Meetings watch

The Clovis city commission met Thursday at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

Commissioners Fidel Madrid and Randy Crowder did not attend.

All action items listed below passed on 6-0 votes:

• The commission approved an easement on the 3600 block of Benjamin Davis for a fence that encroaches into the alley by 9.5 feet, with a caveat that City Manager Larry Fry work on an ordinance that would stiffen penalties on contractors who do work that doesn’t follow their permits.

Building Safety Director Pete Wilt said that if the city were to decline the easement, the property owner would have been required to remove the fencing and a tree that was planted in the area that was technically a city right-of-way.

Mayor Pro Tem Juan Garza, who serves on the Planning and Zoning Commission, moved for the approval because it was not the property owner’s fault. But he said the commission and city should be vigilant in the future when structures are built that violate city code, and the commission lets it slide so it can avoid being the bad guy and forcing work be demolished.

Commissioner Sandra Taylor-Sawyer asked if there were any financial penalties for contractors who violate their permits, to which City Attorney David Richards said, “The ultimate authority of the city is requiring removal (without expense to the city).”

Mayor David Lansford was more emphatic.

“It’s easier to get forgiveness than permission,” Lansford said, “and we’ve been forgiving over and over because people don’t respect the process. If we don’t increase the consequence for not respecting the process, we’re going to continue doing what we’ve been doing.”

• The commission approved a memorandum of agreement between the city and private property owners to extend Schepps Boulevard to 14th Street. The city would cover about one-third of the $1.247 million costs.

Commissioner Bobby Sandoval said with the construction of a new Parkview Elementary near 14th Street, extending the road at a lower cost now seemed to be an easy decision.

• An agreement was approved to extend the city’s contract with Capital Consultants on a month-to-month basis, matching last year’s annual payment of $44,500.

Lansford said he and other commissioners were set to join John Ryan of Capital Consultants for a Washington, D.C., trip, and said that the scope of Ryan’s work could be affected by the trip. He felt it better to keep the contract on a monthly approval now and seek a longer agreement after the trip concludes.

A plan to require monthly approval of the city’s agreement with the Clovis Industrial Development Corporation under last year’s financial terms was also approved, but was moved to the consent agenda and approved without discussion.

• Commissioner Tom Martin was appointed to serve as an at-large member on the New Mexico Municipal League’s Board of Directors. The position was filled by Sandoval, but he requested to step away from the role for health reasons.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. July 2 at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

— Compiled by Deputy Editor Kevin Wilson