Honors and annual reports were on the table at the Sandoval County Commission meeting on April 10.
Sandoval County Sheriff Jesse James Casaus and Chief Deputy Officer Allen Mills took the lead at the meeting by handing out awards and promotions to law enforcement personnel and presenting their 2023 annual report to the commission.
Highlights from the ceremony included Deputy AJ Noriega being named Deputy of the Year for 2023. Sergeant Rene Alvardo also received the Life-Saving Award for using the Heimlich maneuver to save a young girl who was choking on food.
Increasing response times
Fire Chief Eric Masterson submitted a plan to commissioners for approval of a Federal Emergency Management Agency Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant.
According to Masterson, the SAFER grant was intended to cover firefighter personnel costs for three years. For the past four years, the county has not been successful in securing the grant due to intense competition and limited federal funding.
He said the grant would fund 12 firefighter positions in the northwest region of the county, which currently relies solely on volunteers. The result is an extended response time due to distance.
Masterson said the county adheres to the National Fire Protection Association 1720 guidelines, which requires six firefighters on the scene within 14 minutes of a structure fire 80 percent of the time, the current response time in that region of the county is 25 minutes. Safety personnel only reach the 14-minute response time 40 percent of the time. The American Heart Association recommends having a paramedic on the scene within eight minutes, but Masterson says the county’s Emergency Medical Services response time is 17 minutes.
The additional staff would supplement volunteers, improve response times and enhance emergency services coverage across the 1,500 square mile area. The county will apply for 12 full-time staff positions initially, with three shifts of four staff members working per day.
New landfill fees
Commissioners approved a new rate schedule for the Sandoval County Landfill.
The current rate is $30 per ton will increase to $33 per ton starting July 1. An additional $1 increase will happen July 1, 2025. The rate increase will cover closure and post-closure care, equipment replacement and future capital project costs.
Improvement agreements
The commission also approved agreements with companies to design the Sandoval County Judicial Complex expansion and the Hidden Valley Road bridge project in Jemez Springs.
Huitt-Zollars Inc. has been contracted to design the Judicial Complex expansion for $2,509,169.25. This design project will be financed through contributions from the Administrative Office of the Courts, American Rescue Plan Act funds and allocations from the state Legislature.
The county has contracted Vital Consulting Group LLC for the Hidden Valley Road Bridge Project in Jemez Springs for $1,826,724.32. Funding for this project will primarily come from the New Mexico Department of Transportation, providing $1.3 million, with the remaining amount sourced from capital outlay.
Get involved
The next Sandoval County Commission meeting will be at 6 p.m. on April 24Â at the Sandoval County Administrative Building Commission Chambers, 1500 Idalia Road, Building D, in Bernalillo.