I have been up in Northern Colorado on a Camera Elk Hunt for a week so I am trying to catch up on the news here in Chama.
From the Rio Grande Sun
Village Turns Blind
Eye To State Law
By Matt van Buren
SUN Staff Writer
Chama Mayor Archie Vigil's decision to suspend New Mexico's constitution during a snow emergency earlier this month appears to have led the Village into breaking the state's procurement and anti-donation laws.
Vigil made the announcement Feb. 5 at a village meeting following Governor Bill Richardson's declaration that Rio Arriba County was in a state of emergency after 39 inches of snow fell on Chama in less than five days.
"In my personal view, the anti-donation clause is out the window at this point," Vigil said.
February 28, 2008
Chama. . .
The clause states that neither the state nor any county, school district or municipality "shall directly or indirectly lend or pledge its credit, or make any donation to or in aid of any person, association, or public or private corporation."
Vigil has since backed away from the statement, saying the clause was followed and any help given to private residents was done in the name of public safety. The clause does have certain exemptions, including "making provision for the care and maintenance of sick and indigent persons."
"A lot of people were stuck in their houses and could not get out," Vigil said.
Chama resident Cleo Ulibarri, 82, confirmed she received help from the village. She said she was stranded in her house for seven days before her son helped dig her out to take her to an appointment with her doctor. When they returned, her roof and driveway had been cleared, but she said no one was home at the time. Documents from the village show Ronnie Carillo, of Chama, received $1,500 in village funds for helping to remove snow from Ulibarri's residence along with several others.
Don Scott, response and recovery bureau chief for the state's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said the clause does not allow for this type of snow clearing. He said people with medical or other emergencies can be helped out of their homes, but the government is not allowed to pay for the clearing of their driveways or roofs.
Other documents show more dubious forms of assistance were offered to private properties in the village. The parking lots of churches and stores were listed by several contractors in forms submitted to the village for payment.
Jim Ulibarri, of Chama, received $495 (at $45 an hour) for using his tractor to clear snow, mostly from Third Street. He said he widened the street and helped clear driveways for the elderly. He also confirmed what village documents show: he spent two-and-a-half hours clearing the lot of St. Patrick's Church, for which he was also compensated by the village.
The church's roof collapsed during the last snowfall, though the parish had to move out of the building seven years ago because of structural problems. Services are now held at the parish hall, said Father Clement Niggel. Niggel said a number of people from the parish volunteered around the village to help remove snow and distribute food, but no activities were centered at the hall itself.
Ernesto Soto, who manages the El Meson Lodge in Chama, said volunteers and state Highway Department employees stayed at the lodge and worked to clear its driveways and parking lots on a volunteer basis. But El Meson is also named on a form submitted to the village by Randy Gonzales, of Chama. Gonzales received a total of $3,105 from the village for his work, which also included clearing public streets, documents state.
Scott said the public can pay for the clearing of some private drives, but only when emergency personnel need to use a certain parking lot or hotel for their operations. He said Chama did a good job of documenting the work done by employees and contractors, but unallowable requests or those that need clarification are almost inevitable in emergency situations.
The village also appears to have violated the state's procurement code, which prohibits employees of local public bodies from participating directly or indirectly in procurements when they will benefit financially from obtaining a contract.
Russom Trucking received $5,580 from the village's general fund for snow-removal services, documents state. The company is co-owned by Village Councilor Ron Russom, along with his father and brother. Russom is up for re-election March 4. The company was also paid $391 Feb. 14 for replacing a water pump, according to village documents.
Vigil said Russom's company was better-equipped than many other contractors in the village, and he was only interested in having the snow removed as soon as possible.
"I don't think it's a conflict of interest," he said.
Russom helped organize the village's efforts, and he said he lost substantial revenues as he suspended his operations for the two weeks he spent at Village Hall. He said he handled the situation fairly, and it would not be fair to his father and brother if his company were excluded from the clean-up operations. He said if any question of impropriety arises he would not hesitate to resign from the council.
"If it ever becomes an issue, it won't be an issue for long," he said. "Business is the lifeblood of my family, and I would never compromise that."
Scott said the state leaves most of the decision-making to people at the local level and would probably not scrutinize Russom Trucking's work during the emergency.
"The main thing is to get the job done," he said.
It remains to be seen if any of the village's actions will affect its reimbursement from the state. Under the governor's declaration, the state will pay for up to $750,000 of services during the emergency. The declaration only covers governmental expenses and not those accumulated by individuals.
So far, the village has only submitted one piece of paperwork to the state: a letter signed by Vigil and Village Treasurer Barbara Daggett requesting the state pay the entire cleanup cost, rather than just a portion, which has still not been compiled.
"This request is being made because the Village of Chama does not have the necessary financial resources to pay even a small percentage at this time," the request reads.
Scott said entities aided by the state for emergency management usually pay 25 percent of the total cost, but work done by volunteers can be calculated and counted toward that total, so the financial burden is not as heavy.
In the letter, the village also states the state is partially to blame for the village's current situation because it failed to declare an emergency after a major snowstorm hit the village in early January.
Rio Grande Sun
Chama Market
Here is the information I have at this time. I have not talked to the owners of the store but this information comes from two individuals who have talked to folks from the company that owns the store.
They are waiting on the insurance company and EPA reports. The plan is to build a NEW market NOT try and repair the old one. NO temporary store in any other locations by them. Dulce has a new fairly large market and that is the closes place for Chama folks to do their shopping. Until they get more information from the Insurance company and the EPA there is no schedule for construction to start. The insurance company has been told time in important since this is the only market for the village of Chama.
I have no information on the big mess about how the emergency money for snow clean up was handled only the Rio Grande Sun article which I posted in another thread.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2008 11:37AM by Roger Hogan.
