By Mary Alice Murphy

[Editor's Note: This article continues the Grant County Commission Aug. 6, 2024 work session and completes the Aug. 8, 2024 regular meeting.]

County Manager Charlene Webb began the review of the Grant County Commissioner Aug. 8, 2024 regular meeting agenda at the work session on Aug. 6, 2024.

Public input took place at the regular meeting. Simon Wheaton Smith spoke, as a private citizen, to the essential air service contract. "My personal recommendation is to go with Advanced Air for a four-year contract, not a two-year contract. I have worked as a pilot, a manager, and as an FAA operations inspector. I have experience in managing air carriers and as an inspector I have certified air carriers. Although I have nothing negative to say about either air carrier, I do have positive things to say about Advanced Air. I've chatted with their pilots and I was very impressed with their knowledge and attitude. If it's not broken, I do not recommend fixing it and that's another reason why I recommend a four-year contract."

Gila Regional Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Robert Whitaker presented the monthly report. He reported that June throughout the whole health system was a little slower with fewer patients, surgeries, as well as inpatient and outpatient admissions. They closed out the month of June with a loss of $650,000. However, year-to-date saw a net operating surplus of $1.4 million and a YTD surplus of $2.9 million. He noted days of cash at 144 at the end of June. He said the ribbon cutting for the Women and Newborn renovated area was a wonderful event. The orthopedic clinic was nearing completion. For the Operating Room HVAC system they were finalizing grant verifications with the contractor. Other projects beginning included work at the Billy Casper Wellness Center, as well as landscaping and signage at the center.. The hospital is also starting work on capital outlay projects, ultrasound equipment and patient beds. The hospital has begun the telephone project, and will begin work on the telemetry and after that the nurse call system.

He said the Board of Trustees had approved the amended FY24 budget and the proposed FY25 budget. "The capital budget was pretty significant. It is a little over $8.5 million for this next year. A little over $5 million will be operated from our own operations with the rest from grants that we have out there. We continue to look at equipment, systems, and infrastructure and how to improve them." He said the Community Needs Assessments were ongoing with meetings set up and how to take the survey online and on paper. "We were able to secure a mobile PET scanner, which is about to start again. We are beginning to reopen a sleep lab as well."

"You mentioned that the 144 days of cash is liquid and doesn't include other investments. If you included the other investments what would that figure be?" District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne asked.

Whitaker said they had a little over $6 million in CDs, and LGIP. The investments represent about 30 days of operations.

Browne said he appreciated the amount set aside for capital improvements, but he felt more could be used from investments toward capital expenditures. "That's my two cents."

District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards said she agreed with Browne. "Obviously at one point, you were down to single digit days of cash, but I would like to see a strategy on a limit on days of cash and invest the rest into the facility."

District 1 Commissioner and Chair Chris Ponce agreed with them, but he said he thought more of the budget should go toward infrastructure for the staff and more importantly for the patients.

District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings asked if the hospital or Health Tech (the management company) have a goal for days of cash on hand.

Whitaker replied they don't have a goal, but over the next two or three years there are some very significant needs in the facility, in the $20 million to $30 million range. "The question is not days of cash on hand, but whether we should expand, renovate or build a new facility."

Edwards said they are aware of the needs, and the conversation will continue. "But I want to ensure that the hospital employees and especially the patients are taken care of in spite of the needs."

Billings asked when the next meeting of the Commissioners and the hospital board would take place, and was told it was that afternoon at 4 p.m.

The next reports came from elected officials. Sheriff Raul Villanueva gave his presentation first. He said his department had 1600 cals for service in July, with 490 of them through Dispatch and the rest self-initiated. They included 68 animal calls, 42 welfare checks,10 alarms, 16 domestic violence calls, and 7 unattended deaths. On July 11, they had a fraud call from a person who had said he paid out about $2,100 to get a car, but the female said her boyfriend had sold it, but she had another newer one for another $2,500 and he agreed. When he said he would travel to pick up the car, she said she would need another $1,000. He said he would not pay another $1,000 and he called law enforcement. The driver's license image she had sent was from someone in Roswell. The deputy advised the male to send all the text messages and driver's license for them to investigate it. Villanueva warned people that scams like this happen over the phone and the internet and people need to be cautious about sending money to someone they don't know.

Villanueva noted that the Sheriff's Department is fully staffed with a few officers in training.

Edwards noted that seven unattended deaths seems like a lot. Villanueva said they are often seniors living alone.

Edwards asked if Villanueva keeps tabs on the numbers of unattended deaths, which he said he does. "I know we have a lot of seniors who live alone. That data could be part of any needs assessments."

The monthly expenditure report was presented at the work session and approved at the regular meeting. For the month ending on July 30, 2024, expenditures totaled $3,003,846.30, which included three payroll periods totaling $572.006.60, and the expenditures above $10,000 as shown in the graph below.

After discussion at the work session and the regular meeting and whether it would be good to recommend to the U.S. Department of Transportation a two-year or four-year contract for essential air service with Advanced Air, as recommended by Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger, the commissioners approved a four-year contract, although it is up to the DoT to approve and enforce the contract, Webb said.

At the regular meeting, commissioners approved the deletion/transfer requests as presented by Procurement Officer Veronica Rodriguez at the work session. Two vehicles would be auctioned. Webb said if they did live auctions, the vehicles would have to be transported to Deming or Las Cruces. "But we found we got better offers online, so I recommend doing that."

Under agreements, commissioners approved an MOU with the NM Department of Health for the county to continue to provide suitable quarters for local public health officers.

The following agreement renewed the membership agreement for $8,159 in dues for the county to be part of the Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments. Commissioners at the regular meeting also approved Assistant Manager Andrea Montoya as the member of the COG and Webb as the alternative, and for the economic department, Webb as the member and Montoya as the alternative. Webb said in the future they may need to change the members and alternates.

The last agreement was with Lea County to house juvenile detainees, which the commissioners approved. Webb said this completes the options for the county to place juveniles in any of the four in the state that allow juvenile detainees. The cost per day is $300 per juvenile. Webb said county managers are having discussions with the state to perhaps bring on board regional facilities for juveniles, as sometimes, they run out of beds for juveniles.

At the regular meeting, commissioners approved a resolution authorizing the county to pick up 75 percent of the PERA (public employee retirement association) contributions.

The next resolution considered a drug and alcohol policy for all Grant County employees who are required to hold a commercial driver's license to perform their jobs. The policy is designed to meet federal and state standards to reduce accidents caused by controlled substances and alcohol. Commissioners approved it at the regular meeting.

The next section of the agenda addressed a request for proposal for the Juvenile Justice Continuum Coordinator. Commissioners, at the regular meeting, approved Gloria Ruth Dirmeyer as the coordinator.

The second item was a bid for the Pinos Altos Volunteer Fire Department Station No. 5 to be constructed at Dos Griegos subdivision. The bid came in higher than the budget, so Webb recommended rejecting it and it would need to be reissued after talks with the architect to determine how to focus on utility rather than beauty. Webb said it needs to be redesigned. Commissioners approved the rejection of the bid at the regular meeting.

As the Grant County Health Care Claims Board, commissioners at the regular meeting, approved Rodriguez's recommendation of payment of $57.21.

Most of the commissioner reports at the regular meeting addressed the need for more enforcement of junk yard and nuisance county ordinances, with some discussion of the potential need for another enforcement officer.

The commissioners, at the regular meeting, went into executive session to discuss two items of pending or threatened litigation.

To read the first article, please visit: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/grant-county-work-session-080624