Official gets pay increase

When all was said and done, City Manager Jared Langenegger received a 2-percent raise in his pay Thursday at the hands of the Tucumcari City Commission.

On a 4-to-1 vote, the commission decided to award the raise. Fourth District Commissioner Robert Lumpkin was the lone holdout.

Earlier in the meeting, Lumpkin had asked the commission to hold another executive session before awarding Langenegger the raise. He made this request despite an executive session to discuss Langenegger that was held at the Oct. 12 commission meeting.

“I heard some concerns from my constituents that I thought should be addressed,” Lumpkin said Thursday, explaining his request for the additional executive session.

While Lumpkin did not discuss those concerns, First District Commissioner Ralph Moya made his opinion known.

“He does a good job,” Moya said of Langenegger. “I see where he’s enforcing our nuisance ordinance. He’s a strong manager and we should keep him.”

Later, Moya added, “He does what we ask him to do, even if we don’t always see eye-to-eye.”

Moya has challenged Langenegger’s statements and recommendations on many occasions since Moya joined the commission in March of last year.

Langenegger’s salary now increases from$ 81,600.48 per year to $83,232.4896 annally.

The commission also:

• Approved increases in the amount of vacation time that can be accumulated for four emergency medical service employees, who have not been able to take time off because of staffing shortages. They are Rafael Calvo, Brenda Rivale, Martha Taylor and Ingrid Young. Fire Chief Doug Harlan requested the extensions.

• Approved Harlan’s request to use about $188,000 that had been accumulated to build a third fire station to instead repair Fire Station 2’s roof and walls, update security systems, replace the fire department’s command vehicle, purchase and equip a hazardous materials response unit and update fire and rescue equipment, and personal protective gear. Harlan said the city meets fire standards with two stations.

n Approved a fire department request to purchase $12,550 in reporting software that allows analysis of fire-related records. The current system does not allow such analysis, Harlan said.

• Approved a $3 million general obligation bond for the Tucumcari Public Library with the New Mexico State Library, Department of Cultural Affairs. Tucumcari Library Director Linda Gonzales said the money would finance procurement of collections and media, telephone and internet communications improvements and protection for computer equipment on a reimbursement basis. The commission also approved a $7,598 grant-in-aid with the state library to help with city library operations.

• Amended a contract for engineering street improvements on Second Street downtown with Bohannan Huston, Inc., to add about $10,000 in new services.

• Approved adding three inches of gravel around the city’s new 800,000-gallon water tank on Center Street at a cost of $21,347.

• Approved the purchase of software, a computer, and a handheld device and receiver that will help the city map infrastructure and utilities throughout the city, according to a memo from Langenegger. The cost, $11.741.