Mayor leaves meeting early
GRANTS, N.M. - The City of Grants Feb. 16 council meeting was streamed live on the city’s Facebook page. But the audio was not working properly because of technical difficulties, according to city officials.
(The meeting agenda can be found on the City Council tab on the city’s website, https://www.cityofgrants.net/localgov-city-council. Minutes are approved and put on the website after the subsequent regular council meeting.)
The council started the session with three hearing items, which included transferring liquor licenses for three separate Allsup’s locations that are under new ownership. The council then entered closed session to discuss “Limited Personnel Matters Pursuant to Section 10-15-1 (H)(2) NMSA 1978” following public comments and approval of the Feb. 1 meeting minutes.
“Just for the record… Mayor Hicks left the closed meeting, and he will not be back for the rest of the meeting,” announced Mayor pro tem Rick Lucero when the council returned to open session. No decisions were reached during the closed session, according to City Manager Laura Jaramillo,
Hicks reportedly left because he was unhappy with discussions that occurred during the closed session.
Later, Mayor Hicks commented, “Corruption is why I left… I will not be a part of it!”
The council returned from the closed session and discussed agenda items including Rockin’ 66 Express, the municipal transit service. The four councilors approved Grants participation in the Municipal Transit System Joint Powers Agreement, and joined transit partners, Cibola County and Village of Milan, in providing funding. The council also approved around $36,000 in funding, which is approximately a 30 percent cut from past fiscal contributions. This was in alignment with budgetary cuts that Grants is making across the board, according to Manager Jaramillo,
The council discussed a series of ordinances involving loans/grants for various water projects. The first was the Well #3 Rehabilitation Project, the second was the First Street Pond & Pump Station Project, and the third was the Second Street Channel Project. Each of these projects have been funded through the Water Project Fund Program, using a “90-10” method in which 90 percent of the request is a grant while 10 percent is a loan. The councilors nother state of public health emergency for the same event requires prior consent of the legislature for the declaration to be effective.”
The six-page bill effectively removes power from the state’s executive branch and transfers power concerning the public health emergency to the state legislature, which typically meets once a year.
What is a Public Health Emergency?
The New Mexico Public Health Emergency Re sponse Act defines a Public Health Emergency as, “The occurrence or imminent threat of exposure to an extremely dangerous condition or a highly infectious or toxic agent, including a threatening communicable disease, that poses an imminent threat of substantial harm to the population of the state of New Mexico or any portion thereof.”
Because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, better known as COVID-19, New Mexico has been under an emergency declaration since mid-March of 2020.
If the bill is passed by the House of Representatives, the proposed legislation will repeat the same process in the New Mexico Senate chamber. If it gets the approval by both chambers the bill will go to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk for signature. It becomes law once the governor signs the legislation.
Rep. Nibert can be reached at 575-317-1050; Rep. Ely can be reached at 505-610-6529; Rep. Rehm can be reached at 505-259- 3398.