Portales council holds meeting in person

PORTALES - Of anything that happened at Tuesday night's regular Portales City Council meeting, perhaps the most significant was the sign of some kind of normal.

After months of Zoom and Facebook meetings, the council was finally back in a somewhat normal setting Tuesday - at the Memorial Building Auditorium at 200 E. Seventh St.

Soon after the meeting began and the minutes of the last Zoom meeting on June 2 were approved, there came a bit of the bittersweet, as Mayor Ronald L. Jackson and the council noted the retirement of fire battalion chief Lance N. Hill after 21 1/2 years of service.

Hill had a gaggle of family members, three generations' worth, on hand as he received a certificate for his time as battalion chief, which spanned from October 1998 to April 2020.

Jackson said Hill "has been nothing but an asset for the city of Portales. ... That leadership's going to be missed."

Hill noted that his service would not have been possible without his family's support and patience, especially the latter.

"The missed birthdays, the missed holidays, the missed school events," he said.

In other business, the board approved every item on the agenda, including:

• A new joint powers agreement between Portales Municipal Schools and the city of Portales for the school resource officer program, which provides "law enforcement and related services to the Portales Municipal School District."

The only change from last year's agreement was making this year's pact between the Portales Municipal Schools and the city of Portales, instead of the Portales Police Department.

Per the agreement, reimbursements for half of the assigned officer's salary and benefits are not to exceed $40,000 per year.

• A memorandum of the agreement between the city of Portales and the Portales Municipal School District permitting the use of school fields for city league sports.

• Authorization for a prevention of drunken-driving program, which is "used to support programs to reduce the incidence of DUI, alcoholism, and alcohol abuse." The grant is for $48,000.

• A resolution authorizing participation in a Local Government Road Fund Program. The project's estimated cost is $100,000, with a 25% local match required.

• A resolution authorizing the mayor's signature on the Litter Control & Beautification Grant Agreement. Portales' grant from the Department of Tourism is $6,300.