Commission approves new inmate care contract
The Roosevelt County Commission has accepted a one-year, $125,800 agreement with Correctional Healthcare Management for detention center inmate medical services.
The contract approved Tuesday includes physical and mental health and pharmaceutical services.
Commissioners unanimously chose the plan over another that cost $107,500 a year but didn’t include mental health services.
Acting on the commissioners’ instructions, County Manager Charlene Hardin negotiated with Correctional Healthcare Management to bring down the cost on its second proposal for the services.
The commission previously rejected a $232,000 agreement because of the price and requested Hardin issue a second request for proposals.
“Mr. Chairman, we’re going to have to make a decision sooner or later,” Commissioner Jake Lopez said at Tuesday’s meeting.
Hardin recommended the agreement.
Currently, a licensed counselor is coming from Amarillo to work with inmates as needed on an interim basis.
Hardin said the arrangement is working well. The county pays $300 to $1,200 a month for the services.
However, Hardin said the counselor is not always available due to scheduling conflicts and has no contract.
“He may decide next week he doesn’t want to do this any more,” she said.
In another matter, commissioners took no action on burn restrictions, so the rules remain the same.
County residents can burn any time as long as they notify police dispatch or their local fire department in advance.
Portales Fire Chief John Bridges sent a letter asking for the notification rule to remain in effect.
“A simple proactive approach has decreased the number of controlled burns getting out of control, decreased the number of responses by emergency services and law enforcement chasing smoke, as well as providing a method of verification that smoke is a controlled burn secondary to the call being placed,” Bridges’ letter also said.
In other business, commissioners:
• Approved $12,500 to finish courthouse parking lot landscaping next to the building.
• Approved a resolution opposing a proposed New Mexico Public Education Department rule change that would specify public school students may choose not to say the Pledge of Allegiance without being punished.
• Approved three cooperative agreements with the state Department of Transportation to pay for road work. The amount of state financial assistance was down $41,000 for one grant, $50,000 for another and $22,000 for the third this year. With those decreases and no legislative appropriation for streets, Chairman David Sanders said the county wouldn’t be able to do much road work.
