County may hire new lobbyist at next meeting

Quay County commissioners asked the county manager to draw up a possible contract for the Hull Consulting of Albuquerque and obtain quotes from two other lobbying firms for action at its next meeting on May 22.

Commissioners chatted with and asked questions of the principals of Hull Consulting — Art Hull and Kim Legant — during their regular meeting Monday after Commissioner Jerri Rush requested a personal meeting with them during a previous meeting.

The county’s attorney, Warren Frost of Logan, previously recommended hiring the Hull firm in a proposed cost-sharing arrangement with the Village of Logan to help protect its interests with the Ute Lake water pipeline being constructed from the Clovis region. The county and village would split the annual $24,000 cost.

Frost has alleged a conflict of interest with the county’s current lobbyist, Clinton D. Harden & Associates of Clovis, regarding the pipeline and Tucumcari’s longstanding bid to land a horse-racing track and casino. At least one previous county commissioner also questioned Harden’s loyalties. Harden’s contract, which expires in July, also is costing the county $12,000 a year.

Rush asked whether anyone on the Hull firm’s client list would compete against Quay County’s interests. Legant said no.

“We make sure we’re not in a position of a conflict,” Hull added.

Rush asked whether the Hull firm was in tune with Quay County’s interests. Legant said she grew up in Anthony, New Mexico, and “understands” rural areas.

Noting the county’s bid to acquire funding for a new Dr. Daniel C. Trigg Memorial Hospital, Legant said they would need to work with state and federal agencies, state staff and the governor’s office “as soon as possible” because it’s such a big request.

Later during the meeting, county manager Daniel Zamora noted “no one has made such a suggestion to me until today” as Legant did regarding hospital funding.

Commissioners Robert Lopez and Brian Fortner indicated they were supportive of hiring the Hull firm and splitting the cost with Logan.

“Cost-share sounds great,” Fortner said.

Rush said she still wanted a request for proposals from other prospective lobbyists before making a decision.

Frost said an RFP wasn’t necessary “to get people of the stature and ability” of Hull Consulting.

Zamora noted the cost of a lobbying contract was low enough that an RFP isn’t required. He said he could obtain two other quotes from lobbying firms by the commission’s next meeting on May 22, but the price “probably won’t match that” of Hull’s.

In other business:

— District Judge Albert Mitchell urged a plan to upgrade security and infrastructure of the 1939 county courthouse.

Citing a rise in mass shootings, Mitchell said the courthouse initially was made for public access. “It’s a different world than when this building was designed,” he said.

He noted just one security improvement was made from list compiled about 15 years ago.

Mitchell said the courthouse’s electrical system is “an ongoing challenge,” water system repairs were “haphazard,” the building’s cast-iron sewer pipes are aging and that sand often blows onto workers’ desks from the drafty windows.

Lopez said “your points are well-taken” and that “we do need to take this very seriously.” He suggested making a inventory plan of the courthouse’s needs as a capital outlay request. “Right now, we’re just patching things up as they come,” he said.

— Vicky Gutierrez, administrator at Trigg Memorial Hospital, said in her January-to-March quarterly report that emergency-room admissions had increased but transfers to other hospitals remained steady.

She said charity care during the quarter totaled over $400,000 and is rising. Gutierrez said the rise in behavioral health patients was not related to the legalization of recreational marijuana last year.

Gutierrez said the hospital recently received ultrasound and bone-density machines, along with cardiac monitoring systems. She said Trigg still is using traveling healthcare workers because of hard-to-fill positions in the laboratory, radiology and nursing.

Commissioners also approved the usual $250,000 quarterly mill levy and gross receipts tax payment to the hospital.

— Commissioners approved a resolution of a notice of intent to issue up to $297,000 in proposed industrial revenue bonds for the Caprock Wind Repower Project near San Jon.

— Commissioners approved donating the county’s 1991 International water truck to the City of Tucumcari. Zamora said the county had considered auctioning the truck, but Tucumcari’s fire chief said the vehicle, with improvements, may improve the city’s ISO rating and thus lower residents’ fire-insurance premiums.

— Road Superintendent Stephen Salas said a new low-water bridge on Old Route 66 between San Jon and Endee was about two weeks from being finished.

— Commissioners approved the purchase of a $425,000 tanker truck for the Jordan Fire Department. The department received $300,000 from a state fire grant; its savings will cover the rest.

— Commissioners approved the transfer of two vehicles. One was an ambulance from Quay Fire Department to Conservancy No. 2 Fire Department. The other was a service truck from the Forrest Fire Department to the Bard-Endee Fire Department.

— Commissioners approved budget increases for the Safety Net Care Pool and for indigent health care assistance for care of prisoners.

— Patrick Vanderpool, executive director of Greater Tucumcari Economic Development Corporation, gave his priorities for this year. He said the top three projects are the Paulita’s New Mexico expansion, finding funding and clients for Tucumcari Biofuels methane project and the partnership between TableTop Cooperative and the Rio Grande Community Development Corporation.

— Bobby Hockaday, Quay County Film liaison, gave a report on the recent Tucumcari Film Festival. He said it received 26 film submissions from six countries. Zamora said the county may consider sponsoring the event in the future.

Hockaday also said the New Mexico Legislature also improved incentives for film production in rural areas.

— Aric Costa, U.S. Department of Agriculture wildlife specialist, said feral hogs are present on the caprock and the Canadian River Valley and that the agency’s biologist would track the animals. He said coyote numbers were down.

— Lisa Downey of DHR Consulting recommended the county participate in a summer internship program provided by the state’s Public Education Department. She said participants age 14 to 20 would work with local businesses or government entities for 30 hours a week at $12 an hour over a 10-week period.

Downey said the program could provide up to 80 interns for $246,800 at no cost to the county. Zamora suggested interns might scan and digitize the county’s personnel records; the county is required to keep those documents for 50 years.

— During his manager’s report, Zamora said U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan’s spending proposal of more than $32 million to build a new Trigg Hospital has been submitted to the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services subcommittee for consideration.

— Zamora said he and other county employees recently took procurement and other public finance training to prepare for the forthcoming retirement of finance director Cheryl Simpson.

— Zamora said behavioral health symposiums would be held May 30 in Roosevelt and Curry counties regarding a possible regional mental health hospital. The Becky Sharp Auditorium at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales would host one from 10 a.m. to noon, and the Clovis Civic Center would hold one from 4 to 6 p.m.