Revenue down in Cibola

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Revenue is down more than 41 percent for Cibola County this year and outgoing County Manager David Ulibarri said it will get worse before it gets better.

Layoffs of county employees are not being considered at this time, he said: “But, I am watching expenses and monitoring overtime.”

Ulibarri, whose last day is Jan. 16, said the commission is beginning to advertise for a new county manager.

‘I don’t know how quickly they will move,” he said.

“I have put out a memo to department heads — there is a hiring freeze; no temps; and any hiring must be justified, and approved; and for department heads to monitor overtime,” he said.

“I have asked Sheriff Johnny Valdez to monitor the overtime for his department as well. I believe he is down two positions but they are already approved to hire,” he said. Public safety should be the very last to be affected, he said.

The county clerk’s office is down three people and those positions are approved to be hired,” he said.

Lisa Bro, county clerk, said she is running the office with her deputy clerk and two temporaries.

Ulibarri said the federal government and state government have cut back on funding the county.

Slow property tax payments

“We depend on property taxes too,” he said. “Those are coming in slowly. I think less than half, which were due in November, have come in so far,” he said

The county’s budget this year is set at $4.233 million and expenses so far are $4.5 million, about $700,000 more than incoming revenue, he said.

“The county has uncommitted reserves of $5.9 million, so we may have to pull funds from those reserves to balance the budget by June 30,” he said.

The county operates on a budget year, called a fiscal year, of July 1 through June 30 of the following year, each year.

“The county could probably function for an entire year on the reserves, but that is not good.

“We are required to have a balanced budget and we are required to have 3/12th of the annual general fund budget in reserve above expenses each year, by state statute,” he said.

The next month the second half of property taxes are due is June and if they come in as slowly as they have since November, there will be a larger shortfall for the county, meaning even more of the uncommitted reserves will be required to be used to balance the budget.

Legislative requests

The county has submitted a request to the state legislature to fund three prioritized capital projects this session, which begins Jan. 20. The session is a full 60 day session, The legislature alternates 60 days and 30 days every other year.

“But the state is facing a $460 million deficit, so I think we will not get any of the items funded,” Ulibarri said.

One of the three items submitted to the governor was expansion of Cibola General Hospital’s emergency room, laboratory, radiology departments for $3 million.

“If we get funded for the hospital expansion it probably won’t be the full $3 million,” Ulibarri said.

The other two projects are a new courthouse for $10 million and a new administrative complex for the county at $3 million.

County commissioners may be reached at the county complex, 515 W. High St., Grants, at (505) 287-9431:
District 1, Edward Michael, chair; District 2, T. Walter Jaramillo,