[Editor's Note: This is the final part 7 of a series of articles on the Grant County Commission work session on Aug. 8, 2023, and the regular meeting on Aug. 10, 2023. This will continue with the review of the regular meeting agenda and decisions made at the regular meeting.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

At the Grant County Commission work session on Aug. 8, 2023, County Manager Charlene Webb continued with the review of the Aug. 10, 2023 regular meeting agenda.

The second resolution under consideration addressed the salaries of elected officials and chief deputies in Grant County.

Webb explained that the resolution specifies the salary changes. "The deputy official salary right now is 90 percent of the salary of the elected official. The change is to 95 percent of the salary for the deputies and the Chief Deputy assessor shall be entitled to applicable appraiser qualification incentive payments not to exceed $9,000. It will bring us to statutory compliance,"

Commissioners approved the resolution at the regular meeting.

The following agenda item addressed bids and requests for proposal. Financial Officer Linda Vasquez said the one item would provide contracts for Holcomb Law Office and Mynatt Springer P.C. "We recommend to award both."

Webb said: "Holcomb has experience with employment and labor law and Mynatt Springer has done a good job for us in all other areas. It makes sense to award it to both. We have worked with Holcomb with a small award. This can be better to have her be able to have a contract."

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards confirmed that the overall cost would remain about the same.

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne asked if both would attend commissioner meetings.

"Probably, Holcomb would be available for executive session or if an item is on the agenda," Webb said. "Mynatt Springer will attend when needed."

The Board of Commissioners recessed and reconvened as the Grant County Health Claims Board to approve an indigent burial claim for $600 to Baca's Funeral Chapels.

They also approved indigent claims for $1,014.46.

In commissioner reports in the work session, District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings had nothing; District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina had nothing and Edwards had nothing.

Browne said the recent heat has raised questions. "Have we ever contemplated a cooling center?"

Webb said: "No, we haven't contemplated that. But I saw the other day that Valencia County has done that."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce asked about charging stations for electric vehicles. "I know some people are going to Deming to charge their cars. Is it the county or the city or who is in charge of that issue?"

Webb said the county has looked at the issue. "There was funding, but we had no capacity to apply. PNM provides an incentive."

She also said it comes to mind that Facilities Superintendent Jason Lockett has said, "we need to resurface the Conference Center parking lot. Maybe we could put in a charging station there. We're all thinking about it."

"I think it would be good to look at that," Ponce said.

Browne said the state also has money for this. "They did a priority list and Silver City wasn't on it, because it wasn't on a transportation corridor. We want to be on the second round. Valero in Deming is only for Teslas. I suggest Walmart, so one can go into the store while charging. The Conference Center is a good place, but Ace is the only place to go into. Maybe it should be put somewhere else."

Edwards said: "Now that we are having bigger conversations on things we are talking about, maybe we should make them priorities and reopen the county Comprehensive Plan."

Webb said: "I am completely overwhelmed. Randy (Hernandez, planning director) is completely overwhelmed. Neither of us has enough time to devote to it."

Edwards said they should also be talking about rural health care. "The Comprehensive Plan needs to be something that we look at in the future, and we need to make sure you and your staff have enough staff to do the work."

Webb agreed the county has to do a better job with the Comprehensive Plan.

Edwards said she wasn't happy with the current one and "that's why I voted against it."

They went into executive session at the work session, with no action expected.

At the regular meeting, Billings said he wanted to say to anyone concerned about fire funds that the issue was discussed in great detail at the July 26, 2023 meeting.

[Editor's Note: The article can be viewed at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79680-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-july-26-2023  ]

Browne had no commissioner report at the regular meeting.

Edwards said: "Every time I look at the news, it's bad. It causes us to forget the heroes like the ones the sheriff recognized today. There are thousands of those everyday citizens doing good things.

"I would also like to say congratulations to the hospital Board of Trustees. I'm hearing a lot of positive feedback. I thank them for what they are doing. The fact that after last year's loss of $1.4 million, the hospital ended this year with only a $400,000 loss is excellent. They should really be pleased. I heard that the Gerald Champion Hospital in Alamogordo is being sold. If we want to keep our hospital, we need to use it and appreciate having such a good rural hospital.

"I want to comment also on the fact that no one showed up for the three ICIP (infrastructure capital improvement plan) hearings that Randy held. I would like to remind people that the ICIP is the process we have to do to get funding to come to the county. Your responsibility as a citizen is to give us feedback. If you don't give us your input, we make the decisions that you might not like.

"And a comment on the ballot language that all of us found confusing. That language was provided by the Department of Taxation and Revenue. An important clarification is that the old ordinance passed in 2012. That was 11 years ago, and it allowed us to access the gross receipts tax increment to fund Dispatch communications. That ordinance, if we don't approve the ballot proposal, and the tax will go away, and we will be faced with how to come up with the money to fund Dispatch operations. The second part of the ballot proposal authorizes the county to approve the tax to fund Dispatch. If we don't have that tax, we will be close to a $1 million shortage. If it is approved, the sunset clause will go away, your taxes will not rise, and the gross receipts increment will be permanently in place to fund Dispatch."

Browne noted that "all of us have heard complaints and confusion. In my book, it was poorly worded. I bear responsibility for not reading the short version that was on the ballot, so we make sure we can explain it to our constituents."

Ponce reiterated that the issue was very important to the county. "The language didn't come from us."

Ponce continued: "It's getting a little old hearing about the issue of the fire funds. We are asking for details on how much each department has expended over the past years. I understand that you are saving for safety equipment, but I would like the chiefs to be responsible for spending money for safety equipment for the volunteers. I don't want to see it disappearing because it hasn't been spent."

The regular meeting adjourned.

[Editor's Note: The ballot proposal was overwhelmingly approved by voters. See https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79680-grant-county-commission-holds-special-meeting-july-26-2023 for the results .]

For the previous articles in the series, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79844-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-part-1; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79871-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-part-2; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79906-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-3; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79963-photos-added-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-4 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/79984-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-5; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/80013-grant-county-commission-holds-work-session-080823-and-regular-meeting-081023-part-6

.