Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
The Quay County Commission on Monday approved a plan to install a new video surveillance system at the jail using $331,650 in capital outlay money from the state to mostly pay for it.
Quay County Detention Center administrator Christopher Birch said the proposed video system from APIC Solutions of Albuquerque uses a fisheye camera lens that can capture images at 360-degree angles and zoom in on certain areas. Birch said it’s the same surveillance system as what casinos use.
Birch said the jail’s current video system “is limping along and could go down any minute.” He said a new system could reduce litigation claims by inmates.
The total cost of the APIC system is $338,159.49, according to county documents.
Answering a question from commissioners, Birch said he felt comfortable with APIC’s proposal and that it could be installed in a week and a half.
On a related note, commissioners later in the meeting approved a resolution authorizing a $331,650 budget increase accounting for the state appropriation for the jail.
In other business:
• Commissioners approved four resolutions requesting one-year extensions in participation in the state’s Local Government Road Fund for fiscal year 2021-2022. County highway superintendent Larry Moore said road work, primarily on Quay Road AF, was delayed because of bad weather, equipment problems and lack of manpower.
• Moore told commissioners he would designate Quay Road AL, which runs from the Super 8 motel in Tucumcari to U.S. 54, as a school bus route so it could receive repair funding. He said it was one of the worst roads in the county “and something has to be done.” Moore said he would reconstruct about two miles of the road.
• County manager Daniel Zamora said the county’s gross receipts tax revenue was beginning to show effects of completion of several road projects in the area. However, he said a new state law that allocates more sales tax revenue for purchases in the county have largely “stabilized” the county revenue in that area. He said other road-construction projects soon will begin in the county. Zamora said for the year to date, gross receipt tax revenue looks good, and he expressed optimism.
• Commissioners approved a resolution that reverts $18,842 in unused money from the county’s DWI Program back to the state government.
• Commissioners approved $5,000 in indigent hospital claims in August.