Meetings watch: Curry County Commission

The Curry County Commission met Tuesday morning at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

All five commissioners attended. All items listed below passed unanimously.

• Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority Executive Director Justin Howalt gave a quarterly report.

He said the authority is working on getting easements for its pipeline project, but is “at an impasse” with one landowner and is taking steps toward condemnation. The process would compensate the landowner at the rate of a third-party appraiser.

Howalt believes new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke to be a good choice in the authority’s goals, as Zinke is a Montana native who has dealt with rural water projects that seek funding through the Bureau of Reclamation. He is hopeful of a favorable appointment to head the BoR.

• The commission approved $17,000 in access improvements for the Curry County Fairgrounds, largely consisting of concrete walkways and concrete pads.

Joelle Reed, manager for the events center and fairgrounds, said during her monthly report that the events center was off budget by $2,294 in February, but some higher-attendance events are coming. She noted the New Mexico High School Rodeo Association and its junior high association plan a rodeo at the events center and the Mounted Patrol Arena this season.

“We’re going to rent out all of our stalls,” Reed said, “and I imagine our concessions will be really good.”

• Detention Center Administrator Mark Gallegos said the juvenile facility was found in compliance during a full audit from the Children, Youth and Families Department.

The adult detention center is in the midst of an audit from the New Mexico Association of Counties, and Gallegos has an April meeting with the accreditation board.

Gallegos was asked why the inmate count spiked from as low as 180 to 240 inmates. He said part of the spike comes from holding people picked up for probation violations on Fridays.

District Judge Drew Tatum said the district works to get sentencing out of the way as quickly as possible so inmates can be quickly moved to the state department of corrections, but notes there will be high counts in the day or two following probation violation sweeps.

• The commission approved an extension of the Freedom Inn Foundation on a pair of properties on the 900 block of Mitchell Street.

The buildings are used as shelters for homeless veterans and the foundation tries to assist with job training, employment assistance and medical and mental health care.

With concerns in respect to the state’s antidonation clause, County Attorney Steve Doerr said he believes giving the foundation use of the properties shouldn’t be measured against the properties’ fair-market values as rentals because the county didn’t rent them before and has no future plans to rent them should the agreement with the foundation end.

“The No. 1 thing they’re doing,” Doerr said, “is keeping the buildings from being vandalized or destroyed.”

• The meeting began with a moment of silence to honor the three Cannon Air Force Base personnel killed a week before in a plane crash during a training exercise.

Commissioner Angelina Baca said the Monday night candlelight vigil was a moving service. She offered condolences to the families and said she was relieved these instances are rare.

• The county’s June 20 meeting was moved to June 29 due to a conflict with the New Mexico Association of Counties conference. A July 4 meeting was canceled. In its place is a 9 a.m. July 27 special meeting set up largely to adopt the 2017-18 county budget.

• Commissioners met in executive session for an hour and 10 minutes to discuss pending or threatened litigation. No action was taken.

— Compiled by Managing Editor Kevin Wilson