Mayor unhappy with charter compliance and agenda protocol
GRANTS, N.M. — Mayor Martin “Modey” Hicks mentioned his dissatisfaction with the current protocol, which he says allows anyone except for the mayor to add and take items off the agenda. He specifically brought up a budget proposal/resolution that was approved last week. Hicks said it did not include any numbers. He requested to have it put on the March 1 agenda so that the council could discuss it, but it was not.
“Think about that,” he told the council.
The councilors then discussed the city charter.
“We are not in compliance with the charter; we haven’t been in compliance with the charter; and I’m beginning to wonder if we’re ever gonna get in compliance with the charter,” said Mayor Hicks.
The Feb. 16 minutes were approved but the mayor again expressed dissatisfaction and referred to the Feb. 22 closed meeting. Hicks told the council to “certify whatever you’re gonna do” because he claimed that the council did not call his attorneys until after 30 minutes of discussion.
Councilor Fred Rodarte read the certification, “In the Closed Meeting held on February 22, 2021 at 5:00 PM, only matters pertaining to Limited Personnel Matters regarding hiring of City Manager and Finance Director pursuant to Section 10-15-1 (H)(2) NMSA 1978 were discussed and no action was taken.” The council approved the closed meeting certification.
The mayor said he was not ready to appoint a city manager when the item was discussed. Mayor Hicks announced a special Friday, March 5 meeting, at noon.
He plans to announce the manager appointment then. The mayor asked a man in the audience to stand.
Hicks said, “This is John Sanchez; he’s a deputy warden at Central New Mexico Correctional Facility. And he is a very strong candidate that I am looking at — one of ‘em. Just so you know.”
The council discussed a hangar lease agreement with Ray Jenkins, Grants/Milan Municipal Airport manager.
City Manager Laura Jaramillo said that the last time she had checked, Grants was losing $80,000 a year with the airport. The proposed agreement was for a five-year lease, but the council voted to approve a one-year agreement. Councilor Erik Garcia voiced concerns that a five-year contract might negatively affect any financial opportunities in the future.
Budgetary items
The council approved the construction management task order for Phase I of the Second Street project, $169,632.36, and then approved the construction management task order for the First Street Pond and Pump Station project for $193,171.22.
The council also approved the Hydrogen Sulfide Mitigation proposal, $91,000, from Evoqua. Public Works Director Mark Teshima reported that sample water and sewage tests have indicated dangerous spikes in average hydrogen sulfide levels, even after going through the water treatment process. Teshima indicated the source could be from people illegally dumping large amounts of substances into city manholes. These levels are monitored daily, and hydrogen sulfide issues have been occurring since 2012. The Evoqua proposal is supposed to help with the effect that the levels are having on the new Water Waste Treatment Plant.
The council approved a proposal for Wagner Cat to remove and install a new loader engine for $28,515.31.
City Manager Jaramillo presented a Cash and Investments
“With the concern with the economy, and trying to keep our expenses down, we’re doing pretty good,” said Jaramillo.
Legal services contract
The council approved a recommendation for Sutin, Thayer, and Brown for legal services following a lengthy argument about corruption, charter compliance, and breaking the law.
The mayor law firm broke the law by declining to represent him and for advising the council to sue him. Hicks referred to these lawsuits between him and the council and said that the corruption was “amazing” and “out of control.” Councilor Rick Lucero, who serves as mayor pro tem, claimed there was no corruption.
The meeting concluded on a sour note.
Technology failures
The City of Grants March 1 meeting was plagued by a lack of functional technology. The city relies on Facebook live broadcast to provide public access. The audio was working intermittently, which left many citizens wondering what was going on. This same malfunction affected the previous regular meeting. No residents requested time to address the council.
Visit cityofgrants.net or call 505-287-7927 for more information.