[Editor's Note: This is the fourth and final in a series of articles on the May 7, 2024 Grant County Commission work session and decisions made at the regular meeting on May 9, 2024. This article continues at the work session with the review of the regular meeting agenda.]

By Mary Alice Murphy

During the review of the May 9, 2024 regular meeting agenda at the May 7, work session, County Manager Charlene Webb presented the financial reports. The first listed the April expenditures for the period ending April 30, 2024. Expenditures totaled $3,676, 200.04, which included pay periods 7 and 8 of $514,587.20. Extraordinary expenses above $!0,000 are listed in the PDF below.

Webb also presented the quarterly report for fiscal year 2025 third quarter. She began with the General Fund, which had as of the end of April 2024, revenues of $12,290,633.61, with transfers out of $-4,321,385.94, expenditures of $8,668,469.57, adjustments of $313,377, leaving an ending balance of $25,557,687.90, with the required reserves of $2,167,117.39.

For the Road Department, she reported revenues of $555,998.01, transfers in of $845,268.04, expenditures of $1,615,149.08, leaving a balance of $224,183.97 and a required reserve of $134,595.76.

For Corrections, the revenues totaled $968,495.39, transfers in of $1,710,329.79, with expenses of $2,963,889.58, leaving an adjusted balance of $625,469.60, with no required reserve.

District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said: "I know you're working hard, and I just wanted to note that gross receipts taxes are looking super healthy, about $200,000 ahead of budget. That's a great sign of a healthy economy."

Commissioners approved the two financial reports at the regular meeting.

Elected officials presented their reports at the regular meeting.

Sheriff Raul Villanueva reported that his department is down to only two vacancies. "I want to say thank you to our resident deputy in Cliff and our resident deputy in Mimbres."

He said the department was busy preparing for graduations, would help with the Blues Festival and the Wild, Wild West Rodeo.

Villanueva gave a brief report on the dispatch activity for April. He highlighted the total calls of 1,558, which included 15 domestic violence calls, 20 alarm calls, 60 welfare checks and 47 animal complaints.

Under new business, Webb recommended the commissioners consider the donation of a 2009 Ford Transport Van E31H to the Sheriff's office to be used to transport individuals to other facilities.

Commissioners approved the donation at the regular meeting.

The following item addressed liens under consideration at the regular meeting and discussed at the work session was a list of delinquent solid waste accounts subject to liens.

At the work session, Webb noted the Treasurer's Office was requesting the commissioners to approve the solid waste accounts subject to liens.

At the regular meeting commissioners approved the placement of 88 liens on the delinquent accounts.

Planning Director Randy Hernandez reminded commissioners they had heard a report from NCA Architects recommending two options for the potential renovation or replacement of the county courthouse. "We've been made aware that the state Courts have released funds that we can use for planning purposes to determine which option the county would choose. The county would be responsible for a 15 percent match. The Sixth Judicial District will be the applicant, but we have to provide paperwork, and the match. The planning and design of this project would be eligible for this funding for about $753,000."

Browne said it would seem like the county would have to determine whether to renovate or construct new. "It's a huge investment. I will favor building new, but where the heck would we get the money?"

Webb said she was not aware of any other funding other than a loan.

Browne noted the county had $8 million in bonds, but Webb said none had been sold for facilities, but only for roads.

Webb said the decision is up to the county. Judge Jarod Hofacket had said the renovation would make the old courthouse ADA compliant and secure, but a new facility would be preferable, but that he would work with what the county decides. She also noted the renovation would cost about $10 million, and the new construction would be closer to $20 million. "If we don't do something about ADA compliance and security we could end up with the lawsuits that Otero County has faced. But we have a better relationship with our judges than Otero does. And Jason Lockett has done a lot of improvements already using our maintenance department. We cannot go out for a loan until we get our audit fixed. I am determined to get the audit issues resolved."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce said the courthouse is a staple of Grant County. "I'm afraid if we build new, we won't take care of the old courthouse. Plus, if we put in another complex, where is the parking?

Browne said if the county builds new, there are plenty of needs for offices that could be put in the old courthouse.

Hernandez warned the commissioners that time was of the essence on applying for the funding for plan and design as the deadline was June 3.

Webb said the commissioners would need to determine whether to plan and design new or renovate. And if the funding is awarded, the next step could be begun in about a year, when "we would be looking for potential funding sources."

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings said he believed the cost for new would be a lot more than the estimate He continued that the county must consider the costs, because other projects that had been approved with funding received, "once they get started the costs escalate well beyond the original estimates and funding."

At the regular meeting, Browne said he had talked to the county bond counsel, Mark Valenzuela, who said the county had not yet sold $4 million in bonds and they could be used for facilities, although it would raise the property tax by half a mil.

Webb reminded the commissioners that her concern was to only sell the bonds if it could be done without raising property taxes. "Because we told voters the bonds would not raise property taxes. I'm not going to say to our residents that 'we were just kidding.'"

Ponce noted that another concern is making sure the county has enough funding to face emergencies.

Billings noted that Silver Schools Superintendent Will Hawkins is promoting raising property taxes for school bonds. "And what if the hospital needs funding support?"

Webb said the planning and design could look at both options, "so we would have a shovel-ready project in either case in order to seek funding."

Browne said he preferred leaving the current courthouse the way it is, without building an annex on it.

District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina pointed out the county is also supporting a vocational tech facility, which will also need funding.

At the regular meeting, the commissioners voted to table the issue until the special meeting later in the month.

The next item of business discussed at the work session addressed the Bataan Memorial Park veterans' walking path.

Hernandez said the county had received $300,000 and the engineering report cost $84,000, leaving $214,000 to pay a contractor to create the path. "We received no bids, but were able to get a cost proposal through the New Mexico Cooperative Educational Services. Their proposal including excavating came in at $424,970, making the project over budget by $208,367.09. The funding expires at the end of June, with no guarantee of an extension. We can move forward if the commission agrees to fund the difference. It's too small to phase."

"With the pride the veterans take in the park, I don't have a problem with funding the difference," Ponce said. "They take good care of their part with their equipment. They are rightfully proud of what they've done."

Webb said: "We have explored every possible way to fund it. There is no other way than for us to provide the gap funding. If we don't, it won't get done."

Browne said it was hard for him to swallow using operating funds for capital projects, "but it needs to be done."

Hernandez said the project needs to be ADA compliant and includes concrete, benches and lighting.

At the regular meeting, when asked where the gap funding was coming from, Webb said she recommended taking it from the federal funding of the Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund that the county had received.

Commissioners approved providing the gap funding and taking it from the LATCF funding.

Procurement Officer Veronica Rodriguez reported that three vehicles would be sent to auction and others would be salvaged. Other items that the county has listed in its inventory, the county no longer has and she asked commissioners to delete them. "In November we had RCI come out and look at our list of what was in our inventory. and what we actually had. I took on the task of comparing our list of what we had with their list and found many items we knew we no longer had that were still on the list, so I recommend their deletion."

Ponce said it was a long list. "When we say salvage vehicles, what does that mean?"

Webb said that someone else would come and take away the items for salvage. They would not be stored at the Road Department any longer. "Veronica spent a lot of hours on this. She agreed to tackle this project and it took several months, but it is finally done. Yes, it's a lengthy list of things that probably should never have been on our capital assets list."

Commissioners approved the transfer and deletion list.

Under agreements, the first addressed a memorandum of understanding with the Sixth Judicial Court for pretrial services. Webb noted the commissioners address this annually. It is a $70,000 allocation made to help support the pre-trial services employee and supplies for drug testing and such.

Commissioners, at the regular meeting, approved the MOU.

The following two agreements addressed the work and financial plan with the USDA and the cooperative service agreement with USDA for Wildlife Damage Management.

Browne said he didn't see the language banning lethal methods on public land.

Webb said if it was not there, it could be added prior to their approval.

Commissioners tabled, at the regular meeting, the two agreements to consider them again at the special meeting.

The following agreement considered mutual aid for fire, rescue and EMS services with Catron County.

Webb said that Emergency Manager Scot Fuller has worked closely with the Catron County emergency manager. "There is nothing new in this agreement. It's just cleaning up the language."

At the regular meeting District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina asked who had been involved in changing the language.

Webb said she, Fuller and the County Fire Management Officer Roger Groves had all been involved.

Commissioners approved the agreement at the regular meeting.

Under resolutions, the first would authorize the submission of an application to the New Mexico Administrative Office of Courts for the Grant County Courthouse project.

Commissioners tabled the resolution at the regular meeting.

Hernandez presented the Gila and Mimbres Senior Centers ICIPs (infrastructure capital improvement plans). Mimbres had requested replacing the flooring and doing some painting, as well as equipment of a split air-conditioning unit. Gila requested new flooring, a range hood and a walk-in refrigerator.

Commissioners approved the ICIPs, after some questions were answered.

Next came bids and requests for proposal.

Rodriguez recommended the one for the Brownfields clean up project to demolish the old jail should be awarded to Southwest Hazard Control.

Commissioners approved the recommendation at the regular meeting.

The next bid under consideration was for architectural services. Rodriguez said the committee recommended the award should go to NCA Architects.

Commissioners approved the contract award.

The final bid addressed the consultants for the Comprehensive Plan update.

Webb said she had done some research on the three submissions of RFPs and thought that Bohannon Huston could do a better job that past plans done with subcontractors.

Commissioners approved Bohannon Huston to consult on the comprehensive plan.

At the regular meeting the Grant County Board of Commissioner recessed and convened as the Grant County Health Care Claims Board to approve the March 2024 claims amount of $113.35, as presented by Rodriguez at the work session.

No commissioner had a report at the work session, before they went into executive session, with no action expected.

At the regular meeting Billings, in his commissioner report, said: "I appreciate the presentation by (Detention Center Administrator Joseph) Andazola. It shows how much he cares and knows what's going on at the jail. I also thank everyone who is working in the county for their hard work."

Medina, in his report, said he had been concerned about EMS services in the Cliff-Gila area, but the new fire chief will work to get certified, "so we're back on track."

Browne recognized the organizers of the Tour of the Gila. "It went smoothly. I also thank Manager Webb. I was pleased to see the county as a sponsor of one of the events."

Ponce said he had received concerns of how dark it is at night at the intersection of Ridge Road and highway 90. He requested the manager or a staff member speak with the Department of Transportation to address the issue. "I always forget to thank Ben (Beltron of CATS) for all the work he does recording our meetings. Thank you."

He also said he had attended the New Mexico Counties meeting and had received compliments on the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center, as well as the Buckhorn, where they had dinner and a reception. "They were amazed at the Opera House. They really appreciate Grant County and asked me to thank everyone, including those participating in the affiliates, such as clerks, treasurers, sheriffs and all of them. So, thank you, Grant County."

Commissioners went into executive session and no action was taken following the closed session.

To view the previous articles in the series, please visit https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84689-grant-county-commission-work-session-050724-part-1 ; https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84782-grant-county-commission-work-session-050724-and-regular-meeting-050924-part-2 ; and https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/84878-grant-county-commission-work-session-050724-and-regular-meeting-050924-part-3