The Raton City Commission met in Regular Session on Tuesday, October 10, and took just a shade over 30 minutes from gavel to adjournment, to roll through the agenda with new City Manager Rick Mestas getting his first taste of official commission proceedings.
The Commission voted unanimously to enter into a loan agreement with the NM Environment Dept for the purchase of a new sanitation truck. Public Works Director Jason Phillips explained that the total cost for the truck is around $272,000 with $72,000 of the price coming from the City’s Solid Waste Fund, $50,000 from a grant, and the remaining $150,000 in the form of a loan from NMED. The authorization was passed in the form of an ordinance which still must have a public hearing during the first meeting in November, plus a final amortization schedule is still part of the unfinished business of the loan.
An appropriation of $393,000 for the next three years from the governor’s office is to be used for City Police or support personnel for Law Enforcement. City Treasurer Michael Anne Antonucci reminded the Commission that the positions had already been budgeted for and this would free up that money, and said it would probably cover some 2.5 to 3 positions including benefits.
The Commission also accepted a NMDOT Grant to replace three small wooden bridges, two on Railroad Avenue and one on Shuler Ave for a project in 2024.
The Raton Planning and Zoning Commission recommended to the Commission to approve the vacation of a portion of property on Lester Ave and Davis Street because of drainage issues in a strip of 15 feet right-of-way through quitclaim, and the Commission approved the vacation.
In other business, the commission adopted a resolution authorizing the assignment of authorized officers as Mestas will now be authorized to sign documents as City Manager, voted to redeem Library Building Fund Certificates that have matured under the Earl Davis Trust and will be reinvested. Approved an agreement with Tascosa Office for equipment lease for a Canon copier for the Raton Police Department which would be $180 for a term of 60 months.
Under “Items From Citizens Present”, Colfax County Commissioner Si Trujillo addressed the commission and welcomed Mestas to his new position and offered the cooperation of the County Commission to accomplish things such as Workforce Housing and said the County has approved as much as $100,000 looking to obtain a grant for the North Central Economic Development.
In his first official City Manager Report, Mestas said the bottom line is the city is making progress on several projects and issues including the Civic Plaza, the Coors Building Rehabilitation, the Kearny School Film Project and PickleBall Courts. The City also was given good news by FDA that a fiscal agent for the city was not necessary because of the submission of a reconsideration and favorable audits the city has received in the past.
Mestas also reported that the City has a “magnificent team” working for the city including A. Romero who recently retired after 25 years of service to the city. Adrian Mendez and Randy Trujillo were promoted to Parks Foreman and also recognized was David Gallegos for coming back to work and Leonard Zamora for his work making the City Hall look great.
The meeting began with Mayor Neil Segotta reading a proclamation recognizing the efforts and contributions of Congresswoman Teresa Ledger Fernandez for her help in the Kearney Film Production and Workforce Development Project.
The next meeting will be on October 24, 2023 at 6 pm and will be broadcast on AM 1490 KRTN and streamed on our Facebook page.
