Airport fuel item on Clovis agenda

CLOVIS — The Clovis city commission is tasked with a pair of items on fuel services at the Clovis Municipal Airport, a liquor license transfer to a returning restaurant and a rethinking of lodgers tax dollars.

The meeting, set for 5:15 p.m. Thursday at the North Annex of the Clovis-Carver Public Library, will see commissioners asked to lower the retail fuel price at the airport to keep it competitive with larger airports. The city currently has a $2 per gallon markup. City administration is requesting a drop to $1.30 for aircraft visiting the airport, and a tiered system for pilots with aircraft stationed at the airport.

The local pilot rate would be a $1 per gallon markup for 50-150 gallons, 90 cents for 151-300 gallons and 80 cents for 301-500 gallons.

The reduction would require the airport to sell an additional 567 gallons to outside clients and an additional 532 gallons to local pilots monthly to cover the cost differences.

The commission will also consider a liquor license for the new Guadalajara restaurant at its eventual location at the Masters Centre. The restaurant opened in December as a training kitchen on the 2900 block of Main Street.

The restaurant is more than 300 feet from the nearest church (Parkland Baptist Church) and school (Yucca Middle School).

The liquor license is currently held by Brickyard Pizza of Albuquerque.

The commission will also discuss introduction of an ordinance to change the use of lodgers tax dollars, which are generated by taxes issued to hotel and motel customers.

Under the ordinance, additional uses for the money would provide funding to fire, police and sanitation services for tourist-related facilities, attractions and events in the city and provide a minimum revenue guarantee for air services to the city of Clovis for tourists to access those facilities, attractions and events.

The ordinance would also amend meetings to be held on the second Tuesday of every odd-numbered month.

Other agenda items include:

• A memorandum of agreement between the city and the New Mexico Department of Transportation for $186,000 to provide transportation services targeted at senior citizens on Medicare who lack mobility options.

The pilot program would run through June 30, 2021, with extension depending on success of the program. The program would include one bus and one driver, plus maintenance expenses, to serve transportation needs for medical appointments in Curry and Roosevelt counties.

• A proclamation for February as “211 Month” for United Way of Eastern New Mexico.

• Introduction of the new district general manager for Spectra, which operates the Clovis Civic Center.

• A contract with Plateau for Internet service at all city locations. A search for Internet providers showed no other providers could provide the services the city needed, and a notice of intent to award a sole source contract was posted for 30 days with no protests received.

The contract is for $108,741.42.

• A request to apply for $4 million in New Mexico DOT grants for Seventh Street improvements.

• A letter of support for the Hartley House as it applies for a New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority grant.