Commissioners to consider Howalt for city manager

CLOVIS — City commissioners are poised to consider a new employment contract for Justin Howalt as city manager tonight at their regular meeting.

Interim City Manager Tom Phelps said more information on the contract under consideration will come tonight at the city commission meeting, 5:15 p.m. at the Clovis-Carver Public Library.

Mayor David Lansford confirmed Wednesday that Howalt, Executive Director for the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority, is being considered for the city manager position.

“The terms of the contract are not finalized until the city commission acts on it tomorrow,” said Lansford. “I’m hopeful that the commission will take final and official action.”

Howalt said he was “excited and look(s) forward to the opportunity,” but preferred to wait until after the contract was finalized and approved before saying more.

By the terms of his contract, Howalt would leave his position with ENMWUA to accept the new job. Howalt did not indicate who might fill that vacancy.

Lansford said he requested an executive session immediately preceding tonight’s meeting so commissioners could have additional discussion on the proposed contract before voting in the public session.

“I think Justin is a very good and very qualified person for the job of city manager,” Lansford said. “The primary reason that elected (city) officials are elected is to hire the city manager. That is our number one job — to hire a city manager to manage the services and the staff and the functions of the staff.”

The commission has held several closed-doors executive sessions in July but reported no action and did not respond to specific inquiries about possible changes to the city manager position. Lansford called editorial criticism from The News on the sessions unwarranted.

“The thing about hiring any employee — and the only employee that the city commission hires is the city manager — is that those folks are protected by employment law. We can’t scrutinize them publicly. We can’t evaluate them publicly. It’s against the law,” Lansford said. “So these inquiries into the way we’re handling this is costing the city money.”

“We’re not violating any laws of open meetings or notifications, and we’re not violating any employment laws either. The criticism of how we’re handling this is not justifiable. We’re handled this whole process in a very respectful and proper fashion.”

Phelps became Interim City Manager effective April 18.

Howalt assumed his current position with ENMWUA in May 2015, having previously worked as city engineer.

Also on the agenda for tonight’s city commission meeting:

• Appointment of Clifford Martin to be a District 3 citizen representative for the Public Works Committee. The commission had previously voted 4-4 between Martin and Richard Gomez on the position, and the matter was held over because Lansford was not at the meeting to cast a tiebreaking vote. According to the agenda, Martin is being appointed due to the other candidate withdrawing his application.

• A request to approve a new ordinance, recommended by the Animal Control Task Force, that would permit Clovis residents to keep up to five female chickens on their property (in a coop in the backyard) with a permit.

• Request to approve a public hearing for a waiver permitting Lowe’s to have a liquor license within 300 feet of a church at 300 West 14th Street.

• Request for approval of designation of four city properties (820 L Casillas Street, 1924 West Grand Avenue, 1816 East Howard Street, 1301 West Street) as “dangerous building(s),” and “authorizing abatement of such building and debris” from the city.

• Recognition of Clovis Futbol Club, which recently returned from a tournament in Argentina.