By Marty Mayfield
KRTN Multi-Media
Raton City Commissioners met Tuesday evening, May 29th for a special meeting to deal with task order changes for the Great Blocks project, street improvements and the final Interim Budget which will include a 9% pay raise for the City Manager.
City Commissioners approved the plans to go ahead with phase 1 of the Great Blocks Project. Phase 1 will consist of curb and gutter work along with bump outs and sidewalk work along First Street with Cook Ave being the center of the project. The two grants the city currently has totals out at $320,000, there will be a $90,000 match from the city. Commissioners approved the first task order for $21,100 which moves Engineering Analytics to primary consultant who will now prepare the construction documents and start the bidding process.(Link to Phase 1 Great Blocks Project Drawing)
Commissioners approved the NMDOT coop grants for street work on Hospital Drive along with street resurfacing projects on Galisteo and Apache Avenues, also Third Street and South Fourth Street with some of the work being done around the Intermediate School with coop money from the Raton Schools. (Link to Street Projects Information)
The Hospital Drive project is funded at $200,000 with the city’s share at $50,000. $93,908 has been approved for the street improvement coop grants with the city’s share at $23,477.
Commissioners approved giving the City Manager a 7% pay increase along with the 2% pay increase that city employees received for a total 9% increase which brings the city manager’s salary to $101,573.
Commissioners then approved the final FY 2019 interim budget which includes all of the changes that were made at the last city commission meeting last week. The FY 2019 $4,703,735 budget shows a decrease of 1.46% or about $69,731 less than last year’s budget which was $4,773,466. The interim budget will now be sent to the state for their approval. (Link to the Condensed Final Interim Budget FY2019)
Commissioners will meet again on June 12 for a joint work session scheduled at 4:00 p.m. with the Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board followed by their regular meeting at 6:00 p.m.
