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Grant County commissioners hear monthly updates on airport, code enforcement, detention center, roads and capital projects
Summary
Department heads updated commissioners on airport lighting and FAA inspection, code-enforcement caseloads and geographic case tracking, detention-center population and a laundry remodel, IT migration and cybersecurity training, road and capital projects, and a package of budget adjustments and grants to be considered in the regular meeting.
Grant County department heads briefed the Board of Commissioners on March 10 about ongoing projects, staffing and budget issues across county services.
Jason provided the airport report, saying a pre-construction meeting with contractor BHI has kicked off an LED airfield lighting project and that the FAA annual inspection was underway. "We are very excited to get this project kicked off," he said, adding that staff completed required fire-extinguisher training and that airport tenants were engaged in pre-construction discussions.
Code enforcement presented its caseload breakdown and follow-up plans. The officer on record said 12 cases were open this pay period with one citation issued and multiple ongoing property-maintenance matters (vehicles, trailers and abandoned RVs). The officer described a new geographic breakdown to prioritize fieldwork across Grant County East, West, North and South and said they will follow up with owners who have not made required progress.
At the detention center, Mr. Andola reported three officer vacancies with one hire imminent and gave February population figures (average daily population 80; high 87; low 71). He described an in-progress laundry remodel (new concrete pour, electrical and plumbing work) and said the facility received an accreditation extension, with a full audit slated for September 2026.
IT Director Adam Baka outlined a near-term Microsoft Office 365 migration (moving from Google Drive to OneDrive), an enterprise backup rollout and mandatory online cyber-security training starting next Monday. "This cyber security training will help us to keep at the forefront to keep in everybody's minds being aware of current cyber security attacks," he said.
Planning Director Holin summarized bids received for Arenas Valley phase one construction and temporary construction permits for residents where driveway tie-ins are needed; Ridge Road is reported 90–95% complete. Holin also described grant submissions to the NMDOT Transportation Project Fund and an upcoming Schneider Electric review of county facilities for energy-efficiency opportunities.
Roads Director Roco described prioritization of maintenance work, readiness to begin special projects pending disbursement of funds, substantial culvert and pothole repairs, and staff training to increase CDL capacity. Commissioners and the county manager discussed adopting asset-management software to track culverts, cattle guards and signs.
The county manager and finance staff previewed resolution R-2612, a multi-part budget adjustment request that includes year-one fees for OpenGov procurement software ($45,394), signage and admin building improvements, a Tyler software migration for clerk/treasurer/assessor systems, road department fuel adjustments, Fort Bayard water storage tank matching funds, ARPA funding for the detention laundry project, and grant receipts and reimbursements related to the Hila Community Center, Hila Basin irrigation work and recent fire reimbursements (Trout Fire reimbursements are largely received, staff said ~85% of expected funds have arrived).
No formal votes on the budget package were reported during the work session; the items were identified for consideration on the regular meeting agenda.
