By Lynn Janes

The town of Bayard held its regular town meeting September 13, 2021. The meeting started with a short work session discussing the new cannabis ordinance stemming from the new state regulations passed allowing both medical and recreational use of cannabis. Town Clerk Kristy Ortiz gave the council the proposed ordinance and the NM regulations to compare. Ortiz said the density restrictions really were not important to the town because they had such a small business district. The location gave them the ability to restrict any cannabis business to be at least 300 feet from a school or daycare. Both schools are right next to the business district and that would not work for the town. Operating times were set the same as liquor laws. The council wanted to keep in line with what the other communities were doing. The only one that has passed an ordinance so far is Santa Clara.

The regular meeting started with Mayor Pro Tem Raul Villanueva calling the meeting to order and leading the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attendance at the meeting included Mayor Pro tem Raul Villanueva, and councilors Charles Kelly and Adrian Ortiz. Mayor Chon Fierro and councilor Eloy Medina were not in attendance.

[Editor's Note: As a result of the more than 5-hour special meeting on Sept. 7, 2021, this is the fifth and final of a multi-part series of articles and will cover the 2021 property tax mill report.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The Grant County Commission had on its special meeting agenda of Sept. 7, 2021 a resolution on the 2021 property tax mill and comments by Assessor Raul Turrieta and Treasurer Patrick Cohn.

To read the preceding articles about the ICIP and ARPA decisions by commissioners, please visit the first four installments of this series of articles at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67319-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-1, https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67408-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-2 , https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67424-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-3 and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67463-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-4 .

Turrieta handed out the rate sheets, which indicated the rates would rise slightly at a rate of 0.1 percent for 2021 for operational residential taxpayers. Operational non-residential rates would remain the same and debt service would drop by 10.5 percent.

[Editor's Note: As a result of the more than 5-hour special meeting on Sept. 7, 2021, this is the fourth of a multi-part series of articles and covers the ARPA discussion]

By Mary Alice Murphy

The special meeting of the Grant County Commission on Sept. 7, 2021 took place to discuss how to prioritize the ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan) and how to expend the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding the county has received and will receive. In this article, they discussed the ARPA funding.

You can read the first three installments at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67319-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-1, https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67408-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-2 and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67424-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-3 .

Planning and Community Development Director Priscilla Shoup began with the list of items proposed for ARPA funding. "Some were proposed by the public, some by county staff and some by commissioners."

By Lynn Janes

The town of Hurley held its regular town meeting September 14, 2021.beginning with the call to order and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attendance at the meeting included Mayor Ed Stevens, Mayor Pro Tem Richard Maynes, and Councilors Freddie Rodriguez and Mateo Madrid.

Councilors approved the agenda for the meeting.

Public Input

Dan Clark asked about the speed bump that had been requested previously. Mayor Stevens said it had been ordered and installation would begin when received.

[Editor's Note: As a result of this meeting starting at 9 a.m. and ending after 2 p.m., this is the third of a multi-part series of articles.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

Grant County commissioners met in special meeting on Sept. 7, 2021, to discuss how to prioritize the ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan) and how to expend the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding the county has received and will receive. In this article, they will continue the discussion on the ICIP.

You can read the first two installments at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67319-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-1 and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/67408-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-to-address-icip-and-arpa-priorities-090721-part-2 .

Planning and Community Development Director Priscilla Shoup noted she would move #4, the Grant County Administration Center Security and Covid-safe renovations out of the top 10.

By Lynn Janes

The Village of Santa Clara held its regular meeting September 9, 2021. Mayor Richard Bauch called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza, and Trustees, Olga Amador, Arnold Lopez, and Peter Erickson also attended.

They approved the agenda for the meeting and then approved the minutes of the previous meeting held September 9, 2021 with one minor change. On new business the second item concerning a mobile home, the manufactured home brand is a Solitare and not a Clayton.

Village trustees approved the minutes for the last meeting, August 31, 2021, and department reports.

Mayor's Report