March 10, 2021
Most SWNM solons oppose bill to sideline diversion group Written by Geoffrey Plant on March 10, 2021
(Press Staff Photo by Geoffrey Plant)
Last month, District 38 state Rep. Rebecca Dow and District 39 state Rep. Luis Terrazas, both Republicans representing parts of Grant County, spoke against HB 200, “Water Trust Board Projects and N.M. Unit Fund,” ahead of a House vote on the legislation. The proposal seeks to sideline the New Mexico Entity of the Central Arizona Project from its proposed future role as a regional water authority and prohibit more Arizona Water Settlements Act funds from being spent on a Gila River diversion.
Commission shoots down low-income tax rebate Thursday Written by Geoffrey Plant on January 29, 2021
Worried about the county’s bottom line, Grant County commissioners voted 3-2 Thursday against a push to adopt an ordinance that would have allowed Grant County’s lowest-income property owners to take advantage of a tax rebate available under state statute.
Only Santa Fe and Los Alamos counties currently offer the rebate, and Grant County officials have repeatedly shot down the idea, which individual counties must choose to adopt, every other year at least since the early 2000s.
According to Section 7-2-14.3 of New Mexico tax law, ※In January of every odd-numbered year in which a county does not have in effect a [low-income property tax rebate] ordinance adopted pursuant to this subsection, the board of county commissioners of the county shall conduct a public hearing on the question of whether the
Republican Billings casts lone vote against ‘divisive’ resolution - Commissioners vote to condemn Herrell move
In a 4-1 vote Thursday, Grant County commissioners adopted a resolution that “condemns the votes of [U.S.] Rep. Yvette Herrell objecting to the certification of the electoral votes of the State of Arizona and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” with the commission’s lone Republican member, Billy Billings, casting the single vote against the measure.
Most of Thursday’s livestreamed commission meeting was consumed by public comments. County Manager Charlene Webb and her executive assistant, Taysha Walter, read almost 100 comments into the record over a period of one and a half hours, and, with near-unanimity, public input strongly supported passage of the resolution to condemn Herrell’s actions.
December 16, 2020
Economic development group looks to county for funding Written by Dean Thompson on December 16, 2020
The Grant County Commission heard a couple of presentations about public health and economic development during its work session Tuesday morning.
The first came from the Grant County Community Health Council’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force, represented by Jeff Fell, the town of Silver City’s emergency manager, and Renee Despres.
Despres started with COVID-19 numbers for the county.
“This data is for November 17 to November 30, so I can’t tell you what our positivity rate is here right now,” she said. “We’re testing pretty well compared to other counties in the state, but we still haven’t met the gating criteria of 5 percent of tests being positive.