Curry officials vote against payday loan program

CLOVIS — Curry County commissioners were split on whether or not the county should participate in TrueConnect, a payday loan program for county employees. They ultimately voted against adopting the program at Tuesday's meeting.

If approved the voluntary program would have provided payday loans of up to $3,000 and financial counseling to participating county employees.

Commissioners Angelina Baca and Ben McDaniel voted in favor of implementing TrueConnect while Commissioners Seth Martin, Chet Spear and Robert Thornton voted against the loan program.

McDaniel said he had mixed feelings because the 24.99 percent interest rate offered by TrueConnect is high but is still lower than the rates at other payday loan programs.

Thornton said he had to utilize a similar loan program to borrow $1,400 to pay his taxes when he was 21 years old and was concerned about employees having hard feelings against the county once they have paid off their loan.

"I don't think it's a good idea for the county to get involved in that, even if we're not endorsing it," Thornton said of payday loans. "I had a situation in my early 20s where I had to take out a loan and do something like this and by the time seven years later when I had it paid off, there was not the approval because they helped me get out of a bind - but the hurt feelings from paying them for seven years."

Curry County Manager Lance Pyle estimated 10 to 20 county employees would have taken advantage of the program if it had been approved.

Also at Tuesday's meeting:

• The commission unanimously voted to sponsor the Eastern New Mexico Spring Job Fair at a cost of $1,400.

Spear expressed concerns about inviting outside employers who would then take away potential workers from businesses located in the county.

Ben Salazar, a field representative for U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-New Mexico, encouraged the commission to sponsor the fair. He said a previous job fair held in Roosevelt County that did not include outside employers suffered in attendance because of it.

"For the amount of investment that we get back from that job fair, not only in terms of people coming, the outside vendors coming and spending the night, participating and patronizing our restaurants, I think the understanding is that's an investment in human capital and I think for $1,400 that is a great investment," Salazar said.

Spear ultimately made the motion to approve the sponsorship as he said, "I think the benefits outweigh my objections."

The job fair is scheduled for April 13.

• The commission unanimously voted to accept the county's financial and compliance audit for fiscal year 2017.

"I have issued an unmodified opinion," Auditor J.J. Griego said. "That is the best opinion I can issue."

The audit included one finding for a fund that was out of balance by $1,022.

"That will be cleared this next year, I am confident with that," Griego said.

"We always like to have no findings but one finding, a minor finding, we'll settle with that," McDaniel said.

• Pyle updated the commission on the fundraising drive for the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program, which sends a monthly book to registered children in Curry county up until their 5th birthday.

Pyle said the program has over $7,000 in funding, which will be enough to keep it going for the rest of the fiscal year.

"Hopefully donations will continue to come in, if not we will start another fundraising drive in June-July time frame," Pyle said.

Pyle said as of February, 629 children are enrolled in the program, 464 have graduated and 24,080 books have been mailed to children since the program began in October 2014.

• The commission unanimously voted to accept a late report from Melrose Senior Center and make a payment in the amount of $585.75.

• Capt. Omar Cervantes presented the 2017 Cannon Air Force Base Air Installations Compatible Use Zones (AICUZ) Study.

"The main goal of the AICUZ program is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of our neighbors as well as sustaining our Air Force mission," Cervantes said.

He said part of the study examines hazards to aircraft flight zones, which asks that developers check with Cannon before installing any tall buildings and structures or anything that would attract birds within five miles of the base.

• A proclamation was issued declaring March 2 to be National Education Association's Read Across America Day in celebration of Dr. Seuss' 114th birthday.

County commissioners and elected officials plan to spend the day visiting local schools and reading their favorite Dr. Seuss books.