Cannon AFB asks Roosevelt County to approve paving of Melrose Range access; officials demand written tax and cost answers

George Jones, director of staff at Cannon Air Force Base, told the Roosevelt County Commission at a special meeting that the AV access road to Melrose Range has been unusable since 2023 and that the base is prepared to pay roughly $20,000 to secure a right of way and pave the county segment to restore reliable access. "The right of way, which is roughly $20,000 from the state," Jones said, and he added the base could use its construction funds to cover that cost if the county supports the paving.

Jones said the base currently uses an alternate entrance that forces traffic through an active bombing area, creating safety concerns for visitors and range users. To avoid recurring damage and long delays after rain events, he proposed pursuing a multi‑year easement with the State Land Office to make the road part of Melrose Range and to include it in the range’s contractor maintenance package. Jones said adding the segment into the range contract would let contractors already working on the range handle upkeep: "We already maintain part of a paved road ... So adding that into the contract would not be a significant cost to us."

Commissioners pressed Jones on the impact to private landowners, access rights and the timeline for any easement transfer. The chair asked how converting the road to range property would affect adjacent landowners’ easements; Jones said he did not intend to move gates or remove property access and that any required rights of way would be preserved in negotiation.

The meeting also turned to a long‑running dispute about gross‑receipt tax (GRT) revenue from construction on the range. Commissioners said they have repeatedly raised concerns that GRT proceeds from range contracts have been routed to the city of Clovis or Curry County rather than Roosevelt County. One commissioner summarized local experiences in which money briefly arrived for a small project and was later reclassified as an error.

Jones said his contracting office’s records showed the contract coding listed Roosevelt County and that he would investigate and "fight that fight" to ensure revenue is routed correctly. He warned the county’s current contract for range construction is expiring in December and that delays could risk a roughly $7.2 million project being removed from the schedule. "If we don't get this project going very, very soon, they're gonna take the money off the table," Jones said.

A State Land Office representative identified in the meeting as Jim confirmed he would follow up internally after a February discussion in Clovis in which the office indicated it was willing to explore easement options but cautioned the transfer would be a lengthy process.

Several commissioners said they supported moving toward a practical fix but insisted on firm, written answers about past GRT routing and clear commitments on who would shoulder future maintenance liabilities. "I would like you to find those answers and come back to us with those and then see if we can't agree to go ahead and move forward," the chair said.

No formal motion or vote was taken at the special meeting. Jones said the Air Force would continue negotiations with contracting staff and the State Land Office and asked the county to consider whether it could act as the paying agent for the right of way if required. The commission adjourned and directed Jones to return with documentation on GRT accounting and implementation details before any county approval to change road ownership or maintenance responsibilities.