Roosevelt to open floor to speakers on ordinance

PORTALES -- On Jan. 10, the public comment session before the Roosevelt County Commission on an anti-abortion ordinance will allow an hour for speakers on each side, alternating pro- and anti-ordinance speakers for three minutes per speaker, the commission decided on Tuesday.

The commission also decided Tuesday that the hearing will begin at 7 p.m. at the Jake Lopez Center in Portales to accommodate an expected large number of participants. Doors to the Lopez Center will open at 6:30 p.m. to allow speakers to register, the commissioners decided.

After the comment session, the commission is expected to decide whether to adopt the ordinance or delay the final vote.

The proposed ordinance would make it illegal for a health care provider to receive equipment or supplies for performing abortions and call on citizen lawsuits for enforcement.

The commission on Tuesday also discussed a proposal that would combine county and city of Portales resources to make repairs on South Roosevelt Road 6 (SRR 6), 18th Street, Industrial Drive and South Roosevelt Road U (SRR U), southwest of Portales.

County Manager Amber Hamilton said SRR 6 and Industrial Drive are heavily used by semi-trucks, especially those hauling dairy products, for access to an industrial park at SSR 6 and Industrial Drive. Industrial Road, she said, is especially hazardous with potholes that harm suspension systems on trucks and hazards for vehicles that must veer into oncoming traffic to avoid them.

The county is also hoping that trucking businesses will participate in funding the road repair projects, and Hamilton said county officials are working with the Roosevelt County Development Corporation to develop an agreement.

Hamilton said she and Roosevelt County Road Superintendent Rick Lovato have drafted a proposal to present to the city of Portales to set up a joint powers agreement to address the road problems and asked the county commissioners for a “blessing” of the idea, but not a vote.

Commissioners voiced assent to the idea.

Lovato reported to the board that the road department is working on $300,000 in capital outlay projects that include road-building and blading of some roads, as well as repairs to cattle guards and clearing of tumbleweeds.

In other action Tuesday, the commission:

• Accepted a $65,000 grant from the New Mexico Sentencing Commission for training and consulting for crime prevention programs in the county, as well as a data sharing and exchange agreement in connection with the grant.

• Approved contract awards for improvements to the exterior of the Roosevelt County Detention Center to RG Lath and Plaster, Inc. of Portales for $244,180, and for upgraded air conditioning units for the detention center and public health offices to JQ Air & Electric, LLC for $144,300.

• Authorized the spending of $50,000 in federal Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund allocations, about $30,000 for county strategic planning, and about $20,000 in assistance to the Portales Community Services Center’s food bank.

• Heard Erinn Burch, executive director of the Eastern New Mexico United Way, talk about results of the United Way’s survey of eastern New Mexico residents. Burch said 40% of respondents reported barriers to receiving medical insurance, 50% said they had experienced barriers to behavioral health services, and 60% reported barriers to housing. Burch said survey forms were distributed through Department of Health, Women, Infants and Children nutrition program offices and La Casa Family Health Services.

• Approved of a notice of intent to consider a rebate of property taxes to low-income taxpayers. The ordinance was scheduled to receive a public hearing and a vote at the commission’s Jan. 10 meeting, Hamilton said. The ordinance has been rejected in previous years, Hamilton noted, but state law requires it to be reconsidered every other year.

• Awarded a plaque to outgoing District 3 Commissioner Shane Lee for his eight years of service to the commission. He was the commission’s president for the past year. District 2 Commissioner Rod Savage, addressing Lee, praised him for “the example you set” during a “long eight years” of service. Lee will be replaced in January by Roy Criswell, who was elected in the November general election.