GRANTS, N.M. – On December 21 the Grants City Council held a special meeting to discuss various items; all councilors were present at the meeting The first order of business was to approve Valerie Taylor to the Animal Shelter, Thomas McGaghie to the City Charter Advisory Committee, and Nathan Franklin to the Library Board. All three were approved by the City Council.
Wilson and Company gave a presentation on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concerning the upcoming Washington Avenue flood control and drainage plan. This project involves new roads, drainage, sewer lines, and utility replacements surrounding the upcoming construction of a new school for Mesa View Elementary. This development ties into the recent first and second street drainage projects.
Mesa View is currently in the drawing and design stages of construction. Washington, Davis, and Gunderson will be improved by creating a loop around the proposed school easing traffic and mitigating flooding. This project is a cooperative effort of both the City of Grants and GCCS.
Davis will provide secondary access to Mesa View and Gunderson will serve as the transportation linkage between Davis and Washington. This roadway and drainage design will be built for incorporating future development of the area. It was also determined utility replacement is needed for the new school.
The next topic involved the Second Street Shared Trail Loop, a onemile track around the high school, it will need to be completed by August of 2023. The cooperative cost will total $1.4 million.
After discussing flood control and the Mesa View Elementary School project, the topic of public safety took center stage. Mayor Erik Garcia started the conversation. “...Councilors, I’ve asked you once – twice before to review the budget and figure out how we’re going to get our public safety in the right direction, and you guys didn’t give me an answer. You just voted down on some money that both of the Chiefs have said would tremendously affect their departments… I need answers from you guys.”
Police Chief Maxine Monte began by saying calls for service were slightly down, but this can be due to the time of year. People are out shopping, kids are out of school, and family functions can affect these numbers.
However, the focus is on retention. Chief Monte stated it is hard to get certified officers to take jobs in Grants. The biggest obstacle is pay and benefits. Milan hires officers at $22 an hour, the county at $19.04 an hour, and Grants at $21.78 an hour. The county pay seems low, but they are a Plan 5 for retirement where Grants is at a Plan 3.
These issues are causing applicants to look elsewhere for employment. One candidate for the Sargent position turned down the job because they would have lost pay coming to Grants. To fix the issue City Manager Jaramillo stated for Grants to go from a Plan 3 to 5, ordinances need to pass and that could take six months to a year. Police Chief Monte said “the contribution out of each paycheck for Plan 5 would be $125-$150, a large sum for a young person with a family to support.”
Councilor Garcia mentioned Grants has no retiree health insurance, and this may contribute to a lack of interest in recruitment.
Councilor Rodarte said the city once had this insurance but it was taken away, and Councilor Gutierrez stated something needs to be done now.
Next, Fire Chief Robert Hays remarked there were 2,800 calls for service this year – a 300 percent increase in the past 15 years.
In the manager’s report, City Manager Donald Jaramillo revealed in keeping pace with the CPI index on water increases, Grants will see an increase of 7.1 percent in January and another 7.1 increase in July. He also acknowledged he forgot to return a call to a citizen upset about the water pressure in Grants. The resident, during public comments, was frustrated no one seemed willing to talk to her about the issue and wondered why her call was not returned.
In his closing comments, Mayor Garcia addressed the concerns of the high-water pressure issue. The mayor explained to her the city is aware of the issue, but it will cost millions to fix it. The issue will be resolved with pressure release valves related to the Roosevelt bridge project. Mayor Garcia stated it is not as simple as turning a valve like in the old days, but the issue will be resolved.