Grant County Commissioners addressed issues and certified election results at special meetings 111026

By Jason Weiland

Grant County commissioners certify election results, hear concerns about poll worker payments and solid waste fees - 11-10-2026 Special Meeting

The Grant County Board of Commissioners certified the results of the November 3 general election during a special meeting Tuesday, November 10, 2026. The meeting also brought concerns from County Clerk Connie Holguin about the timing of payments to election workers, questions from Commission Chairman Chris Ponce about a proposed increase in solid waste fees, and an announcement that the county would extend its search for a permanent county manager.

All five commissioners participated in the meeting, which began at 9 a.m. at the Grant County Administration Complex in Silver City.

Commissioners approved the special meeting agenda on a motion by District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina, seconded by District 4 Commissioner Eddie Flores. They then recessed as the Board of Commissioners and convened as the Grant County Canvassing Board to consider certification of the November 3 general election. District 5 Commissioner Thomas Shelley made the motion to convene as the canvassing board, with District 3 Commissioner Nancy Stephens seconding. The motion passed unanimously.

County Clerk Connie Holguin presented the election canvass for approval. According to the official election summary included in the meeting packet, Grant County recorded 11,643 ballots cast out of 22,161 eligible registered voters, representing a turnout of 52.5 percent. Early voting in Silver City accounted for 6,034 ballots, while another 879 ballots were cast during early voting in Bayard. Election Day voting accounted for 3,117 ballots. The county also counted 1,612 absentee ballots and one provisional ballot. The packet included detailed election returns and a certification document identifying the Board of Commissioners as the county canvassing board.

Flores moved to approve the canvass and certify the election results, and Medina seconded the motion.

Before the vote, Flores thanked Holguin and her staff for their work during the election. "The only comment I have, Mr. Chair, is I just want to thank the clerk and her staff," Flores said. He told commissioners that residents had contacted him about their experiences voting and that the feedback had been positive. "I know it's been very smooth," Flores said. "The comments I received from people that called me is that they appreciate how quickly they can get in and vote and get out. It was explained to them very clearly."

Flores recalled visiting the clerk's office to vote on a Saturday and seeing employees continuing their work. "I remember coming in to vote on a Saturday, and it seems just like a Monday in that office," he said. "Everybody's working. Everybody's voting. I even saw the clerk at her desk working."

He said he appreciated the effort and believed residents noticed it as well. "I think the public definitely notices. I notice, and I appreciate that," Flores said.

Stephens agreed with Flores and said she had heard similar comments. "I also want to echo those comments," Stephens said. "I heard a lot of positive feedback about how smooth and easy it was to vote and how professional your staff were." She also mentioned the availability of printed election information for residents who did not have internet access. "I know some people said that they like having printed materials if they don't have internet access to be able to look up the various constitutional amendments," Stephens said. She said the clerk's office had provided those materials and that voters appreciated having them available.

The commission approved the election canvass without opposition, completing the county's certification of the November 3 results.

Following the vote, commissioners prepared to adjourn as the canvassing board and reconvene as the Board of Commissioners. Before they completed that transition, Holguin asked to address the commission. She began by thanking her employees and the people who had worked at polling locations. "On behalf of myself, I would like to thank my staff for all of their hard work," Holguin said.

She told commissioners that her employees had worked long hours preparing for and conducting the election. Holguin also thanked the poll workers and members of the early voting board. "I would also like to thank my poll workers," she said. "They did work tireless hours."

She said members of the early voting board did not always receive the recognition they deserved. Her remarks then turned to concerns about the timing of payments to election workers. "I am disappointed with the manager's office," Holguin told commissioners.

Holguin said she had contacted Ponce for assistance because the payments had not been released when she expected them. "Unfortunately, I did have to call the commissioner chairman," she said. "I do appreciate what you did. My checks did get released Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., 3:30 p.m." The Friday she referenced was November 6, three days after the election.

Holguin said her poll workers were accustomed to receiving their payments on election night or the following day. "My poll workers did appreciate getting paid," she said. "My poll workers are not used to getting paid at that time. They are used to getting paid election night, the following day after elections."

She said the workers had already put in long hours and should not have experienced the delay she described. "For them to be treated that way after a long day, that's not acceptable from this county," Holguin said. She repeated her disappointment with the county manager's office. "That is not what I expected from this administration," she said.

Holguin thanked Ponce and Medina for their assistance and told the commissioners she would be willing to explain the circumstances individually. "If you guys do have any questions, from each one of you commissioners, please stop by my office and I will explain what happened," she said.

She also raised a question about tax documentation for poll workers, saying they received approximately $300 for working 15 to 16 hours. "I hope that each one of my poll workers do get a W-2 for the $300 that my poll workers do get for the 15 hours, 16 hours that my poll workers do work," Holguin said.

Holguin suggested that employees from the county manager's office spend time working at polling locations during a future election so they could better understand the responsibilities involved. "I hope that next year when they do come back and they do work, or they don't work, I hope that your office, one of your employees does come to my polling sites and they do work those 15, 16 hours so that you guys understand the process," she said. Holguin closed by again thanking her employees and poll workers.

The county's official staff directory identifies Robert Zamarripa as chief deputy clerk, Bernadette Coleman and Doris Sierra-Terrazas as county service specialists, and Elizabeth M. Trujillo as Bureau of Elections director. Holguin named several employees during her remarks, including Robert, Bernadette and Doris.

Ponce thanked Holguin for her comments. A commissioner also asked about sending a message of appreciation to poll workers, and Holguin said she would follow up.

The commissioners then completed the transition back to the Board of Commissioners.

During commissioner reports, Stephens and Flores had nothing further to report. Shelley told commissioners that he had attended town hall meetings concerning New World screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae can infest wounds in livestock and other warm-blooded animals. "I've attended a couple of town hall meetings on the New World screwworm," Shelley said.

He discussed the regional response to the threat and said Grant County and surrounding southern New Mexico counties were included in the area being monitored. "It's a big deal for our county," Shelley said. "We just need to work cooperatively with our cattle inspectors and the veterinarians to get through this." He said the situation could require continued attention. "It's going to be a sort of a long-term struggle, but we'll get through it," Shelley said.

The New Mexico Department of Agriculture had announced a regional approach to New World screwworm monitoring earlier in November, identifying Grant County among the counties included in the designated zone.

Shelley also returned to a subject commissioners had discussed at their October 22 regular meeting: the future of Ben Altamirano Field. At that meeting, commissioners expressed concerns about the Silver Consolidated School District's plans for athletic facilities and the possible effect on the existing softball fields. Shelley had suggested that county officials encourage discussions among the school district, the town of Silver City and county representatives.

On November 10, he said: "I also appreciate our interim county manager for getting a meeting organized with the town of Silver City and the Silver School Board."

He said he hoped county commissioners would be able to participate. "I understand that's scheduled for December 2nd," Shelley said. "So thank you for doing that." No decision concerning the athletic fields was made at the special meeting.

Medina used his report to remind residents that Veterans Day was the following day. "If you know a veteran, if they're your neighbor, your dad, your grandfather, your uncle, your cousin, say thank you," Medina said.

He encouraged residents to recognize veterans from earlier generations as well. "Take that brief second to say thank you for what they did for our country and how they served, and make sure they're recognized," he said. "They deserve the recognition."

Ponce's commissioner report brought the discussion back to another issue that had been before the commission in October. During the October 22 regular meeting, commissioners conducted a public hearing on a proposed solid waste fee resolution that would establish a charge of $26 per month, plus applicable tax, for each billable account. County officials explained at that meeting that the proposed fee was intended to bring the solid waste operation closer to covering its expenses.

The commission did not adopt the resolution on October 22, and further consideration was expected in November. On November 10, Ponce said he had been thinking about the proposal and was increasingly concerned about its effect on county residents. "I'm assuming November 19th there is some action that we have to take concerning solid waste," Ponce said.

He acknowledged that the county needed to address the financial demands of operating its solid waste system. But he questioned whether the proposed charge would be fair to residents who already pay private companies to collect their garbage. "I've been thinking a lot about this, and I've been thinking a lot about what we're doing to our citizens in Grant County, and $26 is a lot," Ponce said.

He acknowledged that the commission had not adequately addressed the issue during his years in office. "Responsibility falls on my shoulders also. I'm not trying to get out of it," Ponce said. He said the county had not made substantial changes to the system during his eight years as a commissioner.

Ponce explained his concerns by using his own household expenses as an example. He said he pays approximately $63 annually to Grant County for access to the landfill system. He also pays Gila Sanitation, a private company, to collect garbage from his home.

According to Ponce, his private collection bill had recently increased to approximately $45 per month. He recognized that residents using private collection have the option of discontinuing that service and taking their own garbage to the landfill. "Yes, I have the option of saying no and moving on, taking my own trash to the dump, or I have the option of continuing the service to contract with Gila Sanitation," he said.

But he questioned why residents using private collection were also paying the county's landfill-related fee. "The thing that bothers me the most is I am paying Grant County to use a landfill and to take whatever trash needs to go to the landfill," Ponce said. He explained that when a private hauler increases its rates to cover operating costs, customers may feel they are paying twice for the handling of the same garbage. "That to me, it doesn't sit well," Ponce said. "We're charging people twice for the same trash."

Ponce suggested that county staff examine whether the billing system could account for residents who already pay private haulers. He proposed obtaining information from Gila Sanitation about the number of Grant County customers it serves and comparing those figures with county billing records.

He acknowledged that such an approach might require additional administrative work. But he said the commission needed to consider alternatives before imposing a higher fee. "Some people are getting charged twice for the same bag of trash," Ponce said.

His frustration became more apparent as he continued. "It's to me, and I hate to use this word, but I'm going to use it because you guys know me. I say whatever I want to say. Sounds like a racket," Ponce said. He questioned whether commissioners should continue with a system that he believed charged residents twice for the same service. "How can we sit here as commissioners and not try to figure out how not to bill people for the same bag of trash twice?" he asked.

Ponce did not dispute that the solid waste operation needed additional revenue. "Do we have a problem? Do we have an issue? Is the county right now taking a pretty good hit paying that landfill? Yes, we are. No doubt," he said.

He added that the financial problem needed to be addressed. But he argued that the commission should examine other options before approving the proposed monthly charge.

Ponce also discussed changes to the amount of waste residents could dispose of under existing arrangements. He said the permitted amount had previously been higher, at a ton, but had been reduced to 500 pounds. He questioned whether the county should increase fees while also limiting the amount of waste residents could bring to the landfill.

Ponce mentioned that Stephens had previously suggested an approach that would require additional work by county staff. He did not explain all the details of that proposal during his remarks. He said commissioners had a responsibility to find a solution that would meet the county's financial needs without placing an unnecessary burden on residents. "As a board of Grant County commissioners, we can do better," Ponce said.

He made clear that he was not prepared to support the proposed fee without further consideration. "I hope by the 19th that we can figure something out, or somebody figure something out here with this, because that is not right and it doesn't sit well with me to do that to the public," Ponce said.

The discussion occurred during the chairman's report, not during a formal public hearing or vote on the solid waste resolution. No change to the proposed fee was adopted during the November 10 special meeting.

Following commissioner reports, the board entered executive session under the New Mexico Open Meetings Act. The official agenda identified two matters for the closed session: limited personnel matters concerning the county manager position and pending or threatened litigation.

The litigation item identified the case Marcus Salas v. Board of County Commissioners of the County of Grant, Raul Villanueva, John Doe, and Alejandro Gomez, No. D-608-CV-2026-00192.

Medina moved to enter executive session, Stephens seconded, and all five commissioners voted in favor.
After returning to open session, commissioners reported that only the matters identified for the closed session had been discussed and that no action had been taken during the executive session. Ponce then announced that the commission intended to broaden its search for a permanent county manager and extend the application period through December 31, 2026.

The county has been operating with an interim manager following Charlene Webb's retirement. At its October 22 meeting, the commission appointed Andrea Montoya as interim county manager, effective October 25, while she continued her existing responsibilities. Ponce said commissioners wanted to review a larger pool of applicants before deciding whom to interview. "We'll be opening up the application process through December 31st, 2026," Ponce said.

He explained that applicants meeting the minimum qualifications would remain under consideration. "People that met the minimal qualifications will be reached out to after we further review the applications," he said.

Ponce said the commission would then determine which candidates should be invited for interviews.

"Our goal here is to have as broad a pool of applicants as possible," Stephens said. She said commissioners did not want to begin interviews before giving additional candidates an opportunity to apply. "We'll wait to schedule interviews until we hopefully have a larger pool," Stephens said.

She also emphasized that the county had already received applications from people who appeared to meet its requirements. "We did receive some qualified applicants, and we look forward to considering those as we go along," Stephens said.

Flores supported extending the recruitment process and said: "I think we're doing our due diligence to seek a qualified applicant as county manager by opening it up nationwide.Maybe there's someone that wants to relocate here from a different area, and they've been a county manager or they have the experience of running a county," Flores said.

Flores argued that a nationwide search could help commissioners identify candidates they might otherwise overlook. "I think we're trying to be as transparent as we possibly can by opening it up and showing the public that we're looking not just inside the box, we're looking outside the box," he said.

He also wanted to make clear that reopening the application process did not mean the commission was rejecting people who had already applied. "We're just looking for a bigger pool," Flores said.
"We are living by the minimal standards that we set forth as a commission," Ponce said. He described those qualifications as including either a bachelor's degree with the required years of experience or a master's degree. "We just want to make sure that those standards are met," he said.

Ponce reiterated that applicants who had already submitted materials and met the minimum requirements would continue to be considered. He announced the December 31 application deadline during the open meeting. The transcript does not clearly document a separate vote approving the extension, and no updated recruitment notice was available among the materials reviewed for this article. Commissioners did not announce interview dates or identify finalists during the meeting.

With no further business, Ponce adjourned the special meeting at approximately 10:24 a.m.