By Lynn Janes

The Silver City Town Council held a regular meeting January 9, 2024. Attendance to the meeting included Mayor Ken Ladner, council members included Nicholas Prince, Guadalupe Cano, Rudy Bencomo, and newly elected Stan Snider (phone). Snider did not attend in person due to being at a special meeting in Santa Fe for newly elected officials.

Council comments

Bencomo welcomed Snider and said he would do what he could to make him comfortable.

Cano welcomed Snider and Bencomo. A month earlier she had received a plaque for the town of Silver City for their sponsorship of the 2023 July 4 events. She recognized that today was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and she thanked them for their 24/7 work. She brought up that she has been on the board of the Municipal League and their strategic plan will be to make it more accessible and focus on education and advocacy risk management. "We want everyone on the council to become certified." She added they will be doing satellite offices, so they don't have to travel to Albuquerque for meetings. The first one has opened in Clovis.

Prince thanked all public servants. "We are all here to help. We all share this, and I look forward to Grant County Days in Santa Fe."

Snider said he appreciated them sending him to the training he called in from and thanked Alfred Sedillo, city clerk, for getting it all set up. "I wish everyone a prosperous year."

Ladner welcomed Snider and thanked Cano for her role at the Municipal League.

Public input

Will and Robin Marvin addressed the council regarding the purchase of a property the council would be voting on later in the meeting. They wanted them to know they will not be subdividing or developing any of the acreage (119.973 acres). They had already purchased other property around it, 105 acres in 2014 and then 80 acres in 2018. It will be placed in a land trust along with the other properties so it can never be developed. It will ensure this land can be enjoyed by future generations, wildlife, and birds. This stipulation can be added to the contract. This had previously been ranch land.

Robert Whitaker, CEO Gila Regional Medical Center, said "I am the new and permanent CEO." His family has joined him, and they have purchased a home. He invited them to the upcoming town hall meeting he would hold on Jan. 10. GRMC has also hired a permanent CFO starting January 22, 2024. During the legislative session a bill has been taken to help hospitals called The New Mexico Health Care and Delivery Access Act. It has to do with how the state funds the hospitals and will be very important. He will be reaching out to the legislators to let them know how important it will be for hospital funding.

Wiley Hudson commended the Marvins for the purchase of the property and leaving it undeveloped. She had questions about the process of the purchase and how it could be done. She wanted to know how the process worked when the city sold property.

Carl Davis addressed the council and said he would be representing the pickle ball community. He had heard about the new recreation center and that it would have three pickle ball courts. As a group they would be putting together a professional presentation in the future. They wanted to have some outdoor courts at the recreation center. "It is the fastest growing sport in America and is very popular." Alex Brown, town manager, interjected that the new recreation center would have 9 pickle ball courts inside. The plans have been finished and it has gone out for approval.

Brown said he recently had received a call informing him that the $330,000 of federal money for Vista De Plata had been increased to $1.5 million. The New Mexico Finance Authority had a $500,000 award for it, and they have $3 million from the state. They had gone from assuming they had $300,000 to $5 million for Vista De Plata, which is a planned subdivision for affordable workforce housing.

Organizational meeting

The council approved Cano for Mayor Pro Tem. Snider had nominated Prince, but it had not passed. Cano thanked the council for having faith in her. Ladner said she had done a great job in the position the last two years.

Ladner said all current councilors would continue to serve on the boards and committees they had been except Jose Ray had served on area transportation and solid waste and he appointed Snider to take those Ray had served on.

New Business

The council approved resolution no. 2024-01 for open meetings. This resolution must be done each year to affirm the time and place of council meetings.

The council approved resolution no. 2024-02 that will finish the Little Walnut Road project. They had needed extra funding to finish and have received it. The city will be waiting until spring for putting it out to bid. Brown said the companies generally used have been too busy to do any more projects. They will be putting a few out to bid at that time.

The council approved ordinance 1325. This allows the city to sell a 119.973 acre parcel to Paul William Marvin and Robin L. Hildebrand-Marvin for $401,000. The property appraised at $380,000. The property will be paid in full at closing. Brown said in 2006 they had identified properties that were non-essential so they could be sold or leased. The properties had to be appraised and any of them over $5,000 value must be put out for bid. The only bid received for this property came from the Marvins.

The council approved ordinance 1326. Prince abstained. This will be a notice of intent to adopt the ordinance to allow persons to safely leave infants, 90 days of age or less at safe haven sites without criminal prosecution for abandonment or abuse of a child. It also allows for the installation of devices for this purpose.

Cano provided a little background on the ordinance. Representative Luis Terrazas had reached out to her, and they would be securing funds to pay for the baby boxes in every county. "Anything we can do to make children safe we need to do." The public will have two weeks to give their input.

Prince said he thought the state already had legislation in place to take care of this issue. Cano said they did have legislation but if a person decided to do this and could not find a place to take the infant some horror stories had happened such as leaving them in trash cans. This would provide a safe and warm place for the infant and have an extra level of security. Prince said he had concerns over the creation of anonymity and limits the services available from CYFD (Children Youth and Families Department). Bencomo said he has spoken to Fire Chief Lambert, and both will be on board with this ordinance.

Reynolds said they have provisions in the policies and procedures for reunification in the statues. He was addressing Prince's concerns over the ordinance. Prince said he still had concerns and gave an example of what it would look like. Reynolds assured him they had these procedures for decades and he had personally been involved in some of the cases.

Ladner asked if anyone had any comments. Lambert said they had already spent time deciding the best placement for the installations. "I love babies and want them safe. We need these just in case but hope it is never used but have it if needed. We are 100 percent ready to move forward."

The council approved moving the regular meeting of January 23, 2024, to January 30, 2024. The reason for the change was due to the meetings of the Municipal League and Grant County Day in Santa Fe at that time.

Meeting adjourned.