Roswell Daily Record THE VOICE OF THE PECOS VALLEY
Vol. 123, No. 15 75¢ Daily / $1.25 Sunday
January 17, 2014
www.rdrnews.com
FRIDAY
Madden: Mill levy would help sustain programs JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
After the traumatic events of Tuesday, many people may have forgotten that this week they have the opportunity to vote on the mill levy for Eastern New Mexico University Roswell. Voting machines have been set up at the Joseph R. Skeen building, 1 St. Mary’s Place, and one at the ENMU-R campus in Roswell. Absentee voters need to write to Chaves County Clerk’s of fice to obtain a ballot. For those who prefer to wait, the vote
polling places will take place on Feb. 4. ENMU-R President John Madden spoke passionately about the levy. “There’s a lot of misinformation. A lot of people think this is a bond issue, but it is a mill levy. A bond is usually for a specific purpose, such as the construction of the new building. Mills cover operational costs.” For the private citizen, the millage rate is synonymous with the property tax rate. “Millage” is based on a Latin word that means “thousandth.” So 1 mill is equivalent to 1/1000th.
The current millage rate in Chaves County is 1 mill; however, this 1 operational mill goes directly to state gover nment for public school. Institutions of higher education don’t see a cent of this money. “We are retiring the old bond issue. The projects, the Campus Union and the Health Sciences Center, have come in early and under budget. That is good news.” The current property tax rate, including the bond, is $64.40 per $100,000 value. Once the bond issue is retired, the property tax rate will go down to $29.90
per $100,000. With the additional millages, if voted in, the rate would be $96.57 per $100,000. Madden said this represents an increase in property tax rate of about $32 per year for a $100,000 property. The mill levy, if voted in, will pay salaries, utilities and basic maintenance costs. “We have cut the workforce by one-third in the past few years,” said Madden. “We provide a benefit for the community. People see it every day. The nurses in the hospitals may be an See LEVY, Page A3
Opponents say levy will cost more than thought JESSICA PALMER RECORD STAFF WRITER
The mill levy has its opponents, such as Hudson Boue. “He (President Madden) says that this is not a 200 percent increase. We’re not saying that this is a 200 percent increase in property taxes, but it is a 200 percent increase in millage.”
Boue argues that if the bond issue was retired, that property owners could have seen some relief, a cut of about onethird in property taxes. Howver, if the millage is voted in, he said property owners will be seeing not a decrease but an increase from 1 to 3 See COST, Page A3
Berrendo students receive warm welcome back
Mark Wilson Photos
County concerned about the possible loss of PILT funds JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
County commissioners expressed concern at their meeting Thursday about the county’s potential loss of more than $2 million in federal funding this year. Chairman James Duffey and Commissioner Greg Nibert will travel to Washington in April to discuss the issue. Commissioner Robert Corn will travel to Washington in March. “It’s going to be a sad day if we lose 1/12th of our revenue,” Corn said. The county receives some
$2.8 million in Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding every year from the federal government to offset losses in property taxes for federal lands within county boundaries.
The PILT payments are made annually for taxexempt lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service, and for federal water projects and some military installations. Funding for the PILT proSee PILT, Page A3
Roswell High School students have joined forces with members of the community to brighten the scene at Berrendo Middle School with a colorful display of art on the school’s campus. Streamers, posters and other pieces will be installed today around 4 p.m. on a chain link fence near the school’s bus lane. The installation is meant to bring hope to Berrendo students, hundreds of
whom witnessed a harrowing school shooting Tuesday. “We’re just here to do something nice for the community,” said Roswell High Art Teacher Jessica Parham, who is coordinating the installation. Students in the Free Art Friday club headed by Parham decided Wednesday that their efforts would be best spent comforting the afflicted. The student club gathers weekly to create pieces of art to be hidden throughout the city. Parham opened the
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TODAY’S FORECAST
It was reported that Kendal Sanders was talking and had been moved from Intensive Care. Gov. Susana Martinez said Thursday the 12-year-old boy who was shot in the face and neck is heavily sedated and on a breathing machine. He remains in critical condition.
Congress passes bill to cut horse slaughter JILL MCLAUGHLIN RECORD STAFF WRITER
The monumental spending bill passed by Congress and sent to the President Thursday night would cut spending for horse slaughter inspections in the U.S. Valley Meat Company will continue to fight to open, despite the federal government action. “We’re not done yet,” said attorney A. Blair Dunn. Valley Meat and a proposed horse slaughter plant in Missouri will look into filing a claim against the federal government that the funding violates
the North American Free Trade Agreement, Dunn said. Dunn also represents Rains Natural Meats of Gallatin, Mo. “That was not a very smart thing for Congress to have done,” Dunn said. “We’re going to see what we can do.” Dunn will still pursue claims for damages against animal rights activists and New Mexico Attorney General Gary King. Valley Meat continues to be tied up in litigation two years after first filing for a permit to open. President Barack Obama is expected to sign the federal spending bill. He included the item to
Students, community create art for Berrendo
TESS TOWNSEND RECORD STAFF WRITER
Supporters of Berrendo Middle School wave flags and yellow ribbons and greet returning students, parents and teachers back to the school Thursday morning, two days after the shooting that injured two students and forced the evacuation and closure of the school.
activity to the community Wednesday with a post on the Free Art Friday Roswell NM Facebook page, calling community artists to join the club in making bulldog themed art. Berrendo’s mascot is a bulldog. Eight students and community members were gathered shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday in Roswell High’s art room to create pieces with construction paper, glitter, markers and other material. Roswell 10th-grader Candy Gonzales, 16, was arranging paw print
cutouts into the shape of a heart. “I think that kids their age shouldn’t go through something like that,” she said. Three Southwest Printers employees in their 20s, all Berrendo alumni, sat at a table creating pieces for display. “I hope it just—” started Stephanie Defranco, 24. “Brings them a little peace,” finished Ethan Parman, 25. Sculptor Miranda Howe was also among those to answer the call from
TODAY’S OBITUARIES PAGE A7 • PETRA ESPINOZA • TRINIDAD R. CHAVEZ JR. • STEVEN GREGG “STEVER” • MANUELA HUERTA RUIZ JOHNSON • SAMUEL ROMERO • RUTH WADE O’NEAL
defund the USDA’s inspection of horse slaughter plants in his 1,500-page budget first proposed in April. The action would reverse a federal reinstatement of the practice that was shut down by the federal government in 2006. Funding was restored in 2011. Sen. Tom Udall voted in favor of the $1.01 trillion appropriations measure, that passed the Senate 7226. The funds are expected to keep government afloat until September. “I’m extremely pleased that Congress was able to come together with strong bipartisan votes and pass the omnibus bill, and I’m
confident the president will move quickly to sign it,” Udall said in a press release. The bill was extremely important to New Mexico’s labs, military bases and other federal installations that keep the nation secure. The installations provide high-quality jobs and support the state’s economy, Udall said. Valley Meat’s owner, Rick De Los Santos, plans to hire up to 100 employees within a year of becoming operational. The facility formally processed beef at the site for 22 years. De Los Santos has spent See BILL, Page A3
Mark Wilson Photo
Xanthia Cheney creates a poster to show support for Berrendo Middle School during a Free Art Friday workshop at Roswell High School, Thursday.
Parham. Howe, who went to high school with Parham, recently finished her time as a fellow at the Roswell Artist-in-Residence program. CLASSIFIEDS ..........B6 COMICS .................B5 ENTERTAINMENT .....A8 FINANCIAL ..............B4
The former fellow was working on three-dimensional paper representations of looped yellow ribbon. Yellow ribbons have been adopted as a symbol of support for Berrendo.
INDEX GENERAL ...............A2 HOROSCOPES .........A8 LOTTERIES .............A2 OPINION .................A4
SPORTS .................B1
WEATHER ..............A8 WORLD ..................A6