Quay County Sun - Serving the High Plains

The Quay County Commission during a special meeting the afternoon of Nov. 12 formally approved the canvass of the Nov. 5 election results, which finalized close victories of two incumbents in House Municipal Schools board of education races.

In House Position 4, incumbent William Runyan defeated challenger Wendy Green-Grisby 39 votes to 35. Two Quay County voters who cast provisional ballots had voted for Green-Grisby, but it wasn't enough to flip the results.

In House Position 5, incumbent Philip Runyan defeated challenger Dyron Ray 39-33. Two Quay County provisional ballots split their votes between Ray and Runyon.

The Roosevelt County Clerk's Office said no provisional ballots were cast in the House school board races. The school district extends a few miles into Roosevelt County.

A total of five provisional ballots were cast in Quay County, but none of the other races was close.

Quay County chief deputy clerk Veronica Marez told the commission voter turnout was 21.5% countywide, which was higher than the usual 5% to 15% turnout for municipal races. She attributed the higher turnout to the state-mandated consolidation of local elections.

In other county commission business:

• County manager Richard Primrose informed commissioners the county soon will assume the costs of mental-health treatment for Quay County Detention Center inmates. He said he discovered that during a recent meeting with a state Department of Health official at the detention center.

After the meeting, Primrose estimated the cost of such care would be $500 to $1,000 a month.

Primrose said many inmates are Medicaid recipients, but they are not allowed to use those benefits when they are incarcerated even though their cases hadn't been adjudicated.

• The commission approved an agreement with Stantec engineering services to perform a $45,000 feasibility study on a proposed two-mile road between 12 Shores Golf Course and U.S. 54 near Logan. The county and village of Logan each contributed $10,000 to the study, along with a $25,000 state grant. A new road would reduce the golf course's travel time from 15 to 20 miles to Logan or Tucumcari to four or five miles to Logan.

• The commission approved an inmate housing agreement presented by Quay County Detention Center administrator Christopher Birch with the Roosevelt County Adult Detention Center. Birch said the Roosevelt County center mostly would house female inmates at a cost of $75 a day.

• The commission approved two applications for low-interest loans requested by Quay County fire marshal Lucas Bugg to buy Class A pumpers for the No. 3 and Jordan fire-protection districts. The loans would be $220,000 each.

• The commission approved two New Mexico Department of Transportation grant agreements from Sheriff Russell Shafer. One was $2,006 for the Buckle Up/Click It or Ticket seatbelt enforcement program, and the other was $3,009 for the Selective Traffic Enforcement Program that mostly targets impaired driving. Both would cover the office's overtime costs for both programs.

• The commission approved an agreement with Tucumcari Rawhide Days to use the Quay County Fairgrounds for May 1-2, 2020. Chief organizer TJ Riddle said the festival seeks to add activities for children, including supervised games and in the Ranchhand Rodeo.

• Connie Loveland, executive director of Tucumcari MainStreet, said a revitalization specialist would look at the city's vacant building ordinance so the city might be able to condemn an abandoned structure, raze it and sell the property for a small fee. Commissioners briefly discussed a partially collapsed building at Second and Main streets in Tucumcari. Loveland said an individual is interested in clearing the upper floors of that building and using the first level, but she acknowledged that plan faces hurdles.

• Renee Hayoz, administrator of Presbyterian Medical Services in Tucumcari, said the office again didn't meet its medical-encounters goal of 442 during the previous month, drawing 377. She said PMS' chief financial officer is re-evaluating its goals so they are more realistic. She said PMS had assumed a 5% annual growth rate.

• The commission approved professional service agreement with Presbyterian Medical Services to reflect $20,000 more in state funding than anticipated.

• The commission approved a county treasurer Patsy Gresham's certificate of resolution for banking services at AimBank. She said the resolution reflects AimBank's recent buyout of FNB locations in eastern New Mexico. Gresham said the county has "picked up some benefits" from the AimBank takeover, especially with its online banking services.

• Primrose recognized county emergency management coordinator Daniel Zamora for recently completing Professional Development Academy training.

• Carmen Runyan, director of the Tucumcari/Quay County Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber's office in Tucumcari soon would receive a LED sign at a cost of about $10,500, including installation. She said the chamber is fundraising to pay for it and has gathered $2,500 so far.

• Nara Visa resident Charlotte Stull said the county road crews need to address a years-long drainage problem on the village's Belknap Street and overhanging tree branches on Sixth Street.

• Commissioner Mike Cherry commended the high-school volleyball teams in Tucumcari and Logan for qualifying for the state tournament.