Regular City Council Meeting June 28

GRANTS, NM – The City of Grants held a Regular City Council Meeting on June 28. The meeting had various discussions ranging from mental health to a proposed increase to city GRT. Actions were also taken for many different issues from approval of ordinances, approval of projects, and approval of funding.

The meeting began with approvals of Special City Council Meeting Minutes for May 10, May 19, and May 30. The meeting minutes for May 10 were approved unanimously. The meeting minutes for May 19 were approved, but both Councilman George Garcia and Councilwoman Beverly Michael abstained for varied reasons. G. Garcia abstained after saying that the agenda for the meeting wasn’t approved beforehand. Michael abstained after saying that the minutes did not include a comment that was made at the end of the meeting. The meeting minutes for May 30 were approved, but Michael abstained due to her not being present at the meeting.

The meeting moved forward with a discussion on the recognition of the Recreation Department. Recreation Director Joaquin Jiron and Recreation Supervisor Andrew Maxwell went before the council to give his thanks regarding the recognition. Jiron and Maxwell accepted a plaque from Mayor Erik Garcia. The next discussion was regarding mental health, the overarching conversation centered around addiction and the need for a rehab center. The next discussion was on public safety, Chief of Police Maxine Monte, Fire Chief Robert Hays, and Code Enforcement Officer Robert Windhorst went before the council to give updates regarding their departments. The last discussion without action was a proposed increase to City GRT, which all council members agreed that an increase is not necessary.

Following these discussions were action items. The first action item was “Approval of FY 23-24 Comprehensive Community Health Professional.” In summary this action item was to renew their contract with the health council. The gross amount that can be billed is $19,000 which is a decrease from $50,000 from the last contract the city approved. Many of the council members agreed that this service is needed in the community, following questions from the council, a motion was made to approve the contract.

The second action item was “Approval of 2023 Grants Memorial Park Rules and Regulations Amendments.” For this action item there are only two amendments which are phrases being added to the park rules and regulations. The first phrase being added is to the burials section, the phrase states, “Opening and Closing Fees are payable only at time of Interment/ Service Arrangement and are not payable in advance of scheduling. Payments can only be accepted upon approval of a scheduled interment date.' The second phrase being added is to the grave sites and headstones section, the phrase states, “Width of regular size headstones changed from 4' to 3'. A motion was made to approve the amendments.

The third action item was “Approval of Ordinance No.23-1276 Authorizing the City of Grants to Amend Section 7.01. City Elections of the City Charter for the City of Grants.” This ordinance will allow the city council to opt to the election of its municipal officers at the Regular Local Election, held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March of each even-numbered year, or to participate in the Municipal Officer Election Day held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each oddnumbered year. The reasoning behind the change in the ordinance is for the city to be compliant with the City’s Home Rule after opting in-to the Regular Local Election. A motion was made to approve the ordinance.

The fourth action item was “Approval of Ordinance No. 23-1277 City of Grants Election Districts Boundaries & Election Plan Ordinance.” The reasoning behind this ordinance is stated in the memo written by Salas, “Due to the recent Opt-In to the elections… the Ordinance has been amended to match the new election date of November 2025, and the roles of the elections have also been assigned to either the City Clerk or the County Clerk.” A motion was made to approve the ordinance.

The fifth action item was “Approval of Memorandum of Understanding Amendment #1 Support the Second Street Muli-Purpose Recreation Flood Control Linear Park Project to include the Second St. Shared Loop Trail Project, City of Grants and Grants/Cibola County Schools.” A motion was made to approve the inclusion of the second street shared loop trail project in the Memorandum of Understanding.

The sixth action item was “Approval of Resolution No. 23-1819 Authorizing & Approving Submission of a Completed Application for Financial Assistance & Project Approval to the NMFA.” The reasoning behind this action item is to authorize the City of Grants to apply for funding for a comprehensive plan that includes an economic analysis and study of I-40 interchanges, and a Local Economic Development Act ordinance update. A motion was made to approve the resolution.

The final action item was “Approval of Compass Engineering and Construction Services Additional Cost for Rt. 66 Sewer Manhole” The reasoning behind this action item is due to an increase in the price for construction. The city originally approved $54,189 for the repair, but now Compass Engineering is requesting an additional $58,596.44 for the completed work. A motion was made to table the action item to give Compass the opportunity to negotiate with the subcontractor, since the city is unable to negotiate with them.

There was a final discussion about a proposed ordinance, “City of Grants Governing Body Code of Ethics & Code of Conduct.” The ordinance was a rough draft written by councilwoman Michael. The council decided they will move forward with working towards a final draft of a body code of ethics and code of conduct and the ordinance will be voted on in next month’s meeting.

The next Regular City Council Meeting will be held on July 26, at 6 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 600 West Santa Fe Ave. Agendas will be available on July 21 at City Hall.

All meetings are livestreamed and available to watch live or replayed on the City of Grants Facebook page and the City of Grants NM YouTube Channel.