Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 129 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
May 29, 2014
THURSDAY
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County’s budget includes 3 percent pay raises
BY JEFF TUCKER RECORD STAFF WRITER The Chaves County commissioners unanimously approved an interim $45 million budget on Wednesday morning that includes several new positions and a cost-of-living adjustment for all county employees for the first time in three years. The $44,889,112 interim budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year adds seven new full-time positions for the new Çhaves County Detention Center that is under construction, while eliminating the county’s indigent health care position, which has been vacant and is no longer necessary with the state’s expansion of Medicaid. The county’s personnel roster will increase from its
current 248 employees to 254 employees as of July 1, according to the interim budget. The commissioners are expected to approve a final budget in July. The first of July marks the start of the county’s fiscal year. More county employees have not been added to the county’s payroll in a decade, said county manager Stanton Riggs. “This is the first year in 10 years we’re actually going to be adding positions,” Riggs said. “It’s all because of the jail.” The $15 million jail renovation is expected to be completed next year. The county’s interim budget adds four jail positions in July and three more in January. Eventually, six more new
county employees will be needed to staff the jail, said Commissioner Greg Nibert, who said the county spends more than a third of its annual budget on law enforcement and incarceration. “That is a significant increase in personnel,” Nibert said. “It’s not just jail construction. It’s the reoccurring expenses resulting from the expansion of that jail.” Next fiscal year’s budget also includes a 3 percent across-the-board wage increase for all county employees. County employees have not received cost-of-living increases in three years, Riggs said, when they also received 3 percent cost-ofliving raises. Riggs said the budget
Job Corps celebrates 50 years
includes a 10 percent increase in health insurance costs, not withstanding the president’s repeated pledges that health insurance costs would diminish as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as “Obamacare.” “The bulk of that we’ve turned over to employees,” Riggs said of increased health insurance costs. Riggs said this is the third straight year county employees have seen double-digit increases in health insurance costs. He said health insurance costs for county employees have gone up 35 percent in the last three years. County elected officials taking office next year will receive 15 percent salary increases as a result of a
new state law governing the salaries of county elected officials and the commission’s subsequent approval of the raises earlier this year. Two of the five commissioners, the new sheriff, and the newly elected county assessor will receive the 15 percent raises in January. The interim budget includes several capital outlays.The road department is allocated $130,000 for a tractor-truck. There is also funding of $150,000 for a trash truck, $115,000 for heating and air conditioning upgrades at the Chaves County Administrative Center, and $160,000 for the sheriff’s office to purchase five patrol vehicles. The interim budget also
includes funding for economic development, but at far less than requested. The interim budget includes $80,000 for the Economic Development Corp. of Roswell-Chaves County, $40,000 for the Roswell Chamber of Commerce, $5,000 for the Roswell Hispano Chamber of Commerce, and $20,000 for the Roswell Boys & Girls Clubs. The economic development funding was approved in halves, with the entities to receive the other halves in January after meeting performance standards set by the county. The EDC had requested $120,000, the Roswell chamber had requested $110,000, and the Hispano
See BUDGET, Page A3
(Below, top) Center Director Eddie Williams addresses a crowd of about 50 people who gathered for the anniversary kickoff celebration. (At left) After Williams’ address, attendees enjoyed breakfast burritos and other treats prepared by the center’s culinary arts students. (Below, bottom) Though this gateway is always closed, it is symbolic of the Job Corps’ mission to be a road to success for its students.
Timothy P. Howsare Photos
The Job Corps, which has its own campus adjacent to Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, held a kickoff Wednesday to celebrated its 50th year in operation. The organization, which trains young people ages 16 to 24 for vocational fields like auto mechanics, health care and culinary arts, was started as part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The Job Corps and Head Start are the only two federal programs created during the Johnson Administration that exist today.
Job Corps centers currently train more than 60,000 students in 36 states through $1.7 billion in funding through the U.S. Department of Labor.
The Job Corps in Roswell serves around 175 students who live in dormitories on the campus. Students without high school diplomas can get GEDs. All students are certified for employment in their chosen professions at the end of their training at the center. While some students will immediately get jobs, others will go on to college or join the military, said Joann Lopez, business community liaison at the center.
Blue Cross, Blue Shield to acquire Lovelace Health Plan Membership
STAFF REPORT Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico received its final regulatory approval to acquire Lovelace Health Plan commercial members and the Medicare Advantage contract, according to a news release issued on Tuesday. The transaction is expected to be complete on June 1. This acquisition does not include Lovelace’s hospitals, providers, pharmacies or clinics. The Department of Justice has completed its review of the transaction, and all regulatory requirements for closing have been satisfied. Blue Cross also received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the New Mexico Of fice of the Superintendent of
Insurance. Lovelace Health System and Blue Cross continue to build on their strong history and long-term relationship to service Blue Cross members with highly coordinated, cost-ef fective, quality care. Lovelace Health Plan Medicare Advantage and commercial members will of ficially become Blue Cross members on June 1. “We are very pleased to complete the regulatory approval process,” said Kurt Shipley, president of Blue Cross. “We are excited to be bringing Lovelace Health Plan members into our Blue Cross family. We have worked with many key Lovelace leaders during this transaction, in order to
See PLAN, Page A3
HIGH 90 LOW 67
TODAY’S FORECAST
ENMU-R students receive national recognition SUBMITTED The Spring 2014 edition of “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges” will include the names of 32 students from Eastern New Mexico UniversityRoswell who have been selected as national outstanding campus leaders. To qualify, the students must have earned at least 24 credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and be nominated
by a faculty member.
the District of Columbia and several foreign nations. Outstanding students have been honored in the annual directory since it was first published in 1934.
Campus nominating committees and editors of the annual directory have included the names of these students based on their academic achievement, service to the community, leadership in extracurricular activities and potential for continued success. They join an elite group of students from more than 1,000 institutions of higher learning in all 50 states,
Students recognized this year from ENMURoswell are: Valarie Betancur, Tyci Bowen, Skyla Burd, Veronica Cadengo, Kristi Carrillo, Raquel Carson, Kathryn Cecava, Wendy Contreras, Jose Cordero, Jonathan
SUBMITTED New Mexico State Land Commissioner Ray Powell signed a lease agreement Tuesday with Triangle Gallegos, LP, a wind energy company based in Union County and Hereford, Texas, for a wind farm project to be located on about
19,000 acres of State Trust Land and 31,000 acres of private land 35 miles west of Clayton in Union County. Transmission service will be provided by Lucky Corridor, LLC. Triangle Gallegos, LP, a joint venture between Tri-
angle Cattle Co., Ltd. and Gallegos Wind Farm, LLC, won the bid and agrees to lease payment terms that are estimated to generate $47 million of revenue for State Trust Land beneficiaries over the 45-year project life. Beneficiaries of the land being leased are pub-
• JIM CALLAWAY • WILLIAM “DALE” MCINNES • TED PATTERSON
• RONALD C. HORTON • SHARON HARPER • SAMUEL JOSIAH FERGUSON
CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
Courts, Miranda Dutchover, Angel Guilez, Sara Humaran, Mark Kermode, Lucia Meraz, Jorge Ortiz, T if fanie Owen, Juanyvett Padilla, Britanny Richburg, Shelli Robb, Katelyn Ross, Kathryn Ross, Miguel Ruiz, Amy Saz, Teresa Silva, PaulEdward Smith, Brandon Tekano, Ethan Urban, Renee Vargas, Cristina Velez-Smith, Jeffrey Willman, and Gerardo Zuzumbo.
Land commissioner signs lease for wind farm on state lands
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A6
lic schools, the University of New Mexico (UNM), New Mexico State University (NMSU), the New Mexico Military Institute and the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute. The overall proposed
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2
HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2
See LAND, Page A3 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8