By Roger Lanse

Town Manager Alex Brown told the Silver City Town Council at its Tuesday, May 12, 2020 virtual meeting that a preliminary budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year is due in Santa Fe by the end of May. This preliminary budget is only a working draft, Brown said, and does not require approval from council. At the last meeting, Brown said, he reported that cuts between 9 and 25 percent will need to be made which amounts to a $1.1-2.5 million because of expected decreases in revenue to the general fund attributed to the COVID-19 outbreak.

To achieve a $2.5 million cut in the budget, Brown stated, he first looked first at non-essential departments, or quality of life departments, such as recreation, swimming pool, museum, and library. Brown said he is suggesting a 37 percent reduction in library funding, a 52 percent reduction in museum funding, and not opening either the Rec Center, because of orders limiting gatherings to no more than five, or the swimming pool for the same, and other, reasons.

The cuts at the library will be achieved through job-shares and cuts in hours from 47 to 37 (writer assumes this is per week). No one will lose their jobs, Brown said. At the museum, Brown stated they are going to be focusing more on on-line programs and getting supplemental funding. The museum will be getting help from the Museum Society and the library from the Library Foundation.

According to Brown, for additional reductions they are looking to a lesser extent at police and fire administrations, the community development department, and municipal court.

For other town departments; parks, streets, utilities, they continue to be looked at and no final decisions regarding their funding have been made yet, Brown said.

The 25 percent reduction is the worst-case scenario that Brown can see right now, and he is waiting until the middle of June to make any specific recommendations to council.

Notices will be sent out to employees, Brown said, advising them of hours to be cut, and potential layoffs and/or furloughs. This has to be done by the end of May, he stated.

If, by the middle of June, decreases in revenue are not as great as feared, Brown said, layoffs and furloughs may not be required. "What I'm trying to do right now is getting as big an ending cash balance as we can right now to help support that (no layoffs or furloughs) and allow us to keep additional employees on staff longer."

Also, Brown said, all scheduled increases in pay for the next fiscal year are cancelled.

Council approved an ordinance declaring the intention of the town to continue the existence and operation of its "Local Labor-Management Relations Board," and to amend the Town's municipal code in that regard. Both Brown and Town Attorney Robert Scavron spoke to the need to keep this board as local as possible.

Silver City Police Chief Freddy Portillo presented some crime statistics comparing April and May of this year with the same time period in 2019. Portillo stated there was a slight decrease in violent crimes this year over 2019, with the exception of robberies, of which there were five this year versus none in April and May of 2019. Property crimes were up a little this year, as were commercial burglaries. Shopliftings remain pretty consistent – around 13-17, he said. "We are going to continue to be aggressive out there on the street."

Silver City Fire Chief Milo Lambert told council for the period January through May 10, statewide, there has been a sizeable decrease in EMS calls and Gila Regional Medical Center is reporting about half the calls this year versus last year, However, Silver Fire, Lambert said, has had about a 10 percent increase in EMS calls, and about an 18 percent increase in overall call volume.

Silver City Emergency Manager Jeff Fell stated that all essential departments are operational and all town buildings, with a few exceptions, remain closed to the public. Coordination with Grant County continues.

District 2 Councilor Lynda Aiman-Smith expressed approval of the new town website and lauded Brown and Town Clerk Ann Mackie for getting it up and running. She also noted that community radio presents each weekday at noon a short update of New Mexico coronavirus stats.

District 1 Councilor Cynthia Bettison congratulated Mayor Ken Ladner on being named to the governor's Economic Recovery Council. In answer to a question by Ladner, she mentioned that a notice on Facebook reported $67,000 was raised at the recent Give Grandly event, but she could not state that was an accurate or a complete figure. Bettison also stated that people have asked her if business employees are required to wear masks and she asked Portillo about that. Portillo responded,"If we get a complaint from a citizen we will go to the business and let management know and remind them of the order. We will not enforce anything as far as any type of enforcement action. We will also notify state police of the problems going on in the business, and will also notify the Department of Health," he said.

District 4 Councilor Guadalupe Cano asked Portillo if additional police presence could be allotted to Bennett Street as she has received many complaints about speeding on that street, and he acknowledged the request. She also inquired about trucks hauling cattle on College Avenue that are not driving very well and speeding. Portillo answered there is no ordinance
preventing transportation of cattle in town, but if the trucks are driving recklessly or speeding that can be addressed.

Ladner stated that a local task force, a few days ago, sent the governor a proposal to re-open businesses in Silver City. He also said that Brown headed an effort to stockpile personal protective equipment for those local businesses and other entities who might need them.

Council approved staff's recommendation to hire Stone McGee Company CPA for audit services for fiscal year 2019-2020.