed to be cared for and wanted to see it happen, but they didn't have the infrastructure to support it and spoke to the time it took to change from horses to cars.

The council approved the postponement of the architecture and engineering proposal for the animal shelter. George Esqueda, Stantec, had a proposal for them. They had received $85,000 for the project and Stantec proposed $45,000 for architecture and engineering. Ojinaga had heard a few stories on what the shelter actually wanted and needed. Additional funding has been applied for, but they don't know if they will receive it. Gray said, "I don't know if I'm speaking alone but I'm appalled by that personally." He had been referring to the cost being over twice what they had in funding. He asked that this be postponed to see if they can use that funding differently. He had been to the shelter and saw how $85,000 could do what needed to be done. The $45,000 didn't make sense to him. Esqueda said they would be doing their due diligence and making sure that whatever funding they received would be invested wisely and went over what all their proposal would cover. Medina seconded the motion, and they all agreed to postpone.

The council approved the Oak Street lift station bid documents and construction management services. Esqueda said this would come from a colonias grant for $1,210,000 and will terminate June 2026. The construction would start in June.

The council approved the architectural and engineering proposal for the Mine Mill Museum. Esqueda said this will be for a conceptual schematic taking into account some of the work they had previously done as a master plan. This will take it further and be more detailed and looking at it from a structural standpoint and include the mechanical, electrical and plumbing. They will be placing attention on the murals and what needs to be done to protect them. The city had been awarded $100,000 from the tourism department, and it may not be used for any construction improvements and will be just for planning and design. These funds will expire June 2027.

The council approved the award request for federal and state wastewater engineering services. Salas said they had done an RFP (request for proposal) on both the federal and state and two bids came in on both. A committee had evaluated the proposals and Stantec came in with the higher recommendation, and Souder Miller had come in lower on both so the recommendations would be Stantec on both federal and state.

The council approved the purchase of two UTV/utility vehicles for the maintenance department and wastewater treatment plant. Salas explained that many of the alley ways have been difficult for vehicles to fit through so the small utility vehicles would make it much easier. They had $12,000 remaining from the $350,000 awarded by capital outlay and it may be used for these.

Helen Schruf, with the beautification committee, said they had wanted to place a small sign at the Veterans Park. They had wanted it to have Vern Cravens on the sign but found they could have a conflict because the land had been donated by the Foy family as specifically to be used as a Veterans Memorial Park. Gray had reached out to Judge Jimmy Foy and said he had no problem with the sign proposed because Cravens had maintained the park for many years. Jimmy Foy did ask that they reach out to Carney Foy because he had been the chairman of the Foy Corporation which has been dissolved. Gray reached out to Carney Foy, and he did not have a problem but asked that he have time to reach out to the rest of the family. Carney Foy called Gray back, and the Foy family proposed a sign saying Veterans Park dedicated to those who gave their service to our country and remembering Vern Cravens whose care for the park reflected his care for this community. They had an email from Carney Foy with the information. Originally the sign would have been small for Vern Cravens at a cost of $100 but this will require a larger one and quotes will be sought out. The council approved moving forward on the sign.

Ordinances and resolutions

The council approved publishing the intent to adopt an ordinance amending the "emergency abatement" part of the municipal code. Salas said this would just be to publish in the newspaper to make the public aware that they may pick up the changes to review. It would be presented to the council at the next meeting. Medina asked how the public would be able to have input. Salas said they could call, email or write and she would include any comment people had to the council.

The council approved resolution 4-2026 authorizing the execution and delivery of a colonias infrastructure project fund loan grant agreement. Salas said it will be for construction of sewer improvements. The grant is $968,000 with a 20 percent loan component of $242,000.

The council approved resolution 5-2026 supporting the application and pledge of matching funds for transportation project fund. Salas said this will be for design of drainage improvements.

The council approved resolution 6-2026 for the budget adjustment request from Salas. This adjustment was for the end of the third quarter, and she had provided them with the documents.

The council approved resolution 7-2026 accepting and approving the audit for fiscal year 2025 as presented earlier in the meeting.

The council approved resolution 8-2026 authorizing the submission of an application for financial assistance and project approval to NMFA (New Mexico Finance Authority) for a fire truck. They will be using $100,000 from the fire protection grant and the rest will be a 10-year loan. Medina asked that they make sure it will be ordered turnkey and have all the necessary equipment included upon delivery.

The council approved resolution 9-2026 implementing stage one fire restrictions at the request of the fire chief.

Action for personnel

At the recent 40th Annual New Mexico Water Association Conference they had a banquet and had awards to present. Stephen Estrada, Bayard wastewater director, had received New Mexico wastewater operator of the year. The council all congratulated him, and Gray said he had seen a significant change since he had taken over.

The council approved the hiring of a new police officer. He currently will be uncertified, but will attend the academy in January. He had passed all other requirements.

The council approved the retention differential from law enforcement protection funds. Salas had found about this recently. Rep, Luis Terrazas and Sen, Gabriel Ramos had asked to meet with the police chiefs and clerks from Bayard, Santa Clara and Hurley to talk about the grow funds they would be receiving and using some as retention incentives for officers because of the problems they all had at keeping officers. Bayard has allowed a $2,000 sign on bonus but not anything else. Salas had also found out some things had changed with DFA in 2023 and officers with 20 or more years of service will be eligible for some additional retention funds.

The council approved the appointment of Andrea Carbajal as the fire department secretary-treasurer. She had been voted in by the department members.

Department head reports

Estrada said they had several callouts from the wastewater system and each time they checked it out it had been fine, and it ended up being a faulty part in the electrical box and they had it replaced. He continued with a report on all events. The maintenance department had assisted them in some repairs and assisted Santa Clara with a spill on a main line. It had required removal of fourteen truckloads of contaminated soil. They had also assisted the maintenance department in some repairs.

Sam Arellano, public works director, said the big sewer problem was  between Santa Clara and Bayard and it had been a great team effort between maintenance and wastewater departments. The New Mexico Environmental Department had been happy with how they had taken care of the situation. The new HVAC system at the community center should be finished by the end of the month or early May. Arellano said they had been working with DOT (department of transportation) to see how the railroad crossing could be improved. Hot mix will be coming, and DOT will assist with their roller to fix the potholes. The little league field has been worked on and Arellano said he had a lot of compliments. He went over some of the projects the maintenance department and wastewater department had worked on together.

Renee Provencio, librarian, updated the council on the stucco project. The old façade had been taken down and the whole project should be done in a couple of weeks. She had attended a beautification committee meeting and requested a sponsorship for the disposal fee for the trash picked up on Earth Day. They had provided $250 which had been more than Provencio asked for. She thanked them for the sponsorship and collaboration for the event. Provencio provided a list of all the events that would be happening at the library over the spring and summer. She thanked the library board for providing a lunch for one of the events.

Schruf said the beautification committee will be working on several summer and fall events. One will be a raffle, contest giveaway from Bayard businesses to promote Bayard and increase the Facebook following. She would be taking three Bayard shelter dogs to Albuquerque with Cindy Sanchez,  making the shelter empty except for two in foster homes.

Carrillo thanked the council for hiring the new officer. He has been working on a project with Lexipol to update the department's policies as required by the state. They may choose not to work with them, but it will mean losing a discount on the risk management insurance. Salas said it would be a 20 percent discount. They have been doing extra patrols at the little league field and have been working with Salas and Arellano to install more lighting at the community park. Graduation would be coming up and the police and fire department would be providing security. Tour of the Gila would be coming up and they would have patrols out. Many of the roads would be closed for at least 30 minutes.

Carrillo said Gray had suggested to have a policy in place for the animal shelter and how it will be run. He will have that run by the attorney and present it to the council.

Carrillo said they have seen a lot of the Conex – metal containers come in and the code enforcement officer will be visiting the places where they have been sold to let them know they need to have permits to bring them into Bayard.

Carrillo will continue to send emails to the council when events happen so when they have phone calls, they will be aware. He continued with the number of calls they had, which the previous month had been 234 and the county only had responded to 7. They have continued to patrol the school zones and, in the mornings, have had problems so they have been working with the DOT to see what they can do and talked about a crosswalk light like they have in Santa Clara. Ojinaga thanked them for the patrols at the little league games.

Gabriel Gonzales, fire chief, said they had 3 calls for service and 2 had been controlled burns. Twenty six calls had come in for EMS service. The department has continued to train for different scenarios. Gabriel Gonzales continued with a report on all equipment.

Salas said she had been working on quarterly statements, and grant applications. She had attended two conferences, a housing conference in Ruidoso, which had provided a lot of information and contacts for when they have everything in place. The second had been a clerks' conference with a lot of interesting topics that she could bring back to the staff. Salas had started meeting with the department heads for the next budget followed by budget workshops.

Mayor and council reports

Eloy Gonzales said he could leave the meeting feeling good because of the audit and the director of the wastewater plant receiving an award from the state for operator of the year. Everybody has been working great and cooperating with each other and thanked everyone.

Medina didn't have anything to report

Gray said he thought the town has been on a high and they need to keep it going.

Ortiz did not have anything to report from the housing authority.

Ojinaga had seen how well the maintenance department had been working together and mentioned some other ways everyone had been working together.

Next meeting will be held May 20, 2026

Meeting adjourned.