By Lynn Janes

The Village of Santa Clara held a meeting December 14, 2023. Mayor Richard Bauch called the meeting to order. Trustees, Olga Amador, Peter Erickson, and Arnold Lopez attended. Mayor Pro Tem Albert Esparza didn't attend.

Mayor's report

Bauch said the Bellm Street project had been going well and the village had obtained the extra funding needed to finish the complete project. The modular unit they had purchased to utilize for a commercial building to rent would be arriving soon.

New Business

The council approved the payout of unused vacation pay for eligible employees due to work commitments. They have had a high turnover in employees which the auditor noted and these employees eligible for the payout could not take the vacation time due to that turnover. The employees for the payout included Sheila Hudman, village administrator, Lonnie Sandoval, police chief and Angel Granadino, maintenance supervisor.

The council approved the quote from Angel Armor for $12,263 for three body armor vests. Sandoval said they need to be replaced every five years. The vests will be paid for with LEF (law enforcement fund) funds.

The council approved the quote from Reponserack for incident reporting software in the amount of $960 to be paid annually. This will be paid from the fire fund. The software generates reports and makes the process faster. The software works with the state reports required. They have been using the free trial and it has done well. Many other departments have also been using the same software and it has worked well for them. It also keeps track of calls, vehicle maintenance requirements and training needed for the department.

The council approved the creation of a new position within the police department for a records custodian. The starting pay will be $17 an hour. Hudman said they have funds in a grant from the state that will pay for the position.

Resolutions

The council approved resolution 2023-18 to adopt section 01-E for the village of Santa Clara policies and procedures manual with the title of Procurements, Contracts and Accounting. All changes had gone through legal counsel.

The council approved resolution 2023-34 for the 2024 holiday schedule. They didn't have any new holidays just different dates.

Public comment

Robert Whitaker, CEO of Gila Regional Medical Center (GRMC), addressed the council to let them know who he was and that he had come from Gallup recently, having worked there for two years and before that had been in Texas and Kansas. He commented the hospital had a wonderful staff. He wanted to let the council and the village know that GRMC would be treated as a regional hospital and not just a Silver City hospital. Bauch welcomed him.

A resident thanked everyone on behalf of Jim Lee. The flea market has moved to the new location and thanked the village for donating the space.

A resident commented that the work being done on Bard, Sage and Pinon Streets has been outstanding. Bauch said the millings they had received had helped a lot and it had been something the village had wanted to do for a long time.

The council went into closed session.

The council came back into open session.

Hiring, Raises, Terminations, etc.

Bauch requested a raise for Rosemary Arciero of $2an hour and Cecilia Lawrence of $3 an hour. The council approved the raises.

First regular meeting will be held Thursday January 11, 2024, at 6pm

Meeting Adjourned