By Lynn Janes

The town of Hurley had a regular meeting April 15, 2025. Mayor Pro Tem Reynaldo Maynes, Pete Ordonez and Robert Candelaria attended. Mayor Ed Stevens and Aron Phillips didn't attend.

Public comment

Archi Padilla came to address a concern. She asked why out of $5 million of legislative monies for Grant County did Hurley only receive $150,000. Padilla pointed out that Santa Clara had received considerably more. She had contacted Ordonez, and he said it had been because they had not spent the funding, they had received the previous year. She thought that would be equally as disappointing.

The council approved the consent agenda with the exception of the library report they had not received. The consent agenda did include the past meeting minutes, and reports from maintenance, clerk, fire department, animal control, code enforcement and police department.

The council approved the audit report. Cheryl Daily joined the meeting online along with Rashel Lopez from Beasley, Mitchell and Company. The state had released the audit March 19, 2025. Daily said Darlene McBride, clerk, had worked hard to assist them and she thanked her for really stepping up. They had started the audit at the beginning of a personnel change.

The audit had received an unmodified opinion which would be the best they could receive. They did have three findings. The findings can be worked on to avoid in the future. One of the prior year findings had been resolved. Some of the current ones have already been resolved. Daily went over the issues and what had been done to correct them. She said to not hesitate to reach out to them with questions or guidance.

Ordonez had a question for them not directed at the audit. His question had to do with the procurement code and the dollar amount cut off before it had to come before the council. Daily didn't know for sure but thought it might be $60,000 but she would research that and get back to them. Ordonez said the town had a $2,000 limit before it had to come to the council. Daily said that would be up to the council and it could be different for each department. The council discussed the amount for a while.

Archi Padilla had a presentation for the council concerning New Mexico BARC (Borderland Animal Rescue Coalition) a 501c3. She had been part of a group who built the shelter twelve years ago in Hurley with the intent of it being a no kill shelter one day and continued to work as a volunteer for six years. Afterwards she had been on the committee to rewrite the animal ordinance for Hurley.

When they rewrote the ordinance, they had been very careful in the language because they wanted to ensure that the lives of the animals could improve, especially the outdoor pets. They addressed adequate shelter, shade, food and water. The ordinance made it illegal to have an unaltered pet meaning all had to be spayed and neutered. If someone wanted to keep a pet unaltered, they had to obtain a permit from the town of $50 a year. The state requires that all pets not leave the shelter without being spayed or neutered. If not, the owners have to sign an agreement to do it within 30 days. The spay and neuter law had been passed in 2019 and to this day it has not been enforced. In Padilla's experience 95 percent of dogs and 100 percent of cats that came into the shelter had not been spayed or neutered.

After she stopped working at the shelter, she continued helping in the community and last year she had come together with some other ladies doing the same things to start the group called New Mexico BARC. It is all volunteer and they have nine board members, and an advisory council made up of Senator Antoinette Cedillo-Lopez (Albuquerque), a veterinarian and an animal trainer, Cindy Sanchez. The mission of the group has been dedicated to stopping the killing of adoptable healthy cats and dogs in southwest New Mexico and beyond. They have also partnered up with Best Friends, a long-known no-kill shelter in Kanab, Utah known nationally. Best Friends has had the goal to have all municipality shelters no kill.

Padilla said sadly they have not been able to achieve that goal in Hurley. The agreement has been to keep the animal 90 days before being euthanized. She added that behind the scenes they have been working to help not only in Hurley but the mining district. They have not just been working to find ways to have the animals adopted but have been walking the dogs and cleaning kennels. While doing this They can work on socializing the animals so they can be adopted, and they get to know them.

Some of the animals have been taken from the shelter and transported to no-kill facilities in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Best Friends. The volunteers have donated their time and funds to transport the animals. Recently they had been able to transport all animals from all three shelters to other facilities. This helps alleviate stresses on the animal control officers that wear many hats in the mining district.

BARC also raises funds to spay and neuter animals at no cost to individuals. Padilla said she had been busy in Hurley donating some dog houses to ones that didn't have any shelter and straw for the winter. Padilla had come to ask the town for a small budget of maybe as little as $2,000 for spay, neuter and vaccines. Recently HB 113 had just been signed and provided $5 million, and it will be for animal welfare and primarily for small shelters. She encouraged the town to apply for the grant. They need a separate building for the cats. The current building has been nice for the dogs but stressful for the cats facing the dogs. Padilla added they needed a separate building for quarantine also.

Padilla spoke next about TNVR, trap, neuter, vaccinate and release. This program has been for feral cats. Cats live in colonies and this program has been very effective in many places. They trap the cats, fix them and cut the tip of the ear to show they have been fixed. That way those cats will not reproduce and eventually die off. Cats keep coming but the numbers stay down. Having this program will allow for grant funding.

Padilla said, "Having Best Friends as a partner is like having a lottery ticket." They have been helping in many areas and have come here to meet with the animal control officers in the mining district to see how they can help.

"We just can't have laws if we are not practicing and enforcing them. We have to do so. Why have an animal control officer if they are afraid to write tickets?" Padilla continued if people have a pet, they must be responsible and spay and neuter them. They must be vaccinated and have a proper home. If the dog will be kept in the yard they must have proper shelter. "How animals are treated speaks a lot to how we treat ourselves." Padilla wanted to meet with the council on a more formal basis and create a memorandum of understanding (MOU). BARC wants to help provide free spay and neuter to the community. They already provide dog houses, shade and straw to anyone who asks.

BARC wants to pull animals for adoption in other places and does not want to violate any ordinance. They can't High Desert Humane Society because they have to pay an adoption fee to take them, and that fee could be $110-$120. Hurley does not have that in their ordinance and Padilla wanted to see it stay that way. They can continue to transport animals to places where they can be adopted quickly. The shelters they take them to have a lot of foot traffic and can be open seven days a week. The mining district shelters can't provide that.

BARC has a go fund me page and will be participating in the Give Grandly event. With the 501c3 they will be able to apply for grants.

Padilla went back to the request of $2,000 and that could spay or neuter around 120 dogs. It would help a lot of people who can't afford to spay and neuter when adopting an animal.

The council approved task order number 2 for the Big Muddy Recreation Park. George Esqueda, Stantec, went over the project. The $278,000 for planning and design will expire June 30, 2025. He said they could make the deadline and would be setting up the project to do in phases. The actual planning and design cost will be $255,000 so it will be within the budget.

Currently they have $325,000 for construction and that will be identified as phase one. This will have the project ready for utilities and start of the restrooms. They will be setting up for future phases so all below groundwork will be done.

The council approved task order number 5 to do chip seal improvements. The quotes received exceeded the amount of funding available and the documentation received didn't meet requirements. They will be combining funding for a few years to do the project.

The council approved task order number 10 to finish the road repairs for E Street, Anza Street and 3rd Street. Generally, the town has to pay a 5 percent match but had been able to obtain a waiver on this project.

The council approved task order number 11 for the Hurley wells' lightning protection. Currently they do not have any protection so if lightning hit the wells, it could stop the motors and electrical equipment. This will create protection and stop any electrical damage. Hurley has two production wells at this time. They will have another one coming on board in the near future that will be called well five. This protection will cover all three wells, the two current ones and the new one to come later. This will just be the design phase and construction will come later.

Esqueda and Richard Maynes, Stantec, provided updates on all the projects, past, present, and future, they will be doing for Hurley. They had provided a list and highlighted items they wanted to bring attention to.

Esqueda addressed the GO Building. He told them no matter what they plan to do with the building it will require asbestos abatement. The council discussed the project for a while. The schematic design had been approved in September 2024. The construction needs far exceed the funds available at this time. He told them with the design documents they have they can go to the legislature and possibly obtain more.

Esqueda continued with the list of projects and Richard Maynes continued with speaking to the well number 5 project. The current grant expires in June 2025, and he has reached out to Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments, to obtain an extension. He continued with a number of other projects, some already discussed.

The council proclaimed April 14-19, 2025, National Public Safety Telecommunicator Week. McBride said this shows appreciation for Grant County dispatch and the service they provide the communities. Reynoldo Maynes had attended a recent meeting and said they receive thousands of calls a month and have been the backbone of the communications emergency services.

The council approved the purchase order to San Bar Construction Corporation through Mountain States Construction, Inc. for $8,730.00 to purchase a second welcome sign along the highway.

The council approved resolution no. 10-2024/2025. This authorized the filing of an application for funding assistance through the NMISC (New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission) for funding from the New Mexico Unit Fund.

The council approved the appointment of Krista Orosco to the library board. They have not received any other applications for the position.

Mayor and councilors reports.

Reynoldo Maynes said he had reported all the meetings he had attended already.

Ordonez said he didn't have anything to report currently.

Candelaria said he has been working with the administrative office to help improve some of the technologies.

The next regular meeting will be May 13, 2025, at 5:00 pm.
Budget workshop before regular meeting May 13, 2025, at 4:00 pm.

Meeting adjourned.