Roosevelt County approves interim manager contract and renewals, accepts small state grant

Roosevelt County commissioners on Aug. 5 approved an amended interim county manager contract and a slate of county agreements, and accepted a small state tourism grant.

Human Resources Coordinator Mary Orozco presented the interim county manager contract put in place after the special session that appointed Drew Patterson. Commissioners amended the document to add the phrase "upon favorable review" to the section describing a compensation increase after six months and asked for corrections to date and contact information. The commission approved the amended contract unanimously (Grider, Criswell, Dixon, Parker, Munoz — yes).

Special Programs Coordinator Carla Weems asked the commission to renew a contract allowing the Road Department to use a water well on the Eastern New Mexico University campus; she said the site is convenient because of its short haul to many work locations. Commissioners approved that renewal with no substantive changes.

Weems also presented a program agreement renewal with New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Services for $103,000, an amount the commission had budgeted. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Cooperative Extension agreement.

Finally, Weems reviewed the county's Clean and Beautiful grant application to the State Tourism Department: the county applied for $33,000 but was awarded $3,600. Weems said the smaller award could still cover items in the scope of work, such as replacing benches and adding outdoor waste receptacles, and the commission approved accepting the award.

The votes on the contracts and grant were unanimous. No additional conditions or contingencies were recorded in the meeting minutes. The commission also designated Commissioners Malin Parker and Fabian Munoz to participate in FY2025 audit meetings with the county manager and the auditor (no formal vote required).