Held at 5:30 pm on Tuesday, August 5, 2025

 

Notes created on August 7, 2025, at 7:44 AM by Minutes AI

 

 

Call to Order

  • Mayor Miller called the council meeting to order at 5:30 pm.

 

Roll Call

  • Mayor Miller, Ms. Cordova, Mr. Davis, Mr. Rackler, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Merrick, Mr. Self, Ms.  Parker and Mr. Lopez are all present.

 

  • Quorum was established.

 

Invocation and Pledge

  • Mr. Davis led the invocation.

 

  • Ms. Parker led the pledge.

 

Public Comment

  • Speakers are limited to three minutes, with a limit of six speakers per topic.

 

  • Mr. Davidson spoke regarding resolution 2025-24 and the Public Works Committee rules.

 

  • He commended Ms. Rudd’s work on the document.

 

  • He requested two modifications under item seven, “officers.”

 

  • He suggested clarifying whether the Vice-Chair assumes the role of Chair in the case of a permanent vacancy or incapacity.

 

  • He recommended replacing “chairman” with “chair.”

 

Minutes of Previous Meetings

  • Regular meeting of July 15, 2025:

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve by Ms. Parker, second by Ms.  Cordova.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. Council verbally affirmed their unanimous approval.

 

  • Motion carries.

 

  • Special meeting held July 29th:

 

  • Correction needed on page 21, item six: “department’s organization with the chart for the city of port house” should be corrected.

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve as amended by Ms.  Parker, second by Mr. Self.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. Council verbally affirmed their unanimous approval.

 

  • Motion carries.

 

Presentation Item:

Employee Service Award

  • Mayor Miller presented Mr. Koy Geary with his five years of Employee Service Award with the Police Department.

 

Action Items:

Human Resources

Presented by Genna Richards

  • Governing Body’s approval of city’s receipt of donation in the amount of $6,000.00 to the

Portales  Parks Department.

 

  • The donation has no specific criteria other than it should  go  to the Parks Department.

 

  • Question raised by Mr. Rackler if the money can be used  for ”hooking up the parks  to reuse water?”

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve by Mr. Robinson, second by Mr. Lopez.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. Council verbally affirmed their unanimous approval.

 

  • Motion carries.

 

City Attorney

Presented by Kimberly Rudd

Resolution 2025-24 Rules of Procedure, Public Works Advisory Committee

  • The resolution aims to establish rules and procedures for the Public Works Advisory

Committee.

 

  • Former City Manager, Mr. Chris Moyer had proposed to pass ordinances regarding the Public Works Committee and the Water Advisory Board, but there were issues with the two ordinances he had been working on (Ordinance774 and 775).

 

  • Ms. Rudd provided some clarity regarding the former attempt to pass the ordinances versus the current resolution, “advisory committees that help research, investigate, and then make recommendations to council, but council holds the final authority  to make  those decisions.”

 

  • Ms. Rudd wants to establish the rules by resolution for more “wiggle room.”

 

Standing vs. Special Committees

  • Ms. Rudd wants the city of Portales to move  towards  having  standing committees (meet regularly, make  recommendations, “set in stone”) and special committees.

 

  • Special committees would handle special tasks.

 

  • Need to solidify the rules of procedure for the Public Works Advisory committee.

 

Mr. Davidson’s Point

  • Mr. Davidson wants secession language in the resolution.

 

  • Ms. Rudd provided two options:

 

  • Original: Vice-Chair will perform the duties  of Chair in the event  of his absence.

 

  • Option 2 (highlighted with added distinction discussed by Mr. Davidson) [council  was handed a secondary version to review by Ms. Rudd]: Adds  that the Vice-Chair will assume the duties.

 

Term of Office

  • Mr. Davis asked if the four-year terms could  be amended to be overlapping.

 

  • Ms. Rudd believes the ability to serve consecutive appointments covers that concern.

 

Agenda Packets and Resolutions

  • In response to a question asked by Mr. Merrick, Ms. Rudd explained: “Nothing (the packets) was publicly posted because they’re (the city) no longer posting their agenda packets.”

 

  • The agenda packet received (by council) had the original proposal.

 

  • Voting is on the resolution itself, which is listed  on the agenda, not the agenda packet items.

 

  • There’s an option to amend or substitute resolutions at public  hearings, similar to ordinances.

 

Chair Duties

  • There’s no definition of the Chair’s duties.

 

  • The assumption is that the Chair would have duties similar to those listed  in the latest version  of Robert’s Rules  of Order.

 

  • There’s an opportunity to define those duties specifically and concisely.

 

Website Updates and Flexibility of Resolutions

  • The website has been updated with sections for the council and advisory committees.

 

  • Adopting this as a resolution versus an ordinance makes it more flexible.

 

  • Changes can be made without the need  to adopt  an ordinance.

 

  • It’s a “moving document” that can be amended as needed.

 

Committee Roles and Ordinances

  • Roles could be defined for the chair of any standing committee.

 

  • Ordinances from other cities define all standing and special committees in the same section.

 

  • The goal is to have universal  rules across all committees, located in the same sections.

 

  • There is no ordinance that discusses public works.

 

Committee Membership and Resolution Implementation

  • Committees should be kept reasonable in size  to maintain  a quorum.

 

  • There can’t be more than four council members on each committee.

 

  • The proposal shows at least one council member shall be on the committee.

 

  • The vision is to implement the resolution for public works first, then address special committees.

 

Special Committees and Ordinances

  • A resolution is needed to address what happens with special committees.

 

  • An ordinance would be easier to solidify guidelines for standing committees (Public Works, Finance, Public Safety) and special committees (process for formation  and dissolution).

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve the resolution with the proposed changes: the highlighted portion (on option 2 reviewed by council), at least one council member on the committee, and change chairman to chair. Motion made  by Mr. Rackler and seconded by Ms.  Parker.

 

  • Roll call vote was made as follows: Ms. Cordova, Mr. Davis, Mr. Rackler, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Merrick, Mr. Self, Ms. Parker, and Mr. Lopez – Yes.

 

  • Motion carries. Resolution 2025-24 passes.

 

Water Department

Presented by Jo McVey (standing in for Ashley Flores and Chris Mendoza)

Item 1. Habitat for Humanity Sewer Connection

  • Habitat for Humanity is building  a house at 717 Red  Wine Quincy and needs to connect to the sewer. They  are on the water co-op, but our city sewage goes over there.

 

  • They must go through this process to ask for their application to be approved so the applicant can use city’s sewer.

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve the outside user permit was  made  by Mr. Robinson and second, Ms. Cordova.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. Council verbally affirmed their unanimous approval.

 

  • Motion carries.

 

Item 2.  Water Trust Board Projects Funding

  • The first project is for the Blackwater wellfield: planning, designing, and construction of a secondary 3 million-gallon storage tank, transmission line, SCADA, permitting, electrical service, construction management, and booster station to supply for Portales residents and businesses.

 

  • Mayor Miller asked if all three NOIs needed to be decided separately. Ms. Rudd answered yes, “for clarification purposes.” Mayor, “Let’s do one at a time.”

 

  • This is a notice of intent to apply for Water Trust Board  funding for the 2026  cycle. The initial step for enrollment process to access the New Mexico Finance Authority online application.

 

  • The city is asking for $10 million.

 

  • It’s important to have the scope of work clearly defined in the application because revisions are difficult after  the funds  are awarded.

 

Wellfield Improvements Discussion

  • While the intended use of funds is outlined for council in their packet documentation, it was felt that the overall  master plan is unclear.  Mr. Merrick asked what the improvements consist of .

 

  • The NOI documentation contains: an allocation of $10 million for Blackwater improvements, $10 million for storage system rehabilitations, and $3.5 million for wastewater improvements.

 

  • The scope of work for the $10 million wellfield improvements includes:

 

  • Planning, designing, and construction of a secondary 3 million-gallon storage tank.

 

  • Transmission lines, new SCADA, permitting, electrical service, and construction management.

 

  • A booster station in the Blackwater wellfield for adequate water supply  to Portales residences and businesses.

 

  • Discussions regarding the NOIs drew concern over the presentation and there was expressed concern regarding the overall plan. There was a request on behalf of council that the Water Department team be present to discuss this matter with council.

 

  • No decision was made by council on this matter. Decision pending.

 

Contract Amendment  for DBS&A (Item 3)

  • A contract amendment with DBS&A is under review due to a request for additional funding for engineering services and revisions to previously established phases.

 

  • The amendment changes the proposed 3 million-gallon tank to a 1.5 million-gallon tank due to limited funding.

 

Tank Discrepancies

  • There is a question posed by Mr. Self about why the proposed tanks  are concrete instead of metal, like the existing tanks.

 

  • Concerns were raised about infrastructure lines being  laid for a wellfield  that is not yet utilized.

 

  • There is a discrepancy between a proposal for a 3 million-gallon tank and another mentioning a 1.5 million-gallon tank.

 

Contract Renewal (DBS&A) and Tank  Material

  • The contract renewal is not due until August 2026, with a potential one-year extension in

2026.

 

Postponement of Items

  • Mayor Miller raised a question about the urgency of the next two items  and said he would like to postpone until: 1. That someone from DBS&A would be present regarding their contract (item 3) and that Chris (Mendoza) and Ashley (Flores) who work on these regularly be present to answer council questions.

 

  • Ms. McVey: The NOI needs to be submitted by August 8th, and the deadline for applications is September 11th.

 

Motion and Voting

  • Mayor Miller suggested that “we postpone this (items two and three on the agenda)” to the September 2nd meeting, unless it is necessary to move  it to the last  meeting in August to meet deadlines.

 

Further Clarification Needed

  • Mr. Self: Can we get clarification is needed on how previously awarded funds have been  spent and the current  status.

 

  • Mayor Miller asked that council members get with Mr. Mitten to submit any questions they may have; so, that he and the Water Department can be prepared to answer them at the September meeting.

 

  • The engineering company should also be present at the meeting.

 

Motion and Vote

  • At Mayor Miller’s suggestion to council, Mr. Rackler made a formal motion to postpone items  two and three  from the water department to the September 2nd meeting unless it is necessary to move  it to the last meeting in August to meet  deadlines.

 

  • Second by Mr. Robinson.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. All council members verbally affirmed their approval of the motion to postpone Items 2 and 3 of the agenda.

 

  • The motion carried, and the items will be moved to September   2nd; unless deadlines demand sooner.

 

Ms. Parker’s question: New Mexico Municipal League Conference

  • In regard to the council’s discussion of future meetings, the Mayor reminded council members about the New Mexico Municipal League’s Conference is on September 16th through the 19th. A discussion is needed about whether the September 16th meeting needs a reschedule.

 

Rescheduling Meeting

  • Next council meeting is scheduled for August 19th.

 

  • Discussion about rescheduling will occur on the 19th.

 

  • Council’s attention returned to the agenda items.

 

Finance/CPO

Presented by Lisa Gamble

Approval of Contract with Ed’s Recycling Center

  • Approval requested for contract with Ed’s Recycling for ITB #2025-03 Hauling Services for

30-yard roll offs.

 

  • Contract is for one year with yearly renewals up to four years.

 

  • The contract is mainly to haul the roll offs until the city gets its truck, projected to be here by the end  of August.

 

  • The contract is on an as-needed basis.

 

  • It is not a guarantee of a full year’s work.

 

  • Additional information came from Mr. Steve Chavez, Public Infrastructure Director.

 

  • The roll off truck will be here in 3 weeks.

 

  • The garbage truck will be here at the end of October.

 

  • They were the lowest bidder with a cost at $300.00 per haul, 12 hauls per week, which is $3,600.00.

 

Motion and Voting

  • Motion to approve was  made by Mr. Rackler, second by Ms. Cordova.

 

  • No roll call vote was made. Council verbally affirmed their unanimous approval.

 

  • Motion carried.

 

Resolution 2025-29 for the PATS Program

  • Requesting governing body’s approval of Resolution 2025-29 for the Portales Area Transport program to apply  for funding assistance to the FTA’s Section 5311-5310 programs through  New Mexico Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2027.

 

  • Asking to put in notice of intent for the PATS program.

 

  • Total request is $490,761.10.

 

  • The city’s share would be $197,108.06, with a full total of $687,869.16.

 

  • This covers operation and administrative costs, including buses, mechanical, and drivers.

 

  • The bus system does not transport school-age children.

 

  • This is to avoid competition with the Portales school bus system.

 

  • Mr. Rackler stated that he requested a report from the PATS program several months ago, but it was never received.

 

  • The service area is still within a five-mile radius outside of the city limits.

 

  • A goal is to grow the radius as ridership  and the number  of drivers  increase.

 

  • ENMU students utilize the bus  service quite  a bit. The elderly, disabled and house-bound   are its largest number of users.

Motion and Voting

  • Motion  to approve was  made  Mr. Robinson and second, by Ms. Parker.

 

  • A roll call vote was made as follows: Ms. Cordova, Mr. Davis, Mr. Rackler, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Merrick, Mr. Self, Ms. Parker, and Mr. Lopez – Yes.

 

  • Motion carried unanimously.

 

Staffing and Council Comments:

Police Department Update

  • Chris Valdez retired last week, which reduced staffing by one.

 

  • A lateral transfer started today.

 

  • Another employee took a less physically demanding position  due  to health  reasons.

 

  • The vehicle at the body shop is still there, with additional  damage found, but it should  be covered by insurance.

 

Police:  Training and Conferences

  • The city is continuing with biannual and advanced training.

 

  • Albuquerque is hosting its third annual safety of our cities conference, and Chief Medina offered two free slots.

 

  • Only one person is available to attend the conference due to other  commitments.

 

Police:  Youth Sports Coordinator

  • TJ Garcia started as the youth sports coordinator and is working with a lot of energy.

 

  • Registration is currently on hold because finance is on vacation and needs to set up the account information for online registration.

 

  • TJ Garcia will be at the August 12th Recreational Advisory Board meeting to provide an update.

 

Police: Traffic Cameras

  • The traffic cameras are still working well, and there has been  a significant reduction in violations since the program  started.

 

  • Additional solar lights  for Abilene have  been  ordered and will be installed by Mr. Chavez’s staff.

 

  • Ms. Rudd suggested amending the ordinance to allow funding from the traffic cameras to go  towards  youth  programs.

 

Police: School Zone Signs

  • The school zone signs need to be changed again  due  to time changes.

 

  • New signs with the correct times will come with the new lights, but stickers will be used to change the afternoon time on the existing signs.

 

  • The morning times will remain from 7:30  to 8:30, and the afternoon times  will be 3:30  to 4:30.

 

Fire Department Update

  • In July, the Portales Fire Department had 289 calls for service: 83%  EMS  and 17% fire.

 

  • The department was fully staffed for 13 days.

 

  • Firefighters Michael Gonzalez, Hector Garcia, and Ethan Tapia completed their paramedic program  and will be nationally  testing soon.

 

Library Update

Summer Reading Program

  • 204 people signed up for the incentive program.

 

  • The library hosted 73 programs over 7 weeks, with a total attendance of 1,643.

 

  • Participants read a total of 157,853 minutes (2,631 hours).

 

  • The top student reader read 5,030 minutes  (84  hours)  over the summer.

 

HR Update

  • Charles Clark, a former intern, has been  hired as  a full-time HR executive assistant.

 

Community Services Update

Code Enforcement Nuisance Ordinance

  • The code enforcement nuisance ordinance will be brought before council on August 19th.

 

  • An update on the church is that they are still moving forward  with it.

 

  • The posting in the newspaper will go out tomorrow.

 

Comm. Services: Animal Shelter Inspection Phase

  • The state has higher requirements than the city, so additional  items  have  been requested.

 

  • Water and electricity are done, pending inspection.

 

  • The building permit is being worked  on.

 

  • Half the building was prepped for fence work.

 

City Attorney Update: Primitive Baptist Church

  • The complaint is ready to be filed along with the motion  for service by publication.

 

  • Issue: Unable to locate the actual owners of Primitive Baptist Church to serve them notice.

 

  • The notice was posted.

 

  • The complaint and summons will have to be published for 3 weeks before moving forward with an order.

 

  • Attempts to contact another Primitive Baptist Church were unsuccessful.

 

  • A public record search found  a gentleman who turned  up as an owner, but the assessor’s office put a stop  on the title change due to lack of proof & authority from claimant.

 

Resolution Amendments

  • The Resolution 2025-24 voted and approved today needs signatures from the mayor and council.

 

  • The resolution approved by council motion and voting has been updated and printed.

 

  • Council members will be signing the corrected and final approved version.

 

New City Manager Introduction

  • Mr. Scott Mitten, the new city manager, is settling in well and impressed with city hall teammates.

 

  • Action items include building  teams and relationships.

 

  • He has been meeting people and letting  them  know the fine job that city hall team members are doing.

 

  • He has spent time with the Rotary (Organization), the library, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Roosevelt County Electric Co-op, and the Municipal Airport.

 

  • The city’s comprehensive plan from 2023 will be reviewed.

 

  • He will focus on turning the comprehensive plan into actionable items with suspense dates and a path to success.

 

  • Mr. Rackler: Appreciates the city manager’s positive spin on issues in his (online)posts.

 

  • The city manager stated, “in almost any situation there’s an element of positivity…we will also  look for the positive aspect of that and remind ourselves as a group  to focus on the positivity  instead of dwelling  on the negativity.”

 

Council Comments:

Mr. Rackler:

  • According to Mr. Rackler, an unnamed community member commented to him that the same places where old (potholes) are already  coming back on the streets that were recently  redone.

 

Ms. Parker:

  • Progress on street (repair projects): ¼ of the way through (Mr. Chavez).

 

  • Currently, there is no one  to run the repaired and operable street sweeper,  due  to the department being  short-staffed (2).

 

  • Thanked Mr. Chavez for everything he and his staff do. Their work is amazing and very much appreciated.

 

Mr. Merrick:

New Mexico Environmental Department

  • Kambray Townsend from the New Mexico Environmental Dept. was unable  to attend the current meeting.

 

  • She is available for the August 19th meeting and could be added to the agenda.

 

EPCOR Meeting

  • There were scheduling conflicts with EPCOR.

 

  • Jeff from Arizona, who is involved with EPCOR, experienced a family loss, causing a delay in communication.

 

  • EPCOR suggested a Zoom meeting or scheduling a date in September for a council meeting.

 

  • It was suggested that the council meeting would be better so the public can  hear it as well.

 

  • An alternative suggestion was to schedule a workshop to allow more time and public participation.

 

Mayor Miller: Appreciation

  • Mayor Miller expressed his appreciation for Mr. Mitten’s positive attitude.

 

  • “Ronald Reagan was one of our greatest presidents because our country was down and he came in with a positive spin on everything and that positive bred more positive”.

 

  • The staff were thanked for their efforts and positive impact on the community.

 

  • Reminder to sign the resolution after  the meeting.

 

Adjournment

  • Having no further business or questions, Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting at 6:54 pm.

 

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This is to certify that these Meeting Minutes were approved with corrections by council at their last regular meeting, Tuesday, August 19, 2025 and made available to the public within the OMA requiredments. It is a summary of the above meeting. A full transcription of the meeting can be obtained from the city’s YouTube channel.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

Danielle Swopes, City Clerk, or Melissa Carrillo, Deputy City Clerk

 

 

If you are an individual with a disability who needs a reader, amplifier, qualified sign language interpreter, or any other form of auxiliary aid or service to attend or participate in a hearing or meeting, please contact the Portales City Manager or City Clerk at 575-356-6662, Option #0 at least one (1) week prior to the meeting or as soon as practical. Public documents, including the agenda and minutes, can be provided in various accessible formats. Please contact the Portales City Manager or City Clerk at 575-356-6662 if a summary or other type of accessible format is needed. Questions, requests, or comments from citizens should be submitted in writing to the City Clerk or City Manager by 4:00 p.m. a day prior to the meeting. Contact information for both officers is on the City’s website: https://www.portalesnm.gov/departments/.