County approves census grant

PORTALES — Roosevelt County commissioners on Thursday approved receiving a state grant of $21,074 toward conducting next year's Census.

The three county commissioners present at Thursday's meeting all voted to approve the intergovernmental grant agreement with the state's Department of Finance and Administration. Commissioners Matthew Hunton and Paul Grider were not present Thursday.

County Manager Amber Hamilton said the award was "small, (but) will definitely help with Census planning," and is a portion of funds distributed across the state's 33 counties. It comes with no requirement for county matching funds.

Roosevelt County also has a joint resolution with the city of Portales and a coordinated committee for 2020 Census outreach, Hamilton added.

Also at Thursday's meeting, commissioners:

n Approved the updated county personnel ordinance. Hamilton said the updates were largely procedural as the ordinance is "a living, breathing document."

n Tabled a collective bargaining ordinance, as the state is reviewing proposed changes and commissioners want to wait until that's done before considering their own rendering of the ordinance.