Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari’s city commission on Thursday delayed action on purchasing and installing new laptops for police vehicles until they receive more clarity on city finances.
Police Chief Patti Lopez presented a $130,621.24 quote from Enchanted Technology Solutions of Albuquerque to buy and install Panasonic laptop computers on her department’s vehicles.
Lopez advocated splitting the cost with cannabis sales tax revenue and about $92,000 in money saved from vacant sergeant and patrolman positions.
City manager Paula Chacon said the city received nearly $143,000 in tax revenue in fiscal year 2023 from recreational marijuana sales. In the first half of the current fiscal year, the city received about $106,000 in such taxes — above the budgeted estimate of $100,000.
However, District 1 commissioner Jerry Lopez said he wanted to hold off on the purchase for several weeks.
“We need to find out where we are financially,” he said.
Mayor Mike Cherry also expressed reservations on city finances.
Chief Lopez said she could delay the purchase for a short time but was uncertain whether Enchanted Technology’s quote would be the same after that.
Concerns about finances were prompted by an earlier work session, where finance director Hallie Ferguson initially recommended hiring a team from Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPAs of Albuquerque to reconcile the city’s books. Another option was Beasley, Mitchell & Co. of Albuquerque.
A third accounting option, John Jennings of Albuquerque, wouldn’t be available until April, she said.
Ferguson said CRI could begin reconciling city finances “immediately” after it is hired and complete it within a week.
Chacon said the commission would need to act quickly in resolving its books.
“The time is the driving factor for us,” Chacon said, noting that budget season will begin soon.
The city’s previous finance director, Rachelle Arias, resigned in August. Chacon said the city was without a financial supervisor for about four months until Ferguson’s hiring.
Ferguson said she’s been unable to keep up the books with the personnel she has.
Commissioner Renee Hayoz said reconciling the city’s books was “extremely urgent.”
Commissioner Lopez agreed. “We’ve got to get that done,” he said.
The city held a special meeting Monday to discuss accounting options and decided to recommend the Beasley firm, which stated it could reconcile the city’s finances in 140 hours.
Ferguson, who appeared by teleconference because of an illness, said she was comfortable with the commission recommending either firm.
Chacon said she would schedule another special meeting to approve a contract.
Other action
Commissioners approved $76,292.84 in renovations slated for the east room of the railroad depot.
The work will be performed by Weil Construction of Albuquerque. Connie Loveland, director of Tucumcari MainStreet that runs the Tucumcari Railroad Museum, said work will include a staging kitchen, renovated bathrooms, repairing trim on windows, repairs on the ceiling and polishing concrete.
Loveland said the east room is used for art classes and would be used for movable displays in the railroad museum.
She said renovations would be phased in, with funding from a $25,000 grant from Union Pacific and another $40,000 in anonymous donations.
— Commissioners approved a resolution for a New Mexico Department of Transportation MAP application for $391,466 in total funding to make improvements on Third, Fourth and Aber streets downtown.
That funding would include a $97,867 city match, which may be waived by the state, project manager Ralph Lopez said.
Commissioners also approved a resolution for a state DOT Co-op application for another $73,519 in funding for Third and Fourth streets downtown. That would include a $18,380 city match, but Lopez said the city likely won’t request a waiver on that. The city can apply for only one match waiver at a time.
Commissioners during an earlier meeting approved engineering work so the project will be “shovel-ready” when the city acquires all the needed funding.
— Commissioners approved a contractor agreement for Tucumcari MainStreet’s $156,559.43 in funding to finish the Second Street project downtown. The contractor will be Nick Griego & Sons Construction.
The project will remove and fill planters, replace trees, fix sprinklers in Sands Dorsey Park, replace some concrete, install solar lights for murals and fix lights and drainage in an alley.
— A motion to move the city manager’s report to before executive sessions at meetings failed.
Chacon said the KTNM/KQAY radio station in Tucumcari requested the change. The station broadcasts commission meetings, but only for a two-hour period. Recent meetings have run past the two-hour mark due to lengthy executive sessions.
Jose “DJ Lalo” Almeida, who runs the audio console for the station during meetings, said the request was for “more about the listeners.”
Jerry Lopez dismissed the request, saying constituents can review archived meetings on the city’s YouTube channel.
“I think it’s fine the way it is,” he said.
Board member Renee Hayoz supported moving the manager’s report, saying she was mindful of elderly people who don’t have internet.
Hayoz and Jonathan Brito voted for the measure, Lopez and CJ Oglesby voted against it, and Mayor Mike Cherry abstained. Without a majority, the motion failed.
— Commissioners approved the first reading of an ordinance that vacates an alley right-of-way in the 2200 block of South Rock Island Street for two adjoining properties owned by Matthew Chavez, who wants to build a shop and install fence there. Chavez first proposed the measure in July. Ralph Lopez said the zoning board had approved vacating the alley.
— During the consent agenda, commissioners approved Rachel Manuele and Agnes Marano as library board members and Chris Birch, Kristine Olsen, Laura Fought and Javier Villanueva on the recreation advisory board.
Manager’s report
During her manager’s report, Chacon said the city is slated to receive $40,000 in capital outlay funds to build a new office building at Tucumcari Memorial Park cemetery.
However, estimates for such a building have approached $200,000. Chacon said she would check for ways to obtain other funding for it.
— Chacon said she likely would meet with the governor’s office about repairing infrastructure on the far west side.
— A recent inspection of the landfill revealed nine violations. She said the city has taken steps to correct those.
— Chacon said Phase II of the wastewater reuse project has been sent to the New Mexico Environment Department for a 30-day review. After that, the city will take bids.
Chacon said CDM Smith recently completed work on a KOA lift station with approval by the Board of Reclamation.
— Chacon said the Route 66 Centennial Coordination Group will hold its first stakeholder meeting from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday at the Tucumcari Convention Center.
Comments
During commissioner comments, Hayoz passed along a complaint about a derelict property at Park and High streets sparked discussion about reviewing the nuisance ordinance.
Commissioners set a work session for noon March 4 about the ordinance. Chacon suggested lunch-hour sessions at least monthly to discuss it.
Hayoz also levied complaints about potholes at Rock Island Street and Rankin Avenue.
— Lopez complained about residents being careless in disposing of leaves and tree limbs at Coronado Park.
He said the dump site is a free service, and “The citizens are not appreciating it. Enough is enough.”
He said residents need to maintain their properties better before Route 66’s centennial in 2026. He said parts of the city “look like a dump.”
— Oglesby asked when the city’s internet technology contract was up, describing its website as “generic” and needing more options for online payments, including deposits and court fees. Chacon said Larry Wickham may examine the city’s technology and recommend bid perimeters for contractors.
Oglesby also asked about erratic timing of recent tests of its tornado siren. Chacon pledged to get “back on track” with a regular testing schedule.
— Cherry recommended Lopez, Brito and Matt Bednorz serve on a committee to help organize a Cinco de Mayo celebration in May. Mesalands Community College is setting up a three-person panel for the event. Chacon said she was hoping to host a two-day event.
— Brito’s question about the city’s memorandum of understanding with the Tucumcari Historical Museum prompted Chacon to say the city attorney has worked to update expired contracts with other entities. She said those would be discussed during a March 14 work session.
— During public comments, Salomon Valverde and Edalane Sparks each complained about a neighbor in the 1800 block of South Seventh Street who places construction supplies and equipment on the property. They said dirt and sand from there blows onto their homes.
— Haley Place praised local law enforcement for rearresting a suspected fentanyl dealer. He said he and others would hold up signs stating, “No fentanyl allowed.”
Place also asked someone to give a loaner vehicle to Lowe’s butcher shop employee Tommy Sena, whose car was stolen and wrecked.
Work session
Commissioners again discussed proposed revisions to the personnel policy.
Cherry urged the latest changes be emailed to commissioners so they could hold a first hearing about it during their March 14 meeting.
Chacon said she would clarify whether the policy should bar passengers from city vehicles. Cherry said virtually all vehicle insurance policies provide some coverage for passengers.