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The City of Grants held their Regular City Council Meeting on November 29. This meeting included multiple discussion such as the Grants MainStreet Quarterly Presentation and a Holophane Lighting Presentation. The meeting also included approval for multiple purchases and appointments of two individuals to boards. Arieanna Crowson CC
GRANTS, NM—November’s Regular City Council Meeting was held on November 29. At this meeting there were discussions regarding the Grants Main- Street quarterly work, a Holophane Lighting Presentation, and Public Safety. There were also approvals of executive board appointments, an agreement between Cibola County and the City of Grants for medical director services, additional costs for the Roosevelt bridge redesign, and multiple purchases for both the public works department and the police department.
The meeting began with citizens addressing the council. Thomas Whelan, who is the Chief Executive Officer at Cibola General Hospital and a member of the Grants-Milan Rotary Club, spoke about construction on the water and sewer lines down Santa Fe Avenue that began last week. Whelan said he was disappointed in the council’s decision to begin construction during the holiday season and said the construction doesn’t help businesses. He told the council to remember to make sure that they make decisions that don’t their constituents.
Kody Vernon was appointed to the cemetery board for a two-year term and Hannah Nic Foster was appointed to the animal service board for a one-year term.
The council also approved executive board appointments, where council members participate in economic and infrastructure boards that serve the city, which included Mayor Erik Garcia’s appointment to the Cibola Communities Economic Development Foundation board of directors. Because the mayor holds appointment power in the city charter, Garcia removed Council woman Beverly Michael from the position and nominated himself. Councilor George Garcia motioned to approve the changes, Councilor Fred Rodarte seconded the motion, the change was approved by all present councilors. Michael was not present at the meeting.
There were three discussions without action, the first being the Grants MainStreet Project Inc.’s quarterly presentation. During this presentation, GMS Executive Director William Yarborough gave a rundown of what MainStreet has accomplished this quarter. This list included various events such as Eclipse on 66, Spokes on 66, Hospitable Grants, and many other events. During this presentation there was also a disagreement between Mayor Garcia and Yarborough surrounding the holiday light parade, which has been cancelled this year due to the construction on Santa Fe Avenue which contributed to a change in the Holiday Light Parade, which is now just going to be “Holidays in MainStreet.” Mayor Garcia argued that the holiday light parade is what the city funds GMS for, not “Holidays in MainStreet.”
The second discussion was regarding holophane lighting, before the meeting, began Mayor Garcia and Rodarte had a disagreement regarding the presentation with Mayor Garcia saying councilors violated the RFP process and the charter by not having all the necessary entities involved in the presentation. The city Grants City Charter does not address appropriations or the RFP process. The presentation was given by Kim Baca David who is a holophane lighting representative for Acuity Brands, during the presentation David went over what products Acuity Brand sells, the pole and the fixtures, and what kind of lighting they can do using solar lighting. David said Acuity has partnered with Sol by Sunna Design to provide solar lighting, Sol who provides the solar panel is also said to have Bluetooth included with their solar panels which allows electrical companies and Sol to see if a light has gone out or if there are any other issues.
The final discussion without action was on public safety. During this discussion Fire Chief Robert Hays gave updates regarding the fire department. In June the fire department received their ISO scores back which was a four, with one being the best. The fire department receives these ISO scores every four years. There are talks about the Grants Fire Department getting an infant surrender box, which allows individuals to anonymously give away their babies if they feel like they can’t take care of them. The department will be hiring three new EMT’s on December 10. It was also announced by Hays, that he will be retiring at the end of the year. Police Chief Maxine Monte gave the updates regarding the police department, the department will be conducting various operations during the holidays, there is going to be more police presence not only on the streets, but being more involved in community events and generally being around populated areas. The department is planning to host a two-day event to help other agencies to train and keep their certifications. Shop with a Cop is coming up soon, they will be taking donations to allow 51 students to have a shopping spree. Donations are needed by December 21. Toys for Tots is also coming up soon with GPD being a hub for toy donations. There was also a short discussion regarding Crimestoppers, with Councilor George Garcia asking Monte if Crimestoppers get funding from the magistrate court, which Monte responded yes. Monte also said that Crimestoppers is a much-needed program in the area.
Following the discussions were the discussion/action items. The first item was approval of a memorandum of agreement between Cibola County and the City of Grants for Medical Director Services. These services will be provided by the University of New Mexico Department of Emergency Medicine. Cibola County will be paying a $12,000 annual fee and the City of Grants will be paying $4,000 a year. The council approved the MOA. The next action item was approval of BAR #3, this BAR included adjustments for the expenditures for funding the various businesses that was approved at the August 28 Special City Council Meeting. Another adjustment was buying out the golf carts for the Coyote Del Malpais Golf Course. One of the other adjustments was an increase in expense and revenue of $500,000 for the water/sewer project at Pizza 9. The council approved the BAR.
The council approved a resolution authorizing the assignment of authorized officer( s) and agent(s) for capital appropriation project upgrades to drinking water systems. This allows the special projects department to begin spending the $5 million the city received for upgrading the drinking water systems. All $5 million must be spent before June 2024. The council also approved the additional cost accrued for the Roosevelt bridge redesign. The additional cost is due to having to redesign the sewer line and the additional time and labor. The amount is $129,382.04. It was also said by TLC that they are looking at completing construction at the end of January and beginning of February.
The public works department got approval for multiple purchases. These purchases include $512,952 for a Vactor Truck, $248,871.79 for Skid Steers, and $131,994.45 for a John Deere 320 P-Tier Backhoe Loader. The council approved the City of Grants employee calendar. The council also approved the Law Enforcement Retention and Recruitment Fund for this fiscal year. The council also approved recruitment funding which the Grants Police Department was awarded. The total amount of the award was $393,750 over three years. Currently the department is down four positions. Monte said that the department is looking to create a new position for an evidence technician that would be covered by the recruitment funding. The council also approved the purchase and install of equipment for the five new units of Dodge Durango’s for the Police Department. The total amount is $120,642.84. The new units are expected in mid-December.