Roosevelt adds cost of living increase for employees

PORTALES — Roosevelt County officials have acknowledged difficulties in hiring and keeping employees. Commissioners on Tuesday approved a series of measures they hope will curb some of those issues.

The commission, by unanimous votes, added a cost of living increase for employees and agreed to pick up additional percentages of Public Employee Retirement Act contributions.

County Manager Amber Hamilton said that PERA contributions are the biggest source of frustration for some of the entry-level employees. While it's a nice idea for people who intend to eventually retire with the county, Hamilton said, that's not something everybody wants.

“These kids come in, they're 18, 19, 20,” Hamilton said. “They're here to work a job while they attend school or they're making a transition out of high school.”

Resolutions 2021-52 and 53 authorized the county to pick up different percentages of PERA contributions for job categories. For the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office, the county will pick up 16.86% of the Municipal Police Plan 5. For other departments, the county is picking up 48.36% of the Municipal General Plan 2.

The cost of living adjustment will be 5% for anybody with an annual salary under $30,000. The adjustment percentage goes down half a percent for each $10,000 in annual salary, ending at 3% for all salaries of $60,000 or more. Commissioner Shane Lee wanted to note for the record that cost of living adjustments do not apply to commission members.

Additionally, commissioners approved a resolution amending a hiring and referral program to include detention center employees and sheriff's deputies. Commissioner Rod Savage said he believed that was the spirit of the commission's discussion during its Dec. 7 meeting, and language in the new resolution made that intent more clearly.

In other matters at Tuesday's meeting:

• By a 4-0 vote, commissioners accepted Plan A for redistricting to take effect next year. The plan adds property to District 4 that is north of West University Drive and southwest of Avenue B. That land was taken from Districts 2 and 3. Chair Tina Dixon said she liked Plan B best because it gave every district some county roads, but District 5 Commissioner Paul Grider didn't like the move of many District 5 residents into District 1; “I've served them for years, and I really don't want to give them up,” he said.

• Commissioners declined to consider a county-wide burn ban, with Dixon noting she had citizens and fire departments on both sides of the issue.

Savage said he'd driven through the county and saw plenty of responsible burning going on. He felt a burn ban would remove citizens' ability to clear out debris and create defensible space in the event of a large fire.

When asked about the legal ramifications of not passing a burn ban, County Attorney Randy Knudson said anybody can file a tort claim after a house fire, but it doesn't mean the county would lose in court.

“It's hard to pin us with liability because you make an informed decision not to activate a burn ban,” Knudson said. “I don't think it's something you should base your decision on.”

Lee said he wasn't inclined to vote for a burn ban, but that it was a good thing for the commission to have the public discussion.

“If you are going to burn, be careful,” Lee said. “Make sure to not burn anything you can't control.”

• The commission met in executive session for an hour, and approved a series of resolutions accepting settlements on opiod lawsuits. Following the approvals, the commission adjourned and conducted a planning workshop.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. Jan. 11.