Portales votes to accept settlement

PORTALES — Following a brief executive session, Portales city councilors voted Tuesday night to accept a settlement with the state that will put just over $75,000 in the city coffers.

By a 6-0 vote, councilors followed their 10-minute closed session with approval of the settlement with the New Mexico Tax and Revenue Department. The city was one of 44 municipalities that sued the department over underreported gross receipts taxes between 2010 and 2017. City Attorney Steve Doerr told The News following the meeting the total settlement was $85,982.76 for the city, and a net of $76,659 after attorney’s fees and other costs.

In other business during the 30-minute meeting:

• Public Works Director John DeSha told councilors there were no impacts on the city’s water supply from the prior weekend’s incident at the Super 8 hotel where methamphetamine was believed to be discovered in the water supply. Law enforcement later reported the substance in question was salt as the test turned in a false positive.

The News filed a public records request for the incident report, and has been told by the Portales Police Department to expect the report early this week.

• The council approved a donation from Faith Christian Family Church of two thermal cameras for the Portales Fire Department. Fire Chief T.J. Cathey showed councilors the pocket-sized cameras, and demonstrated their accuracy by showing the slight heat signature left from putting his hand on the dais.

Tyler Cockrell of the church said the gesture was a way for the church to be part of the community, and that it has three more cameras coming for the PFD. Cockrell said the church is working on five cameras for the Clovis Fire Department as well.

• Councilors approved a communication to the state requesting changes to the Public Employees Retirement Association of New Mexico. City Manager Sarah Austin said the current rules require a retired municipal employee to give up any pension payments should they decide to work in another municipal position, and any money they pay into PERA during that period doesn’t benefit them when they resume retirement.

Austin said the rules disincentivize an experienced employee from coming in to help a short-staffed municipality.

• Councilors introduced an amendment to their recently-passed ordinance on cannabis consumption and sales. Doerr said he was contacted by an attorney who said the existing ordinance could be misconstrued to define city streets as public places. Doerr said that misreading, plus the requirement cannabis establishments be at least 300 feet from public places, would render the entire city off limits, and that was clearly not the council’s intent.

• Randy Dunson of American Legion Post 31 said the first day of a veteran gravesite restoration project was postponed to 8 a.m. Nov. 6 following a concern that has since been assuaged. Dunson said one relative of a veteran buried there

The work will take sunken headstones from veteran graves, raise them back to ground level and install pavers as reinforcement.

Dunson said the goal is to do a workday every month. Public Works Director John DeSha said city staff will allow volunteers to store their equipment in a secure shed at the cemetery so they don’t have to worry about hauling it in and out every workday.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5.