Artesia City Council meeting welcomed new Mayor, Jon Henry, and new city councilmen Wade Nelson and Dickie Townley to the chambers. Nelson and Townley join veteran councilmen Jeff Youtsey, George Mullen, Raul Rodriguez, Jarrod Moreau, Sam Hagelstein, and Nacho Mariscal. After an invocation and pledge of allegiance, the council heard a new request to use city facilities. CASA/CYFD were granted permission to use Central Park on Friday April 29, 2022 from 10 am to 12 pm for a child abuse prevention and awareness capaign contigent upon proof of security from the groups. 

 

Next, the consent agenda received approval. On the consent agenda, positions on the council committees were determined. Committees include: budget and finance, personnel, police and fire, planning, recreation, infrastructure, and government. Moreau sits on the budget and finance committee and Raul Rodriguez sits on the recreation one. The other committees await chair election.

 

In personnel, on the consent agenda, new city positions received approval for hire. An equipment operator for the Streets and Parks Department will be advertised at $2,531 per month. A police corporal and detention officer in the police department will be advertised at $4,443 per month and $2,386 per month respectively. In F&A, a part-time AP Clerk position will be available at $13.76 per hour. The council also approved the discontinuation of pre-employment physicals for city employees, with the exception of police and fire department employees because they’re screened differently than other types of city employees. The part-time advertised position of an IT Technician received approval as well for the role to be posted as full-time. 

 

The Artesia Fire Department saw the resignation of three individuals: two firefighters and one fire lieutenant. AFD will send 9 employees to attend the EMS Committee meetings of Region 3 in Ruidoso. The Police Department will send employees to the following training events: Detective and New Criminal Investigator training in Albuquerque; School of Police Staff and Command in Rio Rancho, Standard Field Sobriety Test Instructor training in Las Cruces, and Death and Homicide Investigation training in Littleton, CO. During their time for questions, Chief of Police, Kirk Roberts, and Chief of the Fire Department, Kevin Hope, reported lower statistics that they track this month. The police saw a decline in crime and fire noticed a decline in the number of COVID-19 cases. Chief Roberts also fielded a number of questions regarding the enforcement of the new cannabis laws.

 

There was a withdrawn appeal to the Planning and Zoning Board to make a decision upon an allegation that there was an error in the decision or determination of the Community Development Director not allowing a drive-in/drive-through facility and restaurant at 1407 W. Main Street due to safety concerns, inadequate parking, and the lack of a drive-through lane.

 

3 City Ordinances arrived at council for consideration before the elected officials. The first ordinance was the Sewer Use and Wastewater Control which received approval from council. The second ordinance was the Case No. 22-05: Smith Subdivision, Block 4 Vacation. Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church seeks to consolidate the block between Logan Avenue and Cannon Avenue including the alley between Roselawn and 4th Street. The request received unanimous approval. The last and most discussed ordinance on the agenda was for Case No. 22-04 for a Special Use Permit for a retail cannabis dispensary at 501 S. 1st Street (at present Chaos Cafe). For details about the discussion of the dispensary, please look forward to the FocusNM Daily piece to follow entitled: Pecos Valley Production Receives SUP. 

 

Director of Infrastructure, Byron Landfair, gave project updates on the various city updates in progress. The department had a number of new projects because of the violent wind the same day. As a result of the wind, there was a broken pole at 1st and Main and a number of broken branches and sheet metal to remove from public roads. The councilmen thanked the department for their hard work to remove the obstacles from the roads. Mr. Landfair reported that the project at Hermosa and 1st will take two more weeks to complete. The industrial park is set to open this week, and the department will roll out some new logos as well. 

 

To close the meeting, the councilmen expressed optimism and enthusiasm for the new council and welcomed one another to the chambers.