Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
In a bit of housekeeping, Quay County Commission on Monday approved resolutions approving the final quarter financial report and adopting the final budget for fiscal year 2022.
Cheryl Simpson, the county’s finance director, said the only change to the final budget was the creation of a hospital improvement fund that contains $1 million. That fund was created several weeks ago to plan and design for a new facility to eventually replace an aging Trigg Memorial Hospital in Tucumcari.
She said the budget also accounted for a $1-an-hour pay increase for all county employees.
In the fiscal year’s final quarter, Simpson said the county recorded revenue of about $13 million with expenditures of just $10.2 million. She attributed that sizable surplus to the purchase of four firetrucks for rural fire departments that have not been delivered. She said three of those vehicles probably will arrive within two months.
She said the county also received about $800,000 in American Rescue Act coronavirus relief funds during the quarter.
In other business:
• Commissioners approved a one-year service agreement with the Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corp. County manager Daniel Zamora said the proposed pact was changed from a four-year duration. The commission tabled action on the matter during its previous meeting to request more information on the deal. The EDC will be paid $50,000 a year.
• Commissioners approved a report from DWI coordinator Andrea Shafer for the April-to-June quarter. She said of the seven DWIs recorded during that time, six were aggravated drunken-driving charges, with an average blood-alcohol content of 0.16 — about twice the legal limit.
v Commissioners approved the DWI Program’s financial report for the fourth quarter. Simpson said the program on June 8 receive about $7,000 from the state more than expected and was unable to spend that money before the fiscal year ended June 30. She said the late allocation “aggravated” her, and she anticipates the state will take back the money.
• Commissioners approved a routine resolution that certifies the county’s capital asset inventory of equipment valued at more than $5,000 each.
• Commissioners approved an application for $100,000 in funding from the state Homeland Security grant program at the request of county emergency manager Paul Lucero.
• Commissioners approved an agreement with the New Mexico State Library to resume its mobile library service in the county. The service had been shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.|
• Commissioners approved $2,423.96 in hospital claims from the indigent during the month of July.
• County Clerk Ellen White said during public comments that recounts had been performed in six counties where primary election races had been decided by a 2% margin or less. Of a total of 11,979 ballots recounted, no changes were made from the initial count.