Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Quay County on Monday officially hired Hull Consulting Government Relations of Albuquerque as its lobbyist and declined to renew its pact with a Clovis-based firm for the first time since 2017.
The county commission’s approval of the contract came with no discussion. The county will pay Hull Consulting $12,000 a year, plus gross receipts taxes, over a one-year period. The county is splitting the cost of Hull’s fee with the Village of Logan.
The county once held a lobbying contract with Clinton D. Harden & Associates of Clovis, which recently changed its name to Civility Government Relations.
However, local officials in recent years expressed dissatisfaction with the Harden firm, which has former Republican state senator Clinton Harden as one of its principals.
Warren Frost, the county’s attorney, earlier this year said the Harden firm had a conflict of interest with other Clovis-area clients over Tucumcari’s bid to land a horse-racing track and casino and Logan’s fight to stop the Ute Lake water pipeline project to the Clovis region.
Harden denied he was doing any lobbying work for the City of Clovis or Curry County regarding the pipeline.
In 2019, then-county commission Sue Dowell voted against renewing Harden’s contract and questioned whether the county was “paying someone to work against us” with the racino.
Hull’s principals, Art Hull and Kim Legant, met with commissioners during one of their meetings in May. During a discussion with officials about finding funds for a new Tucumcari hospital, county manager Daniel Zamora noted Hull and Legant made useful suggestions and that the Harden firm had offered no such advice.
In other action Monday:
— Commissioners approved a contract with ClearGov budgeting software with a $4,680 setup fee and an annual $18,720 subscription.
ClearGov account executive Brian Hilzer gave a demonstration on the software by videoconference. He said the program is easier to work with than Excel, and it can embed images and create graphs.
He said the counties of Santa Fe, Luna and Lea, plus the City of Gallup, use the program, and it is endorsed by the National Association of Counties.
Commissioner Jerri Rush asked who is liable if the cloud-based system is hacked. Hilzer said the company never has had a breach but acknowledged “I don’t have a good answer for you” until he consults with someone in the company.
Zamora said ClearGov will “make my life easier,” and “I feel confident” it will be useful. Administrative assistant Samantha Salas said ClearGov is compatible with existing Caselle programs, which should save time.
Commissioners Brian Fortner and Robert Lopez said they would support the contract if it helped Zamora. Rush said ClearGov was “very expensive” but voted to approve it.
— Commissioners approved the Infrastructure Capital Improvements Plan for fiscal years 2025 to 2029. The prioritized list serves as a guide to the New Mexico Legislature for its annual capital outlay awards.
Leading the list is $30 million to build a new Trigg Memorial Hospital. The commission moved replacing courthouse windows for $1.164 million to the No. 2 slot. Third was the regional behavior health facility for $35 million.
Other items on the FY2025 list were Ute Reservoir watershed restoration ($1 million), excavator ($800,000), Bridge 1042 on Old Route 66 ($6 million), pneumatic roller ($250,000) and dump truck equipment ($400,000).
Commissioners also approved its capital asset inventory, totaling more than $41 million, for fiscal year 2023. They also voted to dispose of obsolete fixed assets — seven vehicles and two pieces of equipment — valued at $152,800.
— Commissioners approved a Heroes Campaign proposal from jail administrator Johnny Reid for $4,828. In addition to ads in the Quay County Sun and Tucumcari radio, the campaign will include advertising in the Clovis market to help with hiring.
— Commissioners approved an ordinance for a special gross receipts tax of one-eighth of a cent for Trigg Memorial Hospital operations, effective July 1, 2024, if voters approve it in the November election.
— Road superintendent Stephen Salas said his department bladed 246 miles of road in July, which was “the most I’ve seen since I’ve been here.” County crews have been busy since making repairs to storm-damaged roads.
Salas also said his department was making stopgap pothole repairs on Quay Road 63. The road is due for reconstruction in the next two years.
— Rico Marano, coordinator of the county’s DWI program, said the number of drunken-driving clients it serves is down from the 10-year average.
Marano showed the program’s new billboard at mile marker 355 of Interstate 40. With the image of a football player, it states: “One night of drinking can erase up to 2 weeks of raining. I make better choices.”
He said he also was considering printing a trifold leaflet of area schools’ prep sports schedules.
— Commissioners held a closed executive session with Frost to discuss possible litigation regarding a ruined bridge on Old Route 66 east of San Jon. (See story on page 1A..)