Town hall planned on water contamination

CLOVIS — A town hall meeting — possibly at the end of next week — is planned to discuss water contamination around Cannon Air Force Base.

That’s according to Col. Stewart Hammons, commander of the 27th Special Operations Wing at Cannon, who spoke to Curry County commissioners on Tuesday.

Hammons told commissioners that residents in the affected area have been offered drinking water and that a town hall meeting is in the works to discuss how the contamination will be addressed.

Hammons also said he will begin attending commission meetings regularly to provide updates.

No specific date, time or location has been announced for the town hall meeting.

Also at Tuesday’s Curry County Commission meeting (all votes 4-0):

• The commission approved a cost-of-living and longevity increase for employees with at least one year of service with the county.

Commissioners Chet Spear and Ben McDaniel said the salary increases were important for maintaining employees and remaining competitive with local businesses.

• The commission approved budget adjustments adding grants of $28,887 for DWI prevention and $4,260 for half the cost of a bullet-proof vest.

• In her first-quarter financial report, Finance Director Carol Pipes said gross receipts tax revenue for this fiscal year is about $26,000 more than this time last fiscal year.

• Commissioner Angelina Baca congratulated the Clovis High School marching band for its performance at the Bands of America St. Louis Super Regional Championship, placing eighth out of 74 bands from 14 states.

“They are a machine and we are so proud of them because the bands that were there competing were absolutely outstanding — three, four times the size of our little band — and to come in eighth of the top 10 is a big deal,” Baca said.