By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
Ahead of approving a letter of recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation at Thursday’s meeting, the Grant County Commission heard a proposal for airline service from Boutique Air — which served the Grant County Airport prior to the selection of incumbent bidder Advanced Airlines, which presented last month.
Boutique’s Finance Director Eitan Spiegel touted a 99 percent reliability rate and a $50,000 marketing package, proposing 18 weekly round trips to Albuquerque and six to Phoenix.
Commission Chair Chris Ponce asked about their customer service promises, which included 24-hour email and chat access and a toll-free phone number.
“Flights can be canceled because of mechanical, weather — I understand those things,” Ponce said. “But … I would expect that somebody there at the front counter, not through email, [would] sit there and help them figure out what their next thing is.”
Spiegel assured the commission that during working hours, there would always be someone at the Grant County Airport’s front counter, and that staff is not sent home when flights are canceled.
Advanced Air Vice President of Business Operations Barbara Hunt was on hand Tuesday with some quick follow-ups to the airline’s earlier presentation, reminding the commissioners of her airline’s 99 percent reliability rate and saying that Advanced had surveyed more than 1,400 customers, who gave the company a 4.8-star rating with only 30 people having something “unhappy” to say.
“I also wanted to let you know how we got here, just as a funny note,” Hunt said. “Our flights were full coming out of Albuquerque and Phoenix, so we, as employees … had to fly commercially and drive from El Paso. So that’s also a good sign of how our performance has been in this community.”
The county’s letter to the Department of Transportation, drafted by Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger, recommends renewing the contract with Advanced Air for four more years. The U.S. Department of Transportation subsidizes the Grant County Airport through an Essential Air Service, or EAS, grant, which guarantees minimum air service to small communities which had scheduled air service prior to federal airline deregulation nearly 50 years ago. Commissioners will consider the language and recommendations of Wenger’s draft letter at Thursday’s regular meeting.
Commissioners did not suggest going back to Boutique, but Ponce said he would prefer a two-year contract with Advanced Air.
Emergency Manager Scot Fuller reported on-time progress on his larger projects, such as the hazard mitigation plan revision and the funding of generators at the Grant County Veterans Memorial Business and Conference Center — which also serves as the county’s designated emergency evacuation center. He also mentioned some public outreach improvements, including tying his department into the county website and social media accounts and launching a wildfire education program early next year in time for the 2025 fire season.
Previewing Thursday’s regular meeting agenda, County Manager Charlene Webb addressed a conversation from previous meetings about updating the county’s drug and alcohol policy, which was written prior to cannabis legalization.
“At this time, we will just continue with post-accident testing with volunteer [firefighters],” Webb said. “We’ll have a workplace drug policy, hopefully, next month.”
The alcohol and drug policy to be considered Thursday will apply to safety-sensitive positions such as CDL drivers, and aligns the policy with federal and state statutes.
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
The Grant County Commission convened a brief special meeting Thursday to adopt a 2024-25 budget that landed in the black, despite a hit to airport revenue and additional spending on staff.
Newly hired Grant County Finance Director Robert Placencio explained that these prospective budgets for each new fiscal year are filed annually with the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, as are actual budgets and amendments which report financial activity from the previous year.
“I remember when the budget was a once-a-year, necessary evil exercise in incrementalism,” Placencio said. “It’s so much more than that now.”
He presented the final budget with a few changes from the preliminary operating budget, which was submitted to the state June 1. On the revenue side, it increased the federal Payment in Lieu of Taxes Program award by $32,219 but reduced projected income from the airport by $400,000, in light of decreased occupancy and fuel sales. The changes in the airport budget are in anticipation of reduced use by Forest Service air tankers as the agency undergoes a review of its tanker protocol, following a ground collision with a hangar door earlier this year.
Expenditures added almost $200,000 for staff, including increased hours for two positions, a new grants administrator, and an additional road supervisor.
County revenue in the final budget totals $23,778,133, including general operating, county roads, detention center and airport. Total projected expenses were $22,362,964.
District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne clarified with Placencio that this budget referred only to monies earned by the county and, for instance, did not include anticipated grants that would increase spending on roads severalfold.
“We do anticipate receiving state funding,” Placencio said, “and we do anticipate several projects for the county road department.”
Commissioners also discussed adding even more staff to address concerns over code enforcement and to make progress on the Trails and Open Space plan.
“I’m only going to ask for one thing, and that’s what I’ve asked before,” Browne said. “A position for implementing the Trails and Open Space Master Plan that we approved some time ago. And if there were any question about whether we have funds, this seems to answer that question … we do have the funds.”
District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings mentioned a priority item from his own wish list.
“One thing that’s on the top of my mind would be another code enforcement officer, or capability there,” Billings said.
He also questioned whether the 8 percent expenditure shown for the detention center truly captured what the county spends on the facility, given that the pie chart shows all expenditures, largely comprised of outside grants for capital projects, whereas most of the cost for the detention center specifically is borne by the county general fund.
District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards concurred both with Browne’s request for Trails and Open Space staff and with Billings’ point about the detention center’s expense to the county, saying it accounts for 34 percent of the general fund.
Placencio, who has been in the job since July 8, thanked county staff for getting him up to speed in time for this first financial report and promised much more detailed reports in the future.
“Going forward, I do want to provide financial reports that break it down by general fund, I want to break it down by grants, I want to break it down by debt service, so you have all that information.”
Billings used his report to reiterate the need for meaningful enforcement against hazardous yard junk and uncovered dump loads.
“We’re going to press forward on this — we’re not going to lose ground,” he assured fellow commissioners. “And I’ll have some questions in next month’s meetings.”
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
The Grant County Commission held their regular meeting last Thursday, followed Monday morning by a short emergency meeting — each with a focus on an elemental public emergency.
Thursday’s meeting brought public commenters with complaints about junk-covered properties like the one that caught fire off Rosedale Road last month. Monday’s meeting was to officially declare an emergency in Hanover, where the water delivery system failed last week — possibly still leaving a few households in Vanadium without water.
Commissioners also addressed items of business Thursday that included the appointment of Chuck Dietz as the new Whiskey Creek fire chief and of Javier Salas and Seth Traeger to continue in their trustee roles for Gila Regional Medical Center. The commission also heard their regular report from the county-owned hospital.
“The vehicles have been in a big pile there for months, if not even years,” said David Barton, referring to a property on Country Club Road which he estimated to have 30 to 40 cars and several RVs and tractors. He referred to a town ordinance which he said clearly states that junked cars are a public nuisance.
“We have seen Grant County unfortunately being more lax every year, it seems,” said Jeff Rudolf, “or people are becoming more brazen with their junk in Grant County.”
Rudolf said that a property owner near him was collecting vehicles on his property while also operating a business fixing them, in violation of a covenant in Silver Acres prohibiting businesses.
Jane Tucker of Ridge Road complained of the low fee charged to vehicles hauling uncovered junk to the dump, saying the $5 fee was less than the cost of a tarp to cover it and suggesting a $300 fine, like the ones advertised in roadside signage.
“Yesterday, somebody lost some fairly good-sized tree limbs along Ridge Road — and if you’re not really paying attention if there’s a car coming, you’re gonna hit that,” Tucker said. “I think whether it be the state, the county, the city, whatever, start enforcing the laws on littering.”
Hospital CEO Robert Whitaker reported monthly hospital usage roughly on par with the same month last year, with a net operating income for the fiscal year to date of $2.3 million, compared with the $617,000 loss at this time in the previous fiscal year.
Whitaker said that renovations to the women and newborn services unit were delayed due to medical gas changes, and that the long-awaited telemetry and nurse call systems would begin installation in the final quarter of 2024 and beginning of 2025, respectively. The hospital is still finalizing federal grant verifications with contractors for HVAC repairs.
Whitaker said a community health needs assessment has commenced which will include town halls and interviews in August, with dates to be announced as they are confirmed.
Commission Chair Chris Ponce weighed in to walk back his earlier pressure to revive an inpatient behavioral health unit at Gila Regional, saying that plans to expand capabilities at Tu Casa and with networked organizations throughout the county could be a better way to fill the need. However, Ponce reiterated that he did not want the new orthopedic clinic taking up the entire wing which once housed the behavioral health unit.
“The directions we’re headed aren’t going to be complete tomorrow — probably not even next year,” Ponce said. “So we still have to provide support for Tu Casa and other organizations.”
“The orthopedic clinic occupies the whole of what was once the old behavioral health unit,” Whitaker clarified, inviting commissioners to tour the newly renovated space.
The commission also heard from Ruth Dermyer, coordinator for the Grant County Continuum of Youth Services — a program which the commission renewed on Thursday.
“Some of the reforms we’ve been able to see in juvenile justice is that it has moved from being so much of a punitive system to one that focuses more on rehabilitation,” she remarked. “The reasoning for this is the belief that juveniles are more amenable to change, and they benefit from supportive services more than from harsh punishment.”
Sheriff Raul Villanueva reported that his department received a grant through New Mexico Game and Fish which will finance overtime to begin enforcing ATV traffic laws throughout the county. He also mentioned he had spoken with his staff about vigilance and enforcement against unsecured loads on the roads.
“Unfortunately, it’s hard to be out at certain locations at all times,” Villanueva cautioned. “We have a large county to cover, and it’s not just that I’m covering Grant County. We also cover the municipalities. … We’ve been helping Silver City quite a bit because they are short-staffed. So I just want to ask the community to be a little patient with us.”
The commission adopted an updated Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan, a document detailing five-year plans for capital projects in the county that is updated annually and used to apply for funding from the Legislature. Familiar big-ticket items for 2026 include $5 million for courthouse improvements as part of a phased two-year funding plan totaling $10 million — a higher-priority ask at number four behind detention center retrofitting, airport parking lot and Bataan Memorial drainage improvements. New requests this year included $150,000 for the Southwest Regional Behavioral Health Center, $741,000 for equipment and enhancements for the Sheriff’s Department, and the largest ask of $20 million for the Regional Water Project that will eventually total more than $80 million and connect municipal water systems in a regional network with increased capacity and redundancy.
Commissioners used their comments to respond to public concern over fire danger presented by hazardous properties such as 29 Rodeo Road, where a catastrophic fire displaced residents in the area — including the property’s owner.
Ponce read from a statement assuring the public that county officials are coordinating with the state Environment Department for property inspections, the public works and fire departments are taking measures on rights-of-way to prevent future damage, code enforcement has issued citations and is pursuing further enforcement options, and the county is reviewing legal remedies for noncompliance. County commissioners have requested email updates on specific addresses brought up in public comments, and are considering implementing fire permits to prevent uncontrolled burning.
“I guess I’ve just driven by these junkyards all over the county and got used to them over the decades that I’ve lived here,” said District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings. “The pictures that I’m getting and aerial views are pretty telling. I don’t know how many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of junk vehicles we have stacked up.”
County water needs were again emphasized at the commission’s emergency meeting Monday, where commissioners passed an emergency declaration for Hanover’s water outage, which was related to a pipe failure.
Ponce told the Daily Press that Southwest N.M. Council of Governments Director Priscilla Lucero would deliver the declaration to the Governor’s Office immediately, which would trigger emergency aid from the state.
“We’re going to get someone to look at the system and see what we have to do,” Ponce said.
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
Tuesday’s work session of the Grant County Commission featured a detailed update from Silver Consolidated School District Superintendent William Hawkins, focusing on the school facilities challenges and long-range capital improvements that he seeks to support with bond funding through an upcoming special election.
According to a facilities master plan for the district, there are $63 million in deferred maintenance needs and repairs across the district, with projects ranked by priority level one through five based on probability of failure and the greatest impact to the learning environment.
Priority one maintenance needs totaling $7.2 million were identified, with roofs leading the pack. Hawkins emphasized that each of the district’s eight campuses have multiple buildings and roofs, showing a table of priority one projects that included roofs at Cliff Schools, Harrison Schmitt Elementary, Jose Barrios Elementary, La Plata Middle School, Silver High, Sixth Street Elementary and G.W. Stout Elementary. Emergency lighting systems also need replacement at all of these campuses, as well as the Ben Altamirano Sports Complex.
Hawkins also addressed the long-term need to right-size facilities based on declining student enrollment. He showed charts of declining birth rates and populations of school-age children here over the past 20 years, and said that the capacity across the district was now twice student enrollment, with a projected 55 percent of current seats vacant in 2029. He showed an estimate that unused space costs the district almost $1.5 million in utilities, maintenance and capital projects. The most underutilized facilities are Cliff, Jose Barrios and Sixth Street.
The Facilities Master Plan recommended demolishing and rebuilding the main facility in Cliff, and consolidating Jose Barrios and Sixth Street students into other elementary schools over five years under the direction of a specially appointed task force.
While praising the article, Hawkins complained of what he termed a misleading headline in the Daily Press which he said had announced the closing of these schools — which Hawkins said was not imminent or certain.
Hawkins proposed that if the district approved $25 million in bonds in 2024, it would unlock an additional waiver through the New Mexico Public School Capital Outlay Council that would add almost $45 million to the project total of $73.6 million. This would include the new building for Cliff, consolidation of the two elementary schools and priority one through three repairs to all remaining schools.
Hawkins showed charts of mill rates, mill levies, bond levies and property tax rates — all the sources of public school capital — in Grant County and Silver Schools compared with other counties and districts in the state, showing the county and district near the bottom on these measures while ranking higher in per-capita income.
Also Tuesday, Hidalgo Medical Services CEO Dan Otero reported the opening of the new Mimbres Clinic on July 2, which is now operating two days a week with plans to increase to three and a half days by early September. A grand opening is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 1 at 9 a.m.
Otero said the medical division added one physician and one physician’s assistant, as well as two new behavioral health providers — a psychiatric nurse practitioner and a therapist. He mentioned having also hired Silver City local Aaron Holmes as director of Family Support Services.
Dr. Teresa Arizaga reported that Tu Casa, along with other area officials and partners, had put together a regional behavioral health plan. Over several phases, it includes working in conjunction with the emergency room to treat mental health or substance use crises there, reopening the crisis triage center, developing a mobile crisis response throughout the area, a 14-day crisis stabilization unit and, eventually, a regional inpatient psychiatric unit.
Thursday’s regular meeting will also include health care issues, including a report from Gila Regional Medical Center leaders as well as consideration of the appointment of hospital trustees Seth Traeger and Javier Salas, who have both already served on the board.
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
During Tuesday’s special meeting, the Grant County Commission voted 4-1 to approve an amended contract with USDA Wildlife Services. Changes included clarifying that M44 munitions are not used on public lands, acknowledging an exemption for foot-hold traps on public land when directed by New Mexico Game and Fish, placing parameters on the use of these devices on private land, and tying quarterly reporting by the agency to the release of payments.
Even with the changes, District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne voted no on the contract renewal, citing objections ranging from reporting to fiscal responsibility to the role of government in wildlife control.
Previous public commenters Glenn Griffin, Carol Ann Fugagli, Christine Hess and Barbara Bush returned with follow-up remarks responding to the contract and making specific recommendations.
Griffin said that other counties around the country had severed their relationships with Wildlife Services or had successfully amended their contracts.
“This report doesn’t give the information one needs to inform one about what occurred,” Fugagli said. “This report seems like it was mocking the whole process … like it was thrown together in an hour before a meeting.”
“Please consider getting rid of this ugly contract, and if not let’s change language to where it was,” Hess said.
Bush said she was pleased with the changes to the contract, but wondered if there was too much wiggle room in other language about “other specialized traps and agency-approved toxicants.”
In contrast to previous meetings, Grant County ranchers Ty Bays and Jim McCauley also appeared to speak in favor of Wildlife Services. They both upheld the agency’s role and effectiveness in controlling wildlife. Neither defended specifics of the contract or objected to its increased scrutiny.
“God gave us dominion over all the animals on the land and on the sea,” Bays said. “Like it or not, wildlife management is no different than rodent control in this building and pest control in your home.”
He said that in the absence of Wildlife Services, he would find it necessary to eliminate wildlife threats himself — pointing out that he was not a professional and stood a greater chance of error.
McCauley introduced himself as a rancher, like his grandfather, father and sons.
“We don’t think that the coyotes need to be eliminated,” he said. “They keep the rats and the rabbits under control. But there are times when the coyote needs to be controlled.”
When the commission addressed the contract, Wildlife Services District Supervisor Rudy Fajardo took the podium to answer questions and clarify his agency’s scope of work.
“Our goals are to protect the following from nuisance wildlife situations,” Fajardo said. “Agriculture, property, natural resources, human health and safety, and we also monitor wildlife disease.”
He clarified that although M44s were not being used — even on private land, where they are still legal — his agents are sometimes authorized to use leg-hold traps under the supervision of New Mexico Game and Fish, with whom they have a partnership.
“We do practice nonlethal, but at times there are lethal opportunities that have to take place,” Fajardo said. “We always follow laws, state laws, federal laws, county laws — any kind of laws and restrictions there we tend to follow.”
With regard to reporting, he said that going forward, his agency will charge more maintenance and preparation time to Grant County and include those in the invoiced hours.
“Those times are site-specific to that problematic area,” he said. “It doesn’t entail or incorporate the time it takes to conduct, prepare, start and begin the project.”
District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards said she didn’t see how the $30,500 of county contribution for this contract was any different from any other expenditure, saying she saw the need for some entity — public or private — to be handling wildlife situations, but that the county also had many services it needs to provide.
Browne went further, echoing Griffin’s earlier remark that the fees from leasing public land for grazing can, in fact, be used for roads.
“We the people own the land that’s being leased, and we should be deciding what to do with the payments made to lease that land within the constraints of the law,” Browne said. “The law says we can use that for maintaining county roads and a number of other things.”
He also made pointed criticism of the agency’s reporting.
“Reporting is better than the worst it has been — you guys have improved — but I would say it is far from adequate,” Browne said.
He pointed out that only one nonlethal intervention had been reported all year, that none of the public education services listed in the contract had been reported and, although he did not believe that only 66 percent of the minimum hours had been worked and that contractors were making more than $100 per hour, the county was being billed for unreported work that the contract says should have been included in billed hours.
Edwards’ other primary concern was the removal of all language describing the use of banned M44s and leg-hold traps, which actually gave up protections in scenarios where these methods can be used — on private land, and for leg-hold traps on public land under the authority of New Mexico Game and Fish.
She also mentioned that she wanted to include some kind of written accountability for reporting, while acknowledging that it is the commission’s responsibility to hold contractors accountable, and they should not wait for the final quarter’s report.
County Manager Charlene Webb offered that her office could withhold quarterly payments contingent upon the contractually obligated reporting.
Eventually commissioners arrived at a version that everyone but Browne could support. The approved contract reverts to the 2023-24 language, with additional revisions to clarify existing practices and constrain them where possible: that foot-hold traps can be used on public lands under the direction of N.M. Game and Fish only; foot-hold traps with offset jaws will use devices to exclude nontarget species; and these traps will include electronic devices to notify Wildlife Services when the trap is sprung, or else Wildlife Services, volunteers or the requester will inspect each trap within 24 hours. The language also reiterates that no M44s will be used on public land in Grant County; when used on private land, two 3-foot warning signs in English and Spanish will be placed within 5 feet, with same signage requirement for foothold traps; Wildlife Services shall submit detailed quarterly reports, and payments will be made when reporting is complete.
Browne made an additional request of Commission Chair Chris Ponce, who agreed to have the language double-checked before signing.
“We’ve seen enough times that what we get is not what we asked for,” Browne said. Ponce agreed to additional vigilance.
District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings used his commissioner’s report to thank last meeting’s commenters for sharing the story of the Bayard police’s role in nonlethal lion scattering, clarifying that it was not in conflict with a different lethal lion response he had referred to.
The commission also heard from the Gila National Forest’s new Fire, Aviation, and Field Staff Officer Marcus Cornwell on the forecasts for wildfire this summer. Cornwell was optimistic that increased moisture would mean lower fire danger, and he expressed confidence in the firefighting force and equipment available — even with very large air tankers unable to deploy from the Grant County Airport. He said this would result in a 30- to 45-minute delayed response, but that they were well-equipped with other water carrying apparatus.
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
At Thursday’s regular meeting, Grant County commissioners discussed enforcement options for citizens who collect hazardous and unsightly debris on their property — such as that which burned in the fire off of Rosedale Road earlier this month.
They also renewed an agreement with the state for the Grant County Detention Center to participate in the RISE program, supporting inmates with behavioral health needs and reintegrating them into their communities.
Commissioners tabled the decision on the controversial USDA Wildlife Services contract, explaining that they needed the time for due diligence. Commissioners said the contract would appear on a special meeting agenda later this month.
Public input saw return presentations by previous Wildlife Services critics, this time thanking the commission for tabling the contract and encouraging them to hold the agency accountable.
Christine Hess suggested that M44s should also be banned on private property, even though only public lands are covered under the state ban.
Frances Gonzales shared personal stories of seeing a dog die gruesomely in a munitions trap and having another dog saved from a mountain lion — but nonlethally, by the Bayard police chief at the time.
Other members of the public focused on the Rodeo Road fire, which started June 1 when the owner of a yard full of vehicles and other scrap burned weeds adjacent to a tire pile. County Fire Chief Roger Groves had reported at Tuesday’s work session that a power line falling from above, large fuel tanks around the property and hundreds of 20-gallon propane tanks resulted in three major explosions. In total, 74 personnel and 44 apparatuses responded, using an estimated 450,000 gallons of water. Some nearby residents were evacuated at the fire’s peak.
Some of these neighbors used public input to thank the firefighters and make some follow-up requests.
Charlotte Benavidez asked for fire personnel — who check on the still-smoldering property several times a day, by her report — to update nearby residents on progress toward its full extinguishment.
Paul McMaster and Linda Nichols both said they had been complaining of the need for code enforcement for hazardous properties for years.
“The main points are the visual blight on the neighborhood, the health hazards in the neighborhood, the safety concerns in the neighborhoods, and the property values being diminished,” McMaster said.
He suggested offering support services to homeowners and junk dealers for proper waste management and providing incentives for compliance, such as recognition.
Nichols, who lives on Rosedale Road, had longstanding complaints about the Rodeo Road property in particular, and wanted to know when it would finally get cleaned up.
“For over 25 years, my husband and I have been talking to county officials, from commissioners to code enforcements, to talk about this junkyard,” Nichols said. “My husband and I knew someday there would be a fire. We didn’t know when, where, how bad, or which direction the wind would blow. … But we knew it was going to happen with all of those combustibles over there.”
She recounted that the owner had been ordered to clean up in 2002 and 2005, and said that she had witnessed heavy equipment activity during the night that she suspected was burying junk. She feared there could be toxins in the air and groundwater in the wake of the fire.
Commissioners resumed the conversation during their comment period.
“There was nothing that I disagreed with in public input today,” said District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards. “But I do think that it’s important to acknowledge the fact that to clean up these things costs money. … It takes increased taxes to provide increased services, and that’s an important part of this conversation.”
“Have you ever had the opportunity to review the code enforcement officer’s report?” District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina asked. “Ninety percent of her stuff is battling yard waste.”
County Manager Charlene Webb said she had followed up with the county attorney by phone after Tuesday’s work session.
“We will be exploring what our options are legally for the cleanup,” Webb said. “We are reviewing all of our current ordinances, looking at ways of improving those to give [the code enforcement officer and commission] better tools to enforce matters such as this. We’re also looking at probably proposing some additional ordinances for your consideration in the future.”
District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said he looked forward to seeing what Webb and the attorney recommend.
“I think our ordinance currently is actually pretty good,” Browne said. “We haven’t really tested the limits of this ordinance, and I personally think that’s what we need to do.”
He pointed to the recent change in the ordinance which allows property owners within a mile of a blighted property to initiate their own claims in magistrate court, without waiting for town or county action.
District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings said the county needed to act decisively, however, in cases of public danger.
“Some people just don’t think like the rest of us,” Billings said. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. … I think it’s incumbent upon the county to say, ‘Hey, your treasure is putting your neighbors at risk.’”
Medina agreed there were cases where elevated risk might require enhanced enforcement.
“If we’ve already put warning on an individual that owns those types of properties,” Medina asked, “and then something catastrophic like that happens and they burn a home or kill a person — at what point do we say the judicial system failed, and we’re not punishing them?”
Commissioners shared Nichols’ concerns about groundwater and buried contaminants. Edwards said that residents can get samples tested at the county extension office.
Other than public input and commissioners’ reports, Thursday’s was a relatively short and tranquil meeting that spotlighted the detention center’s RISE program.
According to the presentation by Detention Administrator Joseph Andazola and his staff, RISE stands for Reach, Intervene, Support and Engage. The goal of the grant-funded program is to divert people with behavioral health disorders from the justice system — in some cases offering participation as an alternative sentence, and in others working with incarcerated individuals to reduce recidivism and navigate life after release. It is not open to those with violent or sex offenses.
The program provides inmates with a minimum of 90 days of risk assessments, individualized treatment plans, substance abuse treatment, recovery groups and various skill-building interventions. It connects them to community agencies upon release through a “warm handoff” for continued support and services.
Andazola said he and his staff also have hopes for expanding the program to include families of offenders, and perhaps the wider communities they come from.
“RISE is really working hard in the legislative sessions to make RISE permanent within all the jails of New Mexico,” Andazola said. “We could look at other grants and additional funding take that beautiful RISE office we have and make it a community office — for not only detention, but for the community as a whole. … We could have them before they enter the criminal justice system.”
The commission also recognized individuals involved in saving the life of a man who collapsed at the Mimbres Valley Senior Center. He was saved by a resuscitation effort by staff, residents and a deputy who had just been trained on AEDs recently installed at the behest of Commissioner Medina.

Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
With the Grant County Commission set to vote Thursday on a revised version of its controversial contract with USDA Wildlife Services, commissioners discussed how and whether to address issues with transparency as related to labor accounting and reporting of nonlethal interventions, as well as attempting to clarify language to comply with laws banning the use of M44 munitions and leg-hold traps.
County Fire Chief Roger Groves reported details of the severe Whitetail/Rodeo Road scrapyard fire two weeks ago and the firefighting response, prompting discussion of implementing burn permits.
The commission also learned that following a collision with a hangar door, very large water tankers would not be deployed from the Grant County Airport this fire season while the Forest Service reviews its tanker operations.
Public commenters from previous meetings returned with similar objections to the Wildlife Services contract and pleas on behalf of wildlife.
“How much money are we paying, or overpaying, for Wildlife Services?” asked resident Janet Wallet-Ortiz. “And for what?”
Resident Carol Ann Fugagli commented that only 2 percent of “terrestrial mammal biomass” is comprised of wild animals, and said that they ought to be preserved as much as possible.
“I’d like to see some of these funds spent on education for city residents on how to make their homes less appealing to wildlife,” Fugagli said.
Barbara Bush — the Democratic nominee for District 4 on the County Commission this November — also spoke on the contract, saying she had concerns about the environment and the use of M44s, but had greater concerns about transparency.
“It seems like we owe it to our taxpayers to make sure that our vendors are transparent in their actions,” she said. “They’re earning their money and they’re being accountable to the taxpayers.”
Later on the agenda, the commission discussed the version of the contract up for approval Thursday that included language restoring the prohibition on M44 munitions and leg-hold traps.
County Manager Charlene Webb said that Wildlife Services District Manager Rudy Fajardo also clarified that billed work in the report is actual time in the field. Time not shown is drive time, outreach and preparation, equipment maintenance, support to landowners provided by phone and other forms of administrative support.
‘“I assure you that wildlife specialist Brandon Jones does not get paid $107 an hour,’” Webb read from Fajardo’s email.
In regard to the source of the funding, she said that of the $30,000 in the contract not covered with a federal grant, $18,000 came from grazing fees, $7,000 was rolled over from the previous budget and $5,000 was new county revenue. The grazing fees and this particular federal grant could not be directed to other uses.
District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne pointed out that although the contract forbade M44s and leg-holds and added in a later section that they were not currently being used, language elsewhere in the contract still referred to protocol for “when M44 toxicants are used.”
Webb explained that was boilerplate language from the contract as it is used across the United States, and the county had only received permission to make changes already reflected. Browne was skeptical that other changes could not be made.
“This is another example of government bureaucrats being OK with things that make no sense,” Browne said. “An actual human reading this can see it makes no sense.”
He was also unsatisfied with the reporting of wildlife outcomes. He said that the contract lists nonlethal methods, and stipulates that lethal methods should only be used first if human safety is directly threatened — yet the report lists only mortalities.
“It looks like all they do is kill wildlife,” Browne said. “My guess is that’s because they aren’t reporting on nonlethal. I could be wrong, they could be just flouting the law. … It’s incredibly frustrating that this is the seventh or eighth time dealing with this, and they still can’t figure it out.”
He also pointed to language in the contract delineating categories of non-field work that are supposed to be included in billable hours.
“This contract is kind of a train wreck, and I’m not happy with it,” Browne concluded. “I suspect I’ll be voting no.”
“Far be it from me to take up for the federal government,” District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings said, “but I think our monkeying with this contract over the years has made it worse, not better.”
He sought to dispel what he described as misinformation expressed during comments, including the assertion that this summer is the coolest we will experience in our lifetimes and that only ranchers use Wildlife Services. One of the commenters began to object during his comments and was asked not to heckle.
Billings offered examples of trapper Brandon Jones using appropriate lethal force against a lion which had killed a man, and correctly counseling a panicked homeowner that if he put his dogs inside, the bear would come out of the tree and go away.
Commission Chair Chris Ponce said he is comfortable that the contract states Wildlife Services will follow all state and federal laws, including the New Mexico law banning M44s and leg-holds on public land. He said it doesn’t make sense to him that all unaccounted money in the budget goes toward salary — although he intends to follow up on what exactly is done with it.
“I can tell you right now not only ranchers use Wildlife Services,” Ponce said. “Grant County was threatened to be sued over the damage caused by woodpeckers in one of our buildings.”
Ponce and Billings both expressed concerns about terminating the agreement with Wildlife Services and having landowners illegally killing wildlife in less discriminating manners, with Billings pointing to Otero County’s efforts to re-engage Wildlife Services after termination and citing a lynx massacre.
In a presentation to the commission, Advanced Air CEO Levi Stockton reported a 98 percent completion rate for his airline’s flights from the Grant County Airport, with 95 percent arriving on time, eight cancellations the previous quarter and 11 delays. He said these numbers are much better than industry averages, and the previous airline had a completion rate in the high 70s.
Nonetheless, Ponce brought up complaints from customers with delayed and canceled flights who had trouble getting in touch with Advanced Air for further information.
“You need an act of Congress to get someone on the phone,” Ponce remarked.
Stockton replied that he would look into how to improve communication with delayed customers, but said that they generally have as much information as the company does as personnel sort through mechanical and logistical problems, which sometimes takes more than an hour.
Billings agreed with delayed customers’ need for responsiveness, but compared his own experience with Advanced Air favorably to other airlines. Browne praised their discount book program, which made one-way flights $63 for 10-pass users, but expressed disappointment that Silver City flights to Phoenix no longer connected to Los Angeles.
Airport Manager Rebekah Wenger showed photos of the furnished lounge in the newly constructed terminal, and announced that she had won County Airport Manager of the Year from the New Mexico Airport Managers Association.
In less rosy news, she reported that a large air tanker being relocated at the Forest Service tanker base accidentally collided with and damaged one of the hangar doors at the airport. No property inside the hangar was damaged, but the incident prompted a safety review by the Forest Service of their very large air tanker operations, which will not be using the air tanker base in Grant County for the current year. She said this would impact response time if a very large tanker is required, as it will have to be scrambled from another base. The change also drastically cuts into the airport’s fuel sales.
“It’s definitely an impact to our operation,” Wenger said. “I understand that the Forest Service needs to take a step back and do a safety review. Obviously, that’s the right thing to do. In this case, it definitely is something that will affect our support.”
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
During a brief special meeting Tuesday, the Grant County Commission approved a county application for a planning and design grant from the New Mexico Administrative Office of the Courts. The resolution commits the county to fund 50 percent of a project to draw up plans and designs for both a renovation to the existing courthouse and the construction of a second judicial building behind the current facility — a decision tabled from the commission’s previous meeting.
Having commissioned a needs assessment outlining these options and weighed the pros and cons of each multimillion-dollar project, county staff repeated their recommendation that they pursue funding under the June 3 deadline, but suggested that instead of committing to either option, the commission could use the process to get more information.
“We would ask the architect to plan and design both a courthouse renovation and addition as well as the new facility,” explained Planning and Community Development Director Randy Hernandez. “At that point, we can have a better idea of the cost for both. … For the next funding cycle we can approach you all and work with the district court to submit a funding application for whichever alternative is preferred.”
County Manager Charlene Webb said the 50 percent match could be budgeted for with general funds or with money from a federal assistance fund which Grant County receives.
“I’m confident that we have the money to come up with 50 percent for planning and design,” Webb said. “Now, coming up with 50 percent of construction of either is going to be a challenge. … If we were able to have the planning and design complete, then you have a shovel-ready project.”
“Which opens the door to a lot of other potential funding sources,” added District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards.
Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Jarod Hofacket clarified that because there is a $10 million cap for all applicants statewide, there was no guarantee that the state would fund the other 50 percent. He pointed out that the language for both the judiciary and the county’s funding portion said “up to 50 percent.” He cautioned that it could endanger the county’s chances of success if it was unwilling to cover more than half of construction costs, which have so far been estimated between $9 million and $20 million.
“We will fight for every dollar that we can, but cannot mislead anybody here to say that the judiciary will fund 50 percent,” Hofacket said. “All we can do is go ask for our piece of that pie, and then in the future — in fiscal year 2026 — hopefully that pie is bigger.”
He said the application for planning and design funding should highlight the path to a second-year construction phase, in hopes that next year the overall funding cap would be increased.
The resolution did not specify a cost, and authorizes Webb to act as the county’s representative in “this and subsequent activities.”
The commission also approved a preliminary budget which included a $7,347,634.99 cash balance as of May 15, with expected transfers in and out by the end of the fiscal including a required reserve, leaving a projected ending cash balance of $4,942,176.75.
Commission Chair Chris Ponce used his closing remarks to address public concerns about the under-budget hours reported for the county’s contract with the USDA’s Wildlife Services, asking county staff if the excess budget for the contract could be spent on educating the public about wildlife interaction.
“I think that’s what we’re lacking here,” Ponce said. “Maybe in the future, if we’re not hitting the full hours, maybe we or Wildlife Services can look at that to educate some of the public on some of this stuff.”
Webb said she would look at the statute, but recalled that there wasn’t a lot of flexibility in how much to spend on Wildlife Services because the funds were raised from grazing fees. She did say the county could speak with the contractor about how the money is spent, and mentioned that the county could stop carrying the balance forward for that budget item and instead only close the gap if grazing fees fell short.
“And I’m not sure I agree with the assessment of where the hours are and how it’s been allocated,” Webb added.

Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
Last Thursday’s meeting of the Grant County Commission drew much public commentary critical of the renewal of the county’s Wildlife Services contract. Ultimately, commissioners voted to table that agenda item over discrepancies between language approved last year and language presented in the new contract — specifically, the restoration of the explicit prohibition of M44 cyanide traps.
“We had discussed and we had approved that these contracts should not have M44 on public land,” said Commission Chair Chris Ponce at the start of the meeting. “It was pretty specifically spelled out. Reading [the new contract], it does not have that.”
Allowance for inhumane methods of wildlife removal were among the several objections raised by commenters, who also expressed skepticism over whether the agent was doing the job, how much this person was being paid and whether ranchers were reasonably using the tax-funded service to protect their assets.
“I think it’s 100 percent barbaric,” said Christine Hess of White Signal. “I have heard about what these M44s do, and shame on humanity if we are even considering something like this — much less foothold traps.”
Hess said that cyanide munitions explode in an animal’s mouth before the poison travels through its body, and that animals often languish for extended periods and sometimes die in foothold traps before they are recovered.
She and several commenters also responded to an apparent discrepancy between working hours reported by the contractor and those required by the contract.
Glenn Griffin reiterated much of the testimony he presented at the work session, calling M44 “the gift that keeps on killing — from coyotes and eagles to possibly harming search and rescue personnel, hikers and dogs.”
He accused the Wildlife Services agent of being out of compliance with contractual obligations to attempt nonlethal measures first and to better document their activities. He also said “some commissioners” did not care about the lack of compliance and overpayment of the wildlife contractor, and were trying to rush the approval of the contract to hide its shortcomings.
Commenter April Lee presented a more granular critique of the first-quarter report from Wildlife Services.
“I’m confounded by the lack of actual substantive data reported,” Lee said. “There are no GPS coordinates or plot data for ranches included in the report. The report contains no identifying information whatsoever, meaning that the 10 ranches listed could well be the same ranch.”
She said that the contract mandated a number of disclosures that were not included in the report, including ownership of the land where activities were carried out, identity of the entity requesting service, number and types of species relocated and outreach efforts to educate the public on how to avoid wildlife conflicts.
Lee also referenced Roxy’s Law, which she said bans the use of leg-hold and M44 traps in New Mexico.
“These leg-hold traps are draconian and cruel, and taxpayers should not be footing the bill. … Their proposed future using Grant County is troubling,” Lee said, saying the proposed contract had clearly been cut-and-pasted from an outdated document.
Lee, who said that her sister and brother-in-law are ranchers, claimed that many cattle owners keep cows as a subsidized side hustle, leasing public land below market value and leaving their cows there unattended most of the time.
“It is lazy ranching, plain and simple, to turn cows out and act like wildlife should have nothing to do with them in the forest,” she said.
Lee calculated that even if the agent were to make up the rest of the minimum required hours in the contract — which he was not on track to do according to the first-quarter report — he would be paid $107 per hour. Griffin had calculated the agent’s projected hourly earnings at $324 per hour.
The contract included in last Thursday’s agenda packet — which commissioners did not approve and voted to table pending changes — stipulates that USDA Wildlife Services will “assign one Wildlife Biological Technician per the period of performance for this Work Financial Plan averaging at least 624 hours per year, distributed among direct control activities, technical assistance, USDA/WS-required administrative tasks, and annual leave.”
It said “USDA-WS shall submit quarterly bills for actual costs incurred to USDA-WS for performance of work as delineated in the Work/Financial Plan, not to exceed $30,500.00 annually. Such costs may include but are not limited to salaries/benefits/employees’ recognition, vehicle use, supplies, equipment and USDA overhead.”
An estimated cost chart shows the county’s $30,500 as 33 percent of the $92,454.99 maximum allowable cost, with the remaining 67 percent paid by a federal appropriation. In the “shall not exceed” budget scenario, the estimated cost of employee compensation is $66,850 total, or $23,970 paid by the county.
In other business last week, Detention Administrator Joseph Andazola explained the accreditation process that his department was about to embark upon.
The accreditation audit assesses the administration, physical plant, institutional operations, detainee programs and services, and other issues that affect the quality of life at the facility, such as staff training, use of force and restraint, violence prevention measures and housing. Detention center staff must prove they meet defined standards across these areas using various documentation such as logbooks, receipts and other records, as well as staff and detainee interviews.
“Accreditation is awarded to the best of the best in the corrections field,” Andazola said, adding that there are only nine accredited facilities in New Mexico.
A small contingent from Western New Mexico University updated the commission on their exploration of the possibility of opening a vocational training center in the Mining District. WNMU Vice President of External Affairs Magdaleno Manzanarez said he and other university administrators had been touring other technical schools and speaking with members of Congress about possible funding, and had hired a consultant to do a needs assessment for vocational training in the region.
“The one thing that was really encouraging that we found was that both school districts have polled their students and found a great interest in vocational and technical programs,” said Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Operations Kevin Matthes. “There’s a renewed interest from young people that hasn’t been there traditionally over the last decade.”
A curriculum has not yet been determined, but possible training areas mentioned include construction, welding, electrical, HVAC, urban forestry, cosmetology and plumbing.
The facility would serve the four-county area of Grant, Luna, Hidalgo and Catron. Currently, the closest vocational training center is in Las Cruces, and the hope is that all counties signing on in support would make the project more appealing for federal funding.
“We are looking at two properties,” Manzanarez said, “one that has nothing [on it] and the cost of it is upward of $30 million. The other is the armory in Santa Clara and that the cost is between $5 [million] and $7 million.”
Although these properties seem far apart, valuewise, an architectural assessment for the armory is underway that will add in renovation costs, while 35 acres for new construction could potentially be donated by Freeport-McMoRan, providing enough space to add CDL classes. In addition, there is potential capital support for construction. In either scenario, ongoing program costs once the facility is up-and-running would be part of the university’s budget, which is supported by the state.
“We’re all on the same page,” said District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings. “We’d like to stop exporting our kids and grandkids from Grant County to where they can go and make a living, when actually, there are jobs here.”
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.

By JO LUTZ
Daily Press Correspondent
During last Tuesday’s work session of the Grant County Commission, department heads told the commission about several loose ends being tied up, including the completion of construction and maintenance projects and progress toward better communications in the county’s detention center. Commissioners also had to confront an increase in cost for the newly designed Bataan Memorial Park walking path.
They revisited a discussion on future plans for the historic Grant County Courthouse. The commission must decide whether to renovate or build a new facility — with either option representing a substantial investment. A vote to provide a 50 percent match for a funding application had been on last Thursday’s meeting agenda, but the item was tabled to allow for further discussion.
The work session kicked off with a public comment by Glenn Griffin regarding the county’s wildlife removal contract.
“Last year in June, there was no discussion before the commissioners voted to renew the contract,” Griffin said. “As a result, the Wildlife Services contract and agent seem to be spinning out of control.”
Griffin said that according to the program’s most recent quarterly report, only 66 of the 250 hours required had been completed, saying this marked a substantial effective raise from the contract’s already generous $86 per hour. He contrasted this to the 5 percent raise being given to actual county employees, and questioned why lion removals were down substantially from last year, pointing out that no nonlethal removals have been conducted in three years despite a requirement that nonlethal methods be tried first.
Commission Chair Chris Ponce noted that Griffin was being allowed to comment via Zoom due to a misstated public notice for the meeting, but that going forward, the commission would revert to its policy of in-person-only public comments.
Detention Administrator Joseph Andazola reported an increase in prison population and five officer openings, with three new recruits in training, and 27 participants in the RISE rehabilitation and reintegration program who attended from the facility and 17 from within the community. He said it was looking likely that he could procure a portable building to expand that program.
Ponce told Andazola he had received several phone calls praising efforts at the detention center, but raised concerns about some incidental costs that inmates confront.
“I guess some of our inmates go to rehabs or other facilities that require a list of a lot of items that they need to transport with them,” Ponce explained. “I understand the RISE helps them a little bit with some of this stuff … but a lot of families in Grant County can’t afford to send somebody.”
Ponce said the other topic of phone calls he had received had been the high cost of phone calls from the detention center.
Andazola replied that there are wellness funds that can be used to send people to rehab, and that he is working on rebuilding the program to pre-COVID capabilities, when it included partnerships with churches and other organizations that would help with those costs. He also mentioned that one of the RISE staffers was compiling a list of the required items at all these facilities, to identify what was needed where and which ones were presenting problems.
Andazola had mentioned getting tablets for the inmates to assist with some programming, and now also assured the commission that this was tied into a new communications contract that would cut phone call costs in half while providing chats and video calls as well.
“This new company has a program where they give indigent inmates the ability to talk to their family,” Andazola said, adding that even inmates who were unable to pay would get at least one call per week.
Planning and Community Development Director Randy Hernandez reported the final completion last week of county construction on Little Walnut Road, which has been widened with a paved bike path added. He also said that construction on Truck Bypass Road would be finalized as of a walk-through last week.
Hernandez also told the commission that the Bataan Veterans Memorial Park walking path would cost $208,367 more than the $300,000 in funding it had received from the governor — a grant which will expire at the end of June if it is not encumbered.
“I have seen the pride that [the veterans] take in that area, and how they built that and how beautiful it is,” Ponce said. “I want to let our commissioners know that I don’t have a problem with funding the $208,000, just because they’ve done their part.”
County staff confirmed that there was no way to cut back the project any further without compromising wheelchair and walker access, and it could not be phased.
“There’s no other way to complete it, other than for us to provide the gap funding,” County Manager Charlene Webb said. “And we do have that funding available to complete this project.”
“We’ll be using operating money to pay for a capital expense,” District 5 Commissioner Harry Browne said. “That’s a little hard for me to swallow, but I’ll be thinking about it.”
The commission did approve the funding at Thursday’s meeting.
Cost was an even bigger factor in discussions over judicial complex improvements downtown. A recently completed needs assessment had outlined options for renovating the current building to address security and compliance concerns, with an estimated cost of around $10 million. The assessment also looked at the cost of building a new courthouse on the site of the old jail which is slated for demolition on the same property. This would meet higher security standards at an estimated cost of nearly $20 million.
Webb said that there was $10 million available from the state for all county courthouses, and that Grant County could apply to use this money for planning and design — leading to a shovel-ready project in about a year, for which the county could then seek funding.
Regardless, the commission would have to decide from the outset whether a renovation or a new building was being planned and designed.
“It’s a huge decision,” Browne said. “I still favor building a new court facility. But heck if I know where we get the money.”
Webb said that if it were to qualify for state funding, the 50 percent match would still be substantial, and at the moment she could only think of financing it through a loan, while around $2 million would be available through bonds. She also considered a request for direct congressional spending, but said that the timing would not be favorable and agreed to consult with county financial adviser Mark Valenzuela about options to structure a loan.
Ponce reiterated his concern for the fate of the current building if it were to fall into disuse. Browne agreed, and clarified that he thought the building would be better preserved without the renovation, and that other county offices with less stringent facilities requirements could be moved in — an idea which Ponce warmed to.
There was also some concern about whether the renovation, which would increase the footprint of the current building, would impede already-strained parking on the site. Browne said he thought based on the schematics that the new construction might have more room for parking.
District 2 Commissioner Eloy Medina suggested that paving the old jail site be included in the cost of the renovation option.
“My final just-feeling is we need to go with less than less cost,” said District 4 Commissioner Billy Billings. “The cost of a new project that we’re talking about now, it’s not going to be the cost that we’re talking about in several years when we start construction.”
Jo Lutz may be reached at jo@scdailypress.com.