The Truth or Consequences City Commission rubber-stamped the publication of an ordinance for a loan amount that is unclear, to refund an old debt that is unclear and to pull cash out of the refinancing deal to pay for future projects that are unclear. The action took place during the May 27 meeting and will […]
Mystery refund/refinance loan may hide $1.17 million for projects Read More »
Sandra Whitehead, mayor of Truth or Consequences, put forth a proclamation on April 26 extolling the religious work and mission of the First Baptist Church in its 100th year, “crossing the line” between the separation of church and state, according to the Freedom From Religion Foundation. FFRF sent Whitehead a letter May 28 via her
Truth or Consequences City Manager Morris Madrid dropped a bombshell as he was going over the preliminary budget and the City Commission said nothing. Madrid, without giving a date, said the City “misappropriated” $300,000 of the Gross Receipts Tax approved about ten years ago to pay benefits and salaries for police officers to stop the
July 1 utility customers under Truth or Consequences’ jurisdiction will face a 40-to-50-percent hike in water fees, a 5-percent hike in sewer fees and a 5-percent hike in solid waste fees, yet City Manager Morris Madrid asserted the City is becoming less dependent on utility fees to make ends meet during the Wednesday, May 27
The three newly-installed Truth or Consequences City Commissioners asked no probing questions and gave no analysis or direction on the 2020-2021 preliminary budget to City Manager Morris Madrid and then approved it, giving him high praise. The two senior commissioners, Mayor Sandra Whitehead and Paul Baca, said nothing beyond also praising Madrid for his work
Truth or Consequences City Commission rubber stamps preliminary budget Read More »
The Truth or Consequences City Commission will vote on a preliminary budget for fiscal year starting July 1 and ending June 30, 2021 without ever having received a budget report over the past year. The vote will take place tomorrow, May 27, at a meeting scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Most cities’ boards get a quarterly
Truth or Consequences City Commission voting blind on preliminary budget Read More »
After months of spare agendas, the May 27 Truth or Consequences City Commission’s meeting agenda is bulging with important items. The agenda is determined by City Manager Morris Madrid and Mayor Sandra Whitehead. The City’s preliminary budget, in most cities, would have comprised several meetings on its own. The most important items include: LOCAL ELECTION
Preview of Truth or Consequences City Commission May 27 meeting Read More »
All six public comments given during the Sierra County Commission meeting on May 19 were critical of Sheriff Glenn Hamilton’s recent actions in deputizing about 20 church members at New Hope Revival Church on May 3, as well as his helping to organize a rally at that same church with Cowboys for Trump on May
Public comment on Sheriff Hamilton during County Commission meeting Read More »
Sierra County Sheriff Glenn Hamilton was sent five questions Friday, May 15, and answered them Tuesday, May 19, while the New Hope Revival Church and Cowboys for Trump held their coordinated church service and rally on Sunday, May 17, making the questions and answers disjointed in time. However, the answers are still relevant, and reveal
Sheriff Glenn Hamilton was questioned by Sierra County Commissioner Frances Luna at the May 19 meeting. Why did he choose to deputize large numbers of New Hope Revival Church members to be called up to aid him should he or his deputies become infected with COVID-19? Hamilton’s deputizing this flock appears to give preference to
Sheriff Glenn Hamilton defends mass deputization of religious sect as “symbolic” Read More »
There are two main items on the Sierra County Commission’s regular meeting May 19, starting at 10 a.m.: a preliminary budget resolution and an ordinance prohibiting open burns. The resolution on the budget proclaims that “public hearings were held,” not stating when, and the May 19 agenda does not give notice there is a public
In the name of freedom of religion and the right to peaceably assemble under the Constitution, a pastor, a sheriff and founder of Cowboys for Trump will gather Sunday, May 17 at a church to defy Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s executive order that only 25-percent capacity may gather for church services. Couy Griffin, besides being
Local Sheriff and Cowboys for Trump join New Hope Revival Church in constitutional stand Read More »
The final and draft environmental impact statements prepared by the Bureau of Land Management in its assessment of the New Mexico Copper Corporation stack more than a foot high and they are highly technical documents. For that reason, Bill Childress, district manager for the BLM, Las Cruces District, was asked and agreed to pick out
The TorC City Commission may take action on live/work special-use permits for downtown business owners who want to also live in them downtown, according to the Sept. 25 meeting agenda. The city packet is light on details. City Manager Morris Madrid’s memo states the City Commission has discussed the matter before, at the March 13
The Truth or Consequences City Commission approved about $20,000 in payments to Landis + Gyr after coming out of executive session May 13, apparently going through with a $1-million smart meter purchase for the city-owned electric utility’s customers, a nonessential purchase many residents are dead set against. None of the City Commissioners, not even the
The Truth or Consequences City Commission discussed whether to put public comment back on the agenda and change meeting times to evening, but delayed any changes to the rules of procedure until the COVID-19 crisis has passed. The City Commission wants to make the decision after gathering more public input and when people can join
Public comment second meeting of the month will have to wait some more Read More »
During the Sierra County Commission’s virtual meeting, April 21, County Manager Bruce Swingle and Sheriff Glenn Hamilton gave reports on actions taken related to the coronavirus pandemic in the last month. Swingle said he gets daily updates from the State and its model predicts there will be 80 deaths in the State due to the
County Manager and Sheriff’s report on coronavirus management Read More »
William H. Hopkins, “Hank,” is a shoe-in as the lone candidate on the slate for the June 2 Primary Election for Sierra County Commissioner, which has one seat open. Frances Luna, District 3, will have served eight years this coming January 2021 and has termed out. Hopkins is a Republican. In the party-system primary, three
Back-to-Work resolution amendment, Amerigreen Organics’ economic development deal, Same auditing firm for fourth year, Putting public comment back on agenda for second meeting of the second meeting of the month TO ATTEND The Truth or Consequences City Commission will hold a regular meeting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 13, which cannot be attended physically by
Preview of Truth or Consequences City Commission May 13 meeting Read More »
Mayor Edna Trager, during and Elephant Butte City Council meeting May 6, said residents had reported people boating north of the butte were being ticketed with fines in the “hundreds of dollars” for straying into state-park-controlled waters, which has been shut down by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s COVID-19 executive order since March 16. It turns
Elephant Butte Lake State Park Rangers not ticketing boats for going north of the Butte Read More »