Roosevelt awards trio of grants

PORTALES — Roosevelt County announced the recipients of the last round of their small business CARES Act Grants during their Tuesday meeting. The $60,289.77 awarded this round effectively used up the remainder of the grant before the Dec. 31 deadline.

County Manger Amber Hamilton said that the entities receiving funds were Thompson Dentistry, Clovis Wireless LLC., Juanitos, and McCarteys Cafe each for $10,000. Rosies Hair Salon received $4,821, Ramiros Tire Shop received $6,047, and Roosevelt Nail Salon received $9,224.

Also during the meeting, Hamilton discussed the small business CARES Act grants being offered by the state. She said the paperwork required for those grants is easier for businesses to manage and will hopefully result in more rural businesses applying.

In other business at the Tuesday meeting:

• A cost of living adjustment for county employees was approved by the commission, which allowed the resolution to go into effect on Tuesday. The adjustment will be applied to employees who have worked at least a full year for the county.

Annual salaries under $30,000 will have a 4% increase, salaries between $30,000 and $40,000 will have a 3.5% increase, those between $40,000 and $50,000 will have a 3% increase, $50,000 to $60,000 salaries will have a 2.5% increase, and salaries more than $60,000 will have a 2% increase.

“Our employees are our top asset, they are our priority, and they are also our largest expense and liability. So we always want to make sure that we are taking care of those that we have that are qualified, and being able to be sure that we are able to offer that competitive pay,” Hamilton said.

The increase was budgeted for December.

• Chairman Matthew Hunton was recognized in his last scheduled meeting as District II commissioner. At the end of the meeting Hamilton and the commission presented Hunton with a plaque recognizing his public service.

“It has been fantastic,” Hunton said. “We've all been through the good, the bad, the ugly of government but it is a fantastic learning experience and I wish more people would get involved to see how everything truly works. But I couldn't have asked to be with a better commission or employees of the county.”

• The commission approved declaring an “Exceptional Drought and Fire Danger Emergency,” for the county. The levels of drought have been raised on data maps, and this is a continued renewal and update following the “Extreme Drought” that was declared in November.

• Approval was given of the 2021 Capital Outlay priorities. The top five priorities for the county next year include road improvements for $867,036, Roosevelt County Detention Center security improvements for $672,000, road equipment for $390,000, Bonem House updates for $94,124, and Fairgrounds flood elimination for $1,630,000.

• Additional capital requests to be prioritized with the 2021 fiscal year budget were approved. These include purchasing a new used tractor for the road department, an additional fleet for the Sheriffs Department, an additional fleet for the road department, and a new transport vehicle. Hamilton said that the level of revenue the county is currently at made looking into these additional options possible.

• Justin Porter, RCDC Administrator, reported that there are currently 61 detainees in the facility. Maintenance in the detention center have continued working on plumbing, showers, and lighting project. There are currently two officers in the training academy, and two have just graduated.

• Layle Sanchez, county treasurer, reported that the county began the year with approximately $2.6 million in its account. With increases of approximately $1 million and decreases of approximately $600,000 they will be ending the year over $3 million in their account. She said that tax collections for December at just over 60% collected were unexpectedly good for this year.

• Outgoing Probate Judge Michelle Bargas said her office had 37 probates filed this year, and through her term they have had a total of 208 probates filed. She noted that in the last three months her office have received more calls than average asking about how to handle probates.

• Jim Lucero, executive director for the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation (RCCDC) gave his annual report. Lucero was hired in late March during the start of the pandemic. Highlights from his report include the RCCDC raising over $9,000 for 11 local food pantries. They partnered with the City of Portales to offer grants to small businesses before the CARES Act was announced and helped 14 businesses initially, and by the end of the year they helped distribute grants to 45 businesses. They are currently running their annual fundraiser to help fund their work as a 501(c)3 non-profit.

• The meeting began with a letter addressed to the commission from Roosevelt county residents asking them to open up county offices and allow residents to go to church at full capacity. The letter said it was against residents’ constitutional rights to have the governor mandate that non-essential businesses close or operate at a lower capacity, for businesses to be closed due to health and safety orders, and for churches to be closed or operating at a lower capacity.

No action was taken but commissioners noted later in the meeting that they had made a request to the state last spring to ask for local control of health and safety mandates.