County tables open meetings act compliance

A new Quay County Commission chairman was elected Monday and two new commissioners start their terms representing their respective constituents.

QCS Photo: Thomas Garcia

The newly structured Quay County Commission met for the first time on Monday. Mike Cherry, Chair Brad Bryant and Sue Dowell discuss a resolution while County Clerk Veronica Marez and County Manager Richard Primrose await the commissions decision.

Brad Bryant was nominated and voted in as commission chairman by Mike Cherry and Sue Dowell, both participating in their first meeting as commissioners.

The commission tabled compliance with the open meetings act. Dowell said she had a concerns if the commission was compliant with the open meetings act in regards to the recordings of the public meeting. She said if the meetings are recorded, then the laws states those tapes or recordings must be stored and made available to the public.

"I think we should table this item until we determine if we are going to record the entire meeting or just portions," Bryant said.

In the past some meetings were recorded in their entirety. Others were just recorded partially and many were just written minutes, said Ellen White, deputy clerk.

The commission approved a Legislative Capital Outlay request.

There are three capital outlay priorities that have been selected to submit to the Legislature, said Richard Primrose, county manager.

The three priorities are replacement of windows at Dan C. Trigg Memorial Hospital, county road department dumps trucks and air conditioning units at the Quay County Detention Center.

Other items before the commission;

• Approval of a change order to the Quay County Roofing contract. The change of $9,500 for hazardous material removal and molding replacement increases the original price of the project to $212,500.
• Approval of application and summary review of a plat for a new subdivision, Saddleback Acres.
• Approval of Forrest and Rural I EMS grants; Forrest $3,050 and Rural I $3,000.
• Approval a resolution authorizing Primrose to petition the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species.

Executive session:

Discussion only of limited personnel matters; purchase, acquisition or disposal of real property or water rights; and pending litigation, the board of county commissioners v. Ute Lake Ranch Inc. and DVR, LLC.

No action followed the executive session.