Firefighting vehicles authorized

The Quay County Commission on Nov. 28 authorized purchases of more than $877,000 in firefighting vehicles for the county’s fire districts.

The commission approved budgeting for two tanker trucks at about $240,000 each and two brush trucks for the Quay, Porter, Fire I and Jordan fire districts, using loans through the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, said County Manager Richard Primrose.

• The commission also approved arrangements to make up for state budget shortfalls for the county’s anti-driving while intoxicated programs.

Primrose said state funding shortages due to budget cuts were compensated by transferring $24,000 in fees paid by probationers — which were recently raised from $30 a month to $50 a month — to make up the difference.

• The commission also approved the purchase of a $197,000 brush truck for the Jordan fire district, half of which comes from a state fire marshal’s office grant. About $100,000 of that amount was in grant funds through the state fire marshal’s office, Primrose said. The other half came from funds the department already had set aside.

• The commission also approved the addition of 100 more pens for goats at the Quay County Fairgrounds, as requested by Dallas Dowell, a member of the Quay County Fair’s board of directors.

Primrose said the popularity of goats as livestock for 4-H and FFA exhibitors has increased greatly over the past several years, and the fairgrounds currently does not have enough pens to accommodate all the entries.

Goats are less expensive to raise than other livestock animals, Primrose said. “We have always supported 4-H and fair projects.”

• The commission also approved a $26,212 grant and a matching expenditure from county funds to pay the annual salary of the county’s emergency management coordinator, Curtis Simpson.