Clovis completes plan to fund pipeline

Clovis property taxes will be rising come November. On Thursday, City Commissioners formally adopted the plan they started in motion last month.

Commissioners rededicated a 1/4% gross receipts tax in place since 1981 away from specifically funding police and fire department operations. Those police and fire funds will now come from the city’s general fund.

The move allows the city to use the 1/4% GRT tax toward funding the Ute Water Project – a $15 million debt to be paid back over 30 years.

Thursday’s vote was 7-1 as it was June 16. David Bryant cast the lone dissenting vote both times.

City Finance Director Leighann Melancon said Thursday’s action completes a promise to fund the pipeline made by city commissioners in 2019.

Melancon said the rededication of the gross receipts tax does not raise GRT taxes in Clovis.

She said property tax money may not be used to make payments on bonds, which will be used to fund the pipeline. The hike in property taxes – about $44 per year for the average Clovis property owner, according to Mayor Mike Morris – will technically now be used in police and fire department funding.

GRT previously assigned to police and fire may now be used for the pipeline, Melancon said.

“The only increase to citizens is the one mill levy of property tax,” Melancon said.

Bryant said he voted no to the plan because he promised voters he would not support any tax increases when he was elected earlier this year.

Bryant said he’s “all in” on water, but he believes there are items the city is paying for that can be cut; those savings would make the necessary payments for the water project.

Thursday’s GRT vote happened in front of about 20 people.

Only Carlos Arias, an administrator of the Clovis social media site “Take Back Your Community,” spoke against the tax hike.

He said such decisions should be made by voters.

Arias has said he plans to organize recall petitions against all commissioners who supported the property tax increase. He said Thursday the petition drive has stalled as he waits for a legal opinion on the wording of the petitions.