By Carol Bridge
Two short meetings were held before the regular April 9, 2024 meeting. The first was budgetary planning that will assist the Commissioners’ understanding of what money will be available in the coming year, ranking priorities and setting goals for the upcoming year. The second was a further meeting regarding the cannabis ordinance with Joey Bustos speaking briefly.
Joanie Apadoca, Financial Specialist, spoke to explain the projected budget. As she was speaking, Commissioner Wier, commented that the totals that she gave were not clear regarding encumbered and unencumbered amounts. He requested feedback about compliance with ICIP (Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan). The amounts seemed to be a mixture of both cash and accrual accounting and it was not clear what the amount of discretionary funds will actually be. Weir asked for a more easily understood presentation. This is only the beginning of creating a budget for next year and more information will be available later.
Apadoca also spoke about the Opioid Settlement that is being paid out by pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies throughout the country. Cities, Counties and States will receive funds if they joined separately in the suit that began several years ago. The city of Las Cruces will receive almost 10 million, Albuquerque and Bernalillo County will receive almost 147 million in the coming years. Colfax County, as part of the general State suit, will receive about $138,000 and according to Apadoca, will be a one time payment.
Commissioners gave their priorities for the coming year.
Si Trujillo
- Trujillo asked for an update on funds from the American Rescue Plan (Federal Covid Relief Fund).
- The cost of legal services far exceeded previous years. Trujillo informed the commission about research that he had done regarding the way that other counties handle their legal needs. Options may include using a retainer system, continuing paying per hour or using other experts to handle specific needs. A retainer contract would limit county exposure and would not entail personnel expenses.
- The county manager should have access to a suitable county vehicle for use in inclement weather or other county business.
- The county should look into programs or activities aimed at youth.
Bret Wier
- The county needs an animal ordinance and to cooperate with towns and villages to coordinate efforts. He warned that if something isn’t done vigilantism may become possible with people ‘handling’ it themselves and that there has been a serious case of injury. Springer has acquired both a building and a vehicle to assist with the problem.
- The county wide EMS system is in need of support and volunteers. He warned that rural EMS systems can not sustain themselves and must be funded by government because of the number of calls that it answers.
- He wants a fire station located at the airport for safety reasons and to attract commercial carriers.
- All county roads and bridges should be inspected. Many of the bridges are over 40 years old and timely repairs will save having to replace entire bridges.
- The restroom facilities at the county event center should be completed.
Mary Lou Kern
Kern concurred with the previous items spoken of by Trujillo and Wier and added the following –
- The detention center and sheriff department should be fully staffed and salary and other compensation should be addressed in order to fulfill the need. The temporary positions at the Sheriff’s Department should become permanent.
- She would like to see a 3%-% increase in COLA (cost of living adjustment) for retirees.
- She would like to see a substantial amount of money set aside for improvements in the County Building. The building does not comply with ADA requirements and little has been done to refurbish the building for many years. She wants to see safety measures put into place for the building similar to the measures that have been built into the new building.
Trujillo ended the meeting with a request that the many entities assisted by the county provide proof that they are actually serving the community as agreed.
More about the Opioid Settlement
https://www.vitalstrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/NewMexico-Opioid-Settlement-Fact-Sheet-2.pdf