Portales council discusses city officers for Elida

The Portales City Council voted Tuesday to enter into negotiations with Elida to provide the town limited law enforcement services.

The council voted to instruct Town Manager Sarah Austin to draw up an agreement for possible approval at a future council meeting.

Elida Mayor Durward Dixon spoke to the council saying the town’s main concern is “we need a little traffic control.”

The town wants to pay Portales off-duty officers to monitor the school zones during the school year once or twice a week, the mayor said. The rate would probably be $75 an hour.

In a later interview, Austin said Elida wants Portales off-duty officers to patrol traffic for a total of 12 hours a week. The patrolling would include not just the school zones but the “whole town.”

Mayor Dixon said the town of Elida first went to the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Department and asked for help, but he was told the county could not help because it “doesn’t have enough staff.”

Dixon said he cannot afford a full time police department. Just the salary of a police chief “would be out of my budget.”

Austin said the Portales officers would do this on their off-duty time. “It would not take away from the current patrol of the city (of Portales).”

Dixon said Elida has “already been approved for the funds.

Austin said in the interview the state Department of Finance Administration has regulations on how government money can be spent. A Safer New Mexico grant would pay for the overtime Portales officers would work.

In other business at the meeting, Raven Wood Estates is requesting a variance to ordinance 689 having to do with brick exterior and cement block fencing, as stated on the agenda. The item was put forward by developer Adam Broomfield.

Mayor Pro Tem Michael Miller who chaired the meeting said the council could not take any action on the matter that night. The council has been advised that a variance to the ordinance cannot be granted. The ordinance has to be amended.

Miller said the council would probably not be able to take action on the ordinance before the second meeting in August. A public hearing has to be held.