Grant County Commission part 6

[Editor's Note: This is part 6 of a multi-part series on the work and regular commission meetings of April 16 and 18, 2019. It begins to address the regular agenda. Most of both meetings were covered, although not everything, but the commission has met since, and the Beat will try to catch up and keep you informed. Sorry for the author's absence unexpectedly.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

After presentations at the work session on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, County Financial Officer Linda Vasquez presented the expenditure report. The expenditures for the past month totaled $1,683,131.24, which included two payroll periods totaling $417,176.22. The following chart shows the expenditures that each exceeded $10,000:

Commission Chairman Chris Ponce asked about the payment to Western New Mexico University.

County Manager Charlene Webb said it was the yearly payment by the county to support the golf course. "We made an agreement when WNMU took over the course to provide in-kind payments and donations by Silver City and Grant County. It is considered economic development. We could choose not to fund it in the budget, if we choose. It is listed under the commissioners line item."

Two proclamations were presented. More discussion on them will be in the regular meeting article, as well as an update from the Silver City Ranger District by Beth Ihle.

Webb said the $7.695 million bond issue would be covered in detail at the regular meeting. "We received the interest rate, which will be 3.26 percent. We will receive $8 million to spend."

She said the next item would address the written procedures for ongoing tax compliance. "If we accept this policy, it will simplify things for us, because we can just check a box on a form, going forward. I have been telling them what we do. That is in this policy. If you accept this, we can say, yes, we have a written policy."

The next item, which was approved at the regular meeting, would name Detention Center Administrator Mike Carillo to the Tu Casa Advisory Committee.

Community Development and Planning Director Michael "Mischa" Larisch offered a list of folks who have agreed to serve on the Complete Count Committee for the 2020 Census. "This list is ongoing, and we may add people. We need a commissioner willing to serve."

Commissioner Alicia Edwards asked how long the committee would be in place.

"Up through the completion of the count," Larisch said. "I'm not sure when it will be considered done." To a question on how often they will meet, Larisch said Paul Dulin, who has presented to the commission in past meetings, said it would depend on the committee and if they decided they needed subcommittees, the latter might meet more often. "The committee only necessitates a report from the full committee.

"Census Day is April 1, 2020," Larisch said.

Edwards said the completion of the county is by Dec. 31, 2019, according to what she had read and the census would be presented to the president on March 31, 2021.

"We need a volunteer by Thursday," Webb said.

Commissioners would make a decision at the regular meeting to approve out-of-state travel for Sheriff Office's Detective Adam Arellano and Sgt. Michael Yost to go to Denver to attend certified voice stress analysis training.

"Our policy requires the Commission to approve all out-of-state training," Webb said. "We will present an amendment to the policy next month, so you don't always have to approve the travel."

Ponce noted that each department has training funds. "It should be done between the department heads and management."

The annual Volunteer Fire Protection Funds applications for Cliff/Gila, Fort Bayard, Grant County, Lower Mimbres, Pinos Altos, Sapillo Creek, Santa Rita, Tyrone, Upper Mimbres and Whiskey Creek departments would be up for approval at the regular meeting.

"The requirement is that these applications be approved by the Commission," Webb said.

The next item addressed whether or not to hold evening meetings.

"I received input from the departments," Webb said. "I emailed you their comments."

Edwards noted that it was about 50-50 for evening meetings or not. "There were a lot of comments. The consensus seemed to be that if a hot topic was on the agenda, people would attend and if there isn't, they won't. I have a question. Did we have 5-hour meetings in the past?"

Webb said: "Not since I've been here. Here and even in other places they've never even been four hours. They've never been this long."

"Would the meetings be shorter, if we met twice a month?" Edwards asked

Webb replied: "There would be fewer items on the agenda. The length of the meetings was a hesitation to hold them at night. The separate work session and regular meeting set up was new to me when I came. My experience has been that there is more discussion at the work session, and the regular meeting takes less time."

County Attorney Abigail Burgess said a possibility was to start holding two meetings a month and if they are shorter, then to consider holding evening meetings.

Ponce noted the Clerk's Office takes the brunt of the long meetings and would have to stay late for evening meetings. "Two meetings a month are OK, if we don't add things and then add more things."

Commissioner Billy Billings said two work sessions and two regular meetings a month would require event more time.

"I think it warrants an attempt," Commissioner Javier Salas said.

Ponce said the purpose of the work session is to have discussions, then, at the regular meeting, most things would have been discussed and could simply be approved.

Suggestions kept coming. Edwards wondered about two work session and one regular meeting.

Webb said the commissioners needed to keep in mind that with changes in elections code, the Clerk's Office would be conducting elections for more entities.

Billings said he liked the two each meetings each month. "Then we can consider evening meetings."

Edwards said the comments received were anonymous. And to the deputy clerk, Connie Holguin, she asked why both she and the clerk attend the meetings.

"The purpose of having both of us here is so that if one of us misses something, hopefully the other one got it," Holguin said. "Election days always fall on a Tuesday."

Webb said, in the past, if the commission work session conflicted with an election, "we scheduled around them."

She also noted that when there were two meetings a month, "we weren't so strapped for time to have to cram items into the agenda, if we knew we had another meeting that month."

Commissioner Harry Browne, attending by telephone said he liked the idea of two work sessions and two regular sessions and "it gives more access to the public."

Webb said to her it was easier to have the county's business before the commissioners to be broken into two work sessions and two regular meetings a month.

Ponce said that no additions to the following week's work session and regular meeting should be allowed after 5 p.m. on the preceding Wednesday, with the exception of grant agreements or contracts that must be done by a deadline.

[Editor's Note: The author was working on the series when she was called away for two weeks. Most of the meetings were covered in previous articles, and the Beat will try to catch up and stay caught up, but it will take a few days to get everything posted.]