[Editor's Note: This is part 5 and the final article of the multi-part series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session and regular meeting for December 2020.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

With no public input received for either the December work session or the regular meeting of the Grant County Commission, the review of the agenda began at the work session on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020, with the monthly expenditure report. Procurement Officer Randy Hernandez said the expenses, as of Dec. 10, 2020 totaled $2,728,964.64, including two payroll periods totaling $436,323.18. Extraordinary expenses of more than $10,000 at shown in the chart below.

Under New Business, the first item addressed the procedure for project progress reports, as requested by District 2 Commissioner Javier "Harvey" Salas.

Salas said he just wants a 'parking lot' for things so they don't slip through the cracks. "I appreciate the manager's report that she is giving us at our meetings."

[Editor's Note: Details of her report can be read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/61992-grant-county-commission-hears-county-reports-at-december-work-session-and-regular-meeting ]

Salas asked where the commission was on a general assessment of county departments. "I just want something we can look at so if we have questions, we can ask them. I'm hoping for someone to be responsible for it, so when items are completed, they are wiped off."

County Manager Charlene Webb said she had done a little bit of research. "I found an Excel-based program. What I need to be clear on is what are 'the other things.'"

Salas gave the example of how in November he had asked about possible compensation to recognize county employees in a tangible manner. "What about our partnership with the Gila National Forest? Have we done that? Solar systems, what are the possibilities?"

District 1 Commissioner and Chairman Chris Ponce noted that if they came up with something that commissioners could add to, "will it be a rolling quorum or would we just post our thoughts?"

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said it depends on if it's ongoing things that Webb is reporting on or ideas about things we want to do. "The second batch would be up to us, with the first batch up to you, Charlene."

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings said that Google Docs could be used, "but how would we prevent OMA (Open Meeting Act) violations?"

Webb said she would talk to Brad Springer, who is the attorney from the contracted law firm that the county works with.

She also noted that Salas' comment about tangible compensation to employees is "by law not allowed for the county to give anything to employees."

At the regular meeting Webb reported that she has spoken to the attorney about OMA or IPRA concerns. "If we used the Excel-based program, most likely it would be read-only for the commissioners, but you could submit items to me and we would post them. They are 'smart sheets,' but Brad is doing some more research. It is not an action item."

The next item addressed whether the commissioners would hold one or two of sets of meetings (a set being a work session and a regular meeting) a month. Webb presented two options with the potential dates for the meetings, that her executive assistant, Taysha Walter, had created, with having to work around some dates, such as the legislative sessions and holidays, with only one set of meetings in November and December, with the dates of the meetings varying by which option would be chosen. For one meeting a month, it would be the third Thursday for the regular meeting with the work session on the preceding Tuesday. For two meetings a month, the regular meetings would be on the second and fourth Thursdays and the work sessions on the preceding Tuesdays.

Browne, who has been pushing for two meetings a month said he has not changed his mind.

At the regular meeting, District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards, for the sake of discussion, moved to have one set of meetings a month and Billings seconded it. Browne said he still supports two meetings a month, with county reports at the first work session and first regular meeting and commissioner reports at all meetings.

Billings said the work expands to fill the allotted time. "I think one work session and one regular session a month are enough, considering all the other meetings we have like the GRMC (Gila Regional Medical Center) Governing Board meetings. We can always have a special meeting, if needed. A lot of boards for entities larger than us have only one meeting a month. We should only do policy issues. We have a manager to manage the county. I think the spreadsheet as a parking lot for ideas will help. I support one set of meetings a month. With special meetings and the GRMC meetings that will still be 5, 6 or 7 meetings a month."

Ponce noted that with one meeting a month, they still have at least 4 or 5 with special meetings and the governing board. "Maybe two meetings a month would cut out the special meetings."

Salas said with the hospital board meetings, "I agree with Commissioner Billings. Sometimes, I think we are doing enough for the county. I would go with Billy's comments. Once we have more control of the hospital, we can revisit the issue."

Edwards said her initial reaction with the governing board and the number of meetings that are part of that, the thought of two meetings a month sounds terrible. "On the other hand, I think some people are concerned that we are paying more attention to the hospital than to the county. Two meetings a month might be better, if they were two shorter meetings a month. I might be more on the fence than I was 10 minutes ago."

Billings said: "Not to be argumentative, but when you said two meetings would be shorter, I don't think the meetings will be shorter. When we had two, we just did more talking."

Edwards said two meetings a month is really hard on staff. "It may be better for the commissioners, but not for staff. We would be doubling up on the governing board. I'm all over the map on this issue."

Salas suggested Mondays and Wednesdays, but Browne shot that down saying that it is better to keep the days consistent for the public. "I'm open to an evening meeting, but I wouldn't support switching days."

Webb noted that the dates in January and February are different because of the legislative session beginning in January and a special election in February.

Billings said he remembers when the commissioners held two a month. "I remember how difficult it was for everyone to make all the meetings each month."

Salas said he remembered having four long meetings.

Billings said sometimes he has to disappear from the meetings because he has something else scheduled. "I try to figure out how long a meeting will take, but it always takes longer than I expect. It would also help staff so they can schedule meetings after our meetings."

Edwards said: "When we did four meetings, it was four marathons. I'm really torn. It feels like a long time between the one-a-month meetings, but the thought of two meetings seems overwhelming."

Browne said his purpose is not to save time, but "to have twice the work done. We could have more presentations on the budget or on clean energy."

Ponce said the presentations should have a time limit. "Fifteen minutes may not be enough, but maybe they can cut them down. It's my fault for not holding them to the 15 minutes."

The vote on the motion was two ayes, Billings and Salas, and three nays.

Browne moved for two a month and Edwards seconded it.

Edwards said that Commissioner Browne's last comment about more presentations cemented her decision. "I would like to see more presentations from the public."

Ponce said he was trying to think of other options. "Right now, the governing board is a priority, but hopefully down the road a bit by February or March we will have things under control. I suggest we have one set of meetings in January and February and maybe go to two meetings a month in March or May."

Edwards had another thought. "What if we did two work sessions and one regular meeting? I would be more in favor of that."

Ponce said he liked the idea. "The reason we've had the clerk be in the work sessions is I wanted to have public input on record. If we went to two work sessions, maybe one work session could be with no public input."

Edwards asked Webb if that could be put into the OMA for January.

"I'm going to state that you can always cancel a meeting if you have a lack of business," Webb said. "But I'll create whatever you want."

Billings said that with two work sessions and one regular meeting, "we would likely still have special meetings. If we are going to have two regular meetings, maybe there would be fewer special meetings?"

Ponce said if they go with two and two, the special meetings could be right before or right after the regular meetings.

Edwards suggested focusing presentations on one work session.

Salas said he saw it evolving into a good procedure. "We could structure meetings to focus on certain things."

Browne withdrew his motion. "If we have two work sessions and one regular meeting, would the regular meeting be on the second Thursday?"

He suggested the regular meeting on the second Thursday with public input at that work session and that regular meeting, with no public input at the work session on the fourth Tuesday.

Edwards added to the suggestion by saying the presentations could be at that work session with no public input.

The decision will be made at the January meeting when the commissioners approve the annual OMA resolution.

The next item on the agenda addressed a memorandum of agreement between the New Mexico Department of Health and Grant County to reimburse comprehensive health careers programs to train youth and to fund regional training opportunities in a wide range of primary care-related health professions and to expand New Mexico are health education centers outreach to areas that have not yet benefitted from the programs. The county will be reimbursed up to $192,500 for the work plan, progress report and final report. Commissioners approved it.

Commissioners also approved the annual lease of the Mimbres Senior Center by the county, which owns the center, to Hidalgo Medical Services.

Under resolutions, the first addressed amendments to the investment policy. County Treasurer Steve Armendariz explained his changes at the regular meeting.

"The thought behind this was that it was brought up more than a year ago," Armendariz said. "My point to bring this now is to bring policy into what is actually being done. We report annually to the auditors. There is no such thing as a treasurer's report. We just update the numbers, but we send a report quarterly to the state, which the financial officer sends, not the treasurer. Some of the language is based on what other counties were doing. I spoke with the incoming treasurer about this and he said it made sense. We also met with Morton Capital, which handles our investments They have done a good job, as we have in less than 10 years increased the account from $5 million to close to $10 million. They have a choice of a managed account or a self-directed account. Ours is self-directed, because we are limited to that by state statute. We buy and hold. Sometimes we buy callable CDs. When our CDs mature, the brokers suggest replacements. They get paid by the sellers at that time. They don't take a penny from us. The last things we got started at 1 percent, but the step CD, after a year and a half goes to 2 percent, then 4 percent, but it's callable. Most likely it will get called, but we get our money back plus interest. We have received $6,800 in interest since July."

Ponce said part of him thinks about the new treasurer coming in. "We should have heard from him."

Armendariz said he has invited Patrick Cohn to attend the meeting, but he had a prior commitment.

Salas said he thought Armendariz has "done a fantastic job. This is just stating how it's been done."

Armendariz said the amendments take out requirements that are not reality. "The new treasurer can change things, but I think this policy should show the way it's been done."

Billings said he was wondering if it wouldn't be good to have the new treasurer come in and then do it. "I think that would be something for the extra work session. I have lots of questions. Can the county invest in equity funds?"

Armendariz said: "No, that's why it makes no sense to pay for transactions."

Browne said he, too, had a lot of questions, "but I don't think I have questions on the technical changes. I think we should get the ball rolling by accepting these changes and then hearing from Cohn when he feels prepared."

Edwards said she was reluctant to make changes right now with the new treasurer coming in. "We should have addressed this months ago."

Salas said he sees it as a need for the "to do" list. "I think this is a good blueprint for the new treasurer. Once he's in office, he can come to us for changes. I would rather have it cemented now."

Armendariz said the changes didn't happen "last night. I brought them in January, but it was tabled. I encourage you to solicit input from the new treasurer. In August, I submitted these changes to Commissioner Browne and the county manager. I would like to see it cleaned up. In hindsight these corrections should have been done years ago."

Ponce said it was a working document and it made sense to him to change it now.

Webb said she believed it would be prudent. "It's been a mess since I came in 2014. I still think it needs a lot of work. I've spoken to Patrick and he's been doing his homework. I think he will bring something different."

Billings said, knowing all that, he is not opposed to approving it, knowing that changes can be made. The amendments were accepted 4-1, with Edwards voting nay.

Ponce said he would like to see it on the agenda at a work session for January.

Billings had presented a resolution requesting the governor to reconsider the essential retail limit restrictions. "I created the resolution, because the 75-person limit for Walmart made it a ghost town. Dollar General seems crowded. But thanks to the governor's recent order to consider capacity rather than number limits and common sense, this resolution is no longer relevant."

[Editor's Note: Because of the changes, the decision was made not to report all the discussion at the work session, which was held the day before the governor issued her new health order. Although one comment was made that Jeff Fell of the Silver City Fire Department had noted that the 75-person limit kept Walmart at only 3.8 percent of its capacity.]

Commissioners, as the Grant County Health Care Claims Board, at the regular meeting approved the Gila Regional claims for November 2020 in the amount of $1,523.95.

Back to being the Board of County Commissioners, they gave their commissioner reports at the work session and the regular meeting.

On Tuesday, Billings kicked off the reports by saying that the area needs a Veterans Service Officer. Silver City and Grant County had a VSO for many years, but about a year ago, the Department of Veterans Services consolidated the officers in just a few cities. The one that is supposed to serve the area is now in Las Cruces.

"I don't quite know how to go about getting a new VSO here," Billings said. "Western New Mexico University has a volunteer. I know the VSO is a taxing position as they have to deal with a lot of red tape to help veterans get their benefits. I know Rep. Rebecca Dow has been pushing to get a full-time one here or one to share with other communities. We need the help here. It's known that almost one veteran an hour is committing suicide in this country."

Salas said when the VSO used to be at the old Armory, it was convenient. "Going to Western isn't as easy. At the Armory, the officer could give you the information right there."

Edwards said she believes it is a state-funded position. "I'm a contractor with the DOH, and it takes up to a year to hire someone. It would be helpful to have Dow poke someone in HR."

Webb said: "She has poked and gotten nowhere."

Salas said for his report he wanted to thank everyone at the county for doing their jobs "during this difficult time."

The work session adjourned.

At the regular meeting, Salas said he took time to reflect on 2020. "I'm proud of what we've done, especially working hard on the hospital. I'm proud that all of us have been able to come together. I'm hopeful for a productive year."

Browne echoed the sentiments.

Billings wished everyone Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. He gave an update on the veterans' service officer position. "Services are not offered at Western anymore. I have a letter sent to Rep. Dow saying that the DVS was programmed to have a VSO in Silver City, but COVID put it on hold. Veterans in need of service will be assisted by the Las Cruces office. A lot of veterans are not getting the services they need. I'll try to keep abreast of this issue and keep you informed."

Edwards thanked Commissioner Billings for what he was doing. "Given the level of vulnerability of veterans, I would think the pandemic would be a reason to have a VSO here now. Yes, I know it is very difficult to navigate the VA system. Pushing them off to Las Cruces makes my blood boil We should be ashamed of how we treat veterans in this country."

"On the vaccine, it will be DOH that decides the parameters on how the vaccine is distributed throughout the state," Edwards continued. "Margaret Diaz and Michele Giese will be our advocates on the vaccine. I want to thank the board of commissioners as the governing board. It's been a challenging year. I'm proud of how you have stepped up to the plate. We have had a lot of meetings for the governing board. I appreciate the amount of effort you have put into it. I am honored to work with the CEO search committee of 15. I think they made the search exponentially easier. I would also like to thank the county manager. It's definitely been a challenging year. So many have had to do things they didn't expect to have to do. For that I thank you and wish everyone Happy Holidays. I look forward to a less challenging 2021."

Ponce also thanked his fellow commissioners. "I want to tell you how much I have learned from you and how much you have made me aware of things. We have always had good discussions. The positive direction of the hospital couldn't have been done without all your work. The public has also taught me. I think I've grown as a person and as a commissioner. I, too, want to thank Charlene. She's done a great job and the staff continues to do good work, everyone from the top to the bottom. 2020 has had some challenges. For some of us, it could have been worse; for some it was worse. I hope for a better 2021. I appreciate all of you, the staff and the elected officials. Once again, I thank you. Happy Holidays."

The regular meeting adjourned.