GRANTS, NM – Following the County Commission Special Meeting held on May 6, the county, city, and village decided it would be best to come together to discuss the issue surrounding ambulance services in Cibola County and formed a committee, at the regular commission meeting held on May 23, commissioners nominated County Commissioner of District two Ralph Lucero and County Commissioner of District three Daniel Torrez to the committee.
The item of nominating two county commissioners to the newly formed Ambulance Service Committee was on the agenda at the Regular Commission Meeting held on May 23. County Manager Kate Fletcher said that the three municipalities’ managers, City of Grants, Cibola County, and Village of Milan are all part of the committee and it is up to the municipalities to nominate two members of each governmental board, commission, and council to the committee. The purpose behind the committee is to give all three municipalities the opportunity to speak to each other regarding ambulance services and to discuss the impact that will be made regarding the PRC License that Grants Fire and Rescue obtained and the possibility of Superior Ambulance ceasing operations if Grants Fire and Rescue take over as primary ambulance service in the City of Grants.
The first commissioner to nominate members to the committee was Ralph Lucero. He nominated himself and Commissioner Daniel Torrez to the committee saying, “I think that in the best interest of the county that … Torrez and I be on this committee.”
Lucero said that areas in both of their districts are affected so they should be the ones nominated to the committee. Lucero also said that it would be important to notify individuals regarding the meetings and make it public so they can’t be accused of doing secret business behind the scenes. He said, “I don’t see how the city is going to [operate the ambulance service]. I think the one way it could be done is by increasing taxes, that’s what they are going to do.”
Commission Chairwoman Christine Lowery asked how long the committee would need to be in operation and if they would nominate commissioners based on longevity. Lowery said, “In case these deliberations take longer than the rest of the year, Ralph and I are the continuing commission members and so I don’t know if you want to consider longevity or continuity in this decision or not, but just think about that.”
Commissioner Garcia gave input on who she believed should be nominated to be on the committee. Garcia said, “I would recommend [Lucero] since he volunteered himself, and then [Lowery], that would kind of balance out the county.”
Lucero responded by saying, “The rest of the county is unaffected. The only areas that are affected are San Mateo, which is mine, Bluewater, which is Robert’s, and San Rafael, which is [Torrez’s].”
Garcia said, “I’m aware of that but I guess what I’m saying is that a lot of the areas in the county [are] not covered.”
Fletcher responded to this, saying that the county has Memorandums of Understanding for ambulance services in other unincorporated areas in Cibola County, and the outer areas from the city which are covered by superior will be affected if superior ambulance ceases operations.
The commission nominated and approved Lucero and Torrez to the Ambulance Service Committee in a 3-2 vote. Lowery and Garcia voted in opposition; Lucero, Torrez, and Windhorst voted in favor.
Fletcher announced that the first meeting will be held on June 10, and she will give out more information regarding the meeting at a later date.