GRANTS, NM - This month’s Coffee with the Managers was held on June 1, at 8 a.m. at the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course. Multiple things were discussed at this meeting including, road construction, grants funding, the FY24 budget, and the ICIP.
The meeting began with discussion about the budget for FY24, for the city of Grants. The budget is a little over $41 million, Grants City Manager Donald Jaramillo stated “There has been some significant growth… The GRT has been good, however… the inflation is high also.” The big focus of the budget was employee retention. Jaramillo stated, “Employees are key to the success of the government.” Another focus of the budget was equipment, making sure that employees get the proper equipment and working equipment, as well as resources for employees that include certifications and training. Jaramillo stated, “It’s much needed.”
There was a discussion of adding new empoyees to the city of Grants. According to Jaramillo, “There has been a growth in revenue and expenses, and there is a growth employee wise.” They will be adding three new employees, one in the roads department, nother in the pipes department, and another person in city hall. There are a lot of projects going on, which takes time due to the dynamic nature of applying for grants and filling out paperwork. According to Jaramillo, “There is much to be done.” They are working on improving the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course, with painting, training, etc. There is also a focus on cleaning up the parks now that it is springtime.
Village of Milan
Milan City Manager Linda Cooke began speaking about the paving of Airport Rd. that will be taking place. The entrance to the soccer field will have a grand opening on June 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Cooke also wanted to thank Homestake as well as others for assisting them and being a big asset. The swimming pool is open and they are doing swimming lessons, Cooke stated that she wants to thank the county for their support with the pool. They are proceeding with all of their projects.
Cibola County
Cibola County Manager
Kate Fletcher began speaking about the budget for Cibola County. Fletcher stated, “We are doing the same thing as the city in the sense of bringing the departments in, looking at their budget making sure that we’re not inflating our budget but we are also thinking about what they need as tools to succeed within their department.”
There are projects that are being worked on. Fletcher stated, “The shortage of materials is really costing us a lot in all kinds of projects.” Fletcher stated, “It has just been backup, backup, backup. It is just really frustrating.” They are also currently working on three bridges. With the added capital outlay funding they are hoping to be more proactive. The village had a county road board meeting to look at studies that were conducted on six different roads, to determine the routes forward, whether to upgrade certain roads or not depending on how often they are used. The commission approved $6 million for roads, so they will be using that funding for these projects. Fletcher stated, “People don’t realize all the pieces that we have to do to make this county beautiful.”
Fletcher spoke about the continental divide and the broadband in that area. One of the goals is for broadband to be available throughout the county. Fletcher stated, “It’s well needed out there, not just for people but for safety, for everything, we need broadband. We need broadband everywhere.”
Other Discussions
Every year there is a presentation on Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plans, at this meeting ther county discussed: What is an ICIP?; Why is the ICIP important?; What should an ICIP project do?; FY 2025-2029 deadlines and submission; and Who should participate in the ICIP? If you have any questions regarding the ICIP you can contact Judy Horacek at jphoracek@co.cibola.nm. us or at 505-285-2557.
There was also a discussion on the Cibola County Finance Report. This report is from July 1, 2022 through April 30, 2023. In the report it covers Cibola County updates, GRT tracker, property taxes, and the April 30, 2023 monthly report. All the managers stated that they are being more conservative with both their spending and their budgets.
Some of the questions brought up by community members include questions regarding the Grants Animal Care Center, a fund for an opioid treatment center and resources to get people professional help, the bike rally and plans for it this year and concerns about it after the events at Red River, the Rotary Club Backpack Program, and road construction.
Coffee With the Managers is the first Thursday of every month inside the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course Clubhouse, 2001 George Hanosh Blvd, Grants, N.M. The event is usually at 8 a.m., check the Cibola Citizen for updates on the time.