[Editor's Note: The Grant County Commission held a work session on Dec. 12, 2023. This part 8 continues the work session regular meeting agenda review and decisions made at the Dec. 14, 2023 regular meeting. This article completes the two meetings.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

County Manager Charlene Webb continued her review of the regular meeting agenda at the Dec. 12, 2023 work session.

The next item under new business was consideration of the holiday schedule for 2024.

Commissioners approved it at the regular session on Dec. 14, 2023.

The following item addressed the purchase of a new rescue pumper for Whiskey Creek Volunteer Fire Department. Webb, at the work session, said the chief wants to replace a Type 3 engine, which he will trade in. The engine has had electrical issues for many years. "He is seeking your approval to purchase a new Type 3 engine, after trade-in, at $472,242 using about $150,000 of his state fire funds leaving the rest to come out of the County Fire Fund. That would be our recommendation to purchase this truck. The truck is available and ready, so that's why we want to move forward at this time."

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne commented that the difference is over $300,000 that will come out of the county fund that "all the brouhaha was about a while back. These funds have been collected by the county and now are being used. This is the first major use?"

Webb said it was the second, with the first being the water tanks for the Upper Mimbres VFD. "These are all projects that the departments were working on. We are putting them in priority order to improve their ISO ratings and help improve their processes."

Browne said his comment was more about the fact that after all the controversy, the departments are getting their funds to complete their projects.

"Yes, we had conversations with the chiefs and Scot Fuller (emergency manager and interim county fire management officer) has done an excellent job communicating with them, meeting their needs and giving them the guidance they haven't received in the past," Webb said.

Commissioners approved the purchase at the regular meeting.

The next item under review at the work session addressed the EMS Fund Act local funding program application for fiscal year 2025. Webb said it was an application from the Pinos Altos VFD, and the application requires approval from the commission prior to submittal.

District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina said the other departments would be submitting their applications in the next week or two. Webb noted this was the only December meeting, and the deadline is Jan. 14, 2024 for submittal, so they would have to get them in before the first meeting in January.

Commissioners approved the application at the regular meeting.

Under agreements, Webb said the first item was consideration of a purchase agreement between Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation for motor graders for the Road Department, through a governmental equipment lease.

Finance Director Linda Vasquez said: "Two will be delivered soon. The lease purchase agreement allows us to be able to purchase them at the end of the six-year lease. We will likely trade them in at that time for some new equipment. It's about $526,000 for the total lease."

Webb said the county had anticipated the increase and included it in the budget. "They are the same type of lease purchases we have done in the past, so we continue to have updated equipment."

Commissioners approved the lease purchase at the regular meeting.

At the work session, the next agreement addressed consideration of an agreement with the JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) in the amount of $47,946.66 for the Sheriff's department.

Sheriff Raul Villanueva explained the grant allows the deputies to work overtime, concentrating on high-risk warrants and working narcotics. "It's been working really well to have the deputies arrest these individuals with high-risk warrants that we have to contend with. It's a good fund that we will continue to use."

Commissioners approved it at the regular meeting.

The following agreement consideration addressed an MOU (memorandum of understanding) between the Gila National Forest law enforcement and investigations as a cooperative agreement with the Grant County Sheriff's Office.

Villanueva noted that it was an annual agreement between the sheriff's office and the Forest Service to cooperate and use each other's services to address anything that goes on in the forest.

Commissioners approved the MOU at the regular meeting.

The final agreement under review at the work session considered an agreement with the State of New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in the amount of $73,440 to address the hazardous mitigation plan through Emergency Manager Scot Fuller.

Commissioners approved the agreement at the regular meeting after District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards said: "We really appreciate Scot getting this across the finish line after so many years. We appreciate all your efforts on all the fronts you're facing at the moment."

Next on the agenda for review at the work session were resolutions.

The first resolution considered amendments to the approved and adopted FY 24 budget, due to the receipt of grants, including the GO (General Obligation) bonds that were just sold, as well as receipt of the Corre Caminos annual federal funding.

Vasquez listed the funding revenues and expenditures at the work session.

Commissioners approved the budget adjustments at the regular meeting.

The next resolution considered adoption of procurement code policies and procedures, presented by Procurement Officer Veronica Rodriguez. "It's mainly an update to our purchasing card programs. It will now be called a procurement card program. As we are now transferring from Wells Fargo to Washington Federal, we made that change as well."

Commissioners approved the update at the regular meeting.

At the work session, Rodriguez explained the October 2023 indigent claims, with a recommendation to approve the $107.92 for one claim. More than $3,700 in claims were denied because the patients went to the hospital before they were incarcerated, she said.

Edwards asked who pays for the costs at that point. Webb replied: "The law enforcement agency that took them in. We cannot pay for the services until they are incarcerated."

Edwards asked if it was a communication issue or an emergency issue. Webb said lots of scenarios enter into the decisions and it would take 15 or 30 minutes to explain them all.

Commissioners approved the health care claims at the regular meeting, after recessing as the Board of County Commissioners and convening as the Grant County Health Care Claims Board.

At the work session, Webb said the commissioners would hold an executive session at the regular meeting to discuss real property issues.

Commissioners gave reports at the work session.

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said he wanted to let the public know that if they had tried to call him, he had received voicemail, but when he tried to put the code in several times, several popped up from November, but he couldn't access them. "Please give me another call and leave me a message. New Mexico Counties will be working on the stipends for the volunteer fire fighters that go out on calls. The other one, the 8-hours that elected officials are required to work a month will also be brought up at a board of directors meeting of New Mexico Counties."

Browne wished everybody a Happy Virgen de Guadalupe Day which was that day. He also said that Sun Zia had told the county they would be receiving almost $100,000. "I would like to see that used for the recommendations we received in the Trails and Open Space Plan we did a couple of years ago to turn it into a plan that isn't just sitting on a shelf, but is moving things forward for the county."

Edwards said he was an agreement to put the money toward getting the plan off the shelf and putting it to work.

District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina said he is working on a plan on road safety. "The other day I was driving and I saw a young lady on a bicycle. I saw a vehicle almost hit her. I want to make people aware to be careful around our neighbors walking or riding along the roads. On Sunday morning, I was attacked by a dog. I called 911 and they helped me. I was close to shooting the dog. The dog tore my clothes. Just be aware of animals and take care of your pets."

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings had no report.

At the regular meeting, after reconvening as the Board of Commissioners, some commissioners had reports.

Edwards said: "I have some thoughts. I'm not really sure how we address this, every so often, especially when we're talking about staff salaries and the cost of insurance. I want to acknowledge that the union negotiations have taken a long time and that they are affecting morale, but I want to make clear that a lot of the purchases we are making for equipment and such are being purchased with funding that has nothing to do with the county General Fund, which provides funding for salaries. I think it's important for everyone to understand that how we fund the county happens in many different ways. Not all of the funding the county receives can be used for all that the county puts out. It's a big difference and it affects how we think about staff salaries and expenses. Every employee contributes their own expertise to the county. It's a big job to run the county. Everyone from the new hire to the county manager contributes his or her part. We can say this has been a very good year for the county, and I appreciate the contribution everyone makes to that success."

Billings said what Edwards said was well stated. "I agree and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

Medina said he went to his fourth quarterly session in Mimbres, and he took the permanent GRMC CEO Robert Whitaker and the chief nursing officer. "The people really liked having them there, and hearing the word permanent excited them. We took a lot of questions. Robert did a great job answering their questions. I did come back with an idea. I was tasked to get some defibrillators in the senior centers. With approval of the county manager and I also talked to Billy about it, we will provide a couple to each senior center, and the hospital will provide the training on how to use them. I talked to Dan Otero (HMS CEO) and he will try to get his people up to par, too. I think it will be a good thing. I also talked to the sheriff about getting some mobile units, some AEDs (automated external defibriallator) for the deputies to use in Mimbres and in Cliff-Gila."

Ponce asked: "Why have we never had the AEDs in the Senior Centers? Thank you for doing that."

Browne had no report.

Ponce said he wanted to thank Commissioner Medina for helping out with the debriefing at that horrible incident in Santa Clara. "I hope the deputies and first responders continue to take advantage of it. My heart goes out the family. I really appreciate what you did there, Commissioner Medina."

The commissioners went into executive session and came out about 15 minutes later saying that they would take no action.

The meeting adjourned.

To read the prior articles, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81832-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-part-1  ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81852-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-part-2 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81868-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-part-3 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81909-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-and-regular-meeting-121423-part-4 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81935-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-and-regular-meeting-121423-part-5 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81962-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-and-regular-meeting-121423-part-6  ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/81975-grant-county-commission-held-work-session-121223-and-regular-meeting-121423-part-7  .