Right now a lot is going on in Lea County – the massive US 82 reconstruction project between mileposts 171 and 172 on Main Street in Lovington and the building of the new Magistrate Courthouse, also in downtown Lovington. 

Much more is happening than these two projects, however, and the Lea County Board of Commissioners is busy working to help the community progress and grow for the benefit of all – local residents, visitors and businesses. 

Additional County Projects

Necessary improvements are underway for the Lea County Detention Center, the Lea County Events Center and the county’s historic courthouse. 

According to Lea County Manager Mike Gallagher in his video summary of the board of county commissioners October 21 meeting, commissioners approved improvements to the roof and the HVAC system at the Detention Center in the amount of more than $2,000,000. They, additionally, approved in the amount of approximately $1,400,000 improvements to the roof and the electrical and HVAC systems at the Events Center. 

Gallagher further informed the public that the county has entered into two grant agreements with the New Mexico Department of Finance Administration. Each grant is in the amount of  $1,000,000. The first grant is to remodel the historic Lea County Courthouse, and the second is for work at the Lea County Detention Center. Gallagher expressed appreciation to the New Mexico state legislators who advocated for Lea County. Without their help, he comments, the necessary funds would not have been secured. 

More Staff to Be Hired

In addition to these physical improvements, the county is incrementally increasing its staff. Some 36 vacant positions were frozen during the pandemic, and now in accord with the needs of the county, staff are being added back. 

At the October 21 meeting, county commissioners unfroze five county positions. The county now has the ability to hire two sheriff’s deputies, a field appraiser, a staff person at the fairgrounds and one in the finance department. 

These five new positions will cost the county about $400,000 for the remainder of the year, and the county has already budgeted the funds necessary to pay for them, states Gallagher. 

Discussion Items

In looking to the future, Gallagher and his team want the commissioners to consider increasing pay for county employees who work in the detention, dispatch, environmental, probation and road departments, as well as at the sheriff’s office. “We want to ensure our employees receive a very competitive salary,” says Gallagher. “A number of these positions are life saving….” It’s appropriate for county staff to bring the need to pay competitive salaries to the attention of the board of commissioners for their discussion, comments Gallagher, who remarked that he is pleased that the commissioners seem favorable about this need and will discuss the issue more at their November 4 meeting.

The board of commissioners is also discussing adding the cities of Eunice, Jal, Lovington and Tatum as members of the Lea County Communication Authority (LCCA) Dispatch Center. 

LCCA is currently shared 50/50 between the City of Hobbs and Lea County, and although the dispatch center takes calls for the other four cities, in addition to Hobbs and the county as a whole, the four municipalities are not a part of LCCA.

Gallagher and his team would like commissioners to approve the addition of the four municipalities to the LCCA. “We would like to do so at no cost to those communities,” Gallagher states. The county, not the four cities, would bear the costs.

To add the four cities to the LCCA, additional dispatchers will be necessary and costs will increase, but Gallagher is confident that the county can absorb the additional costs. “This is something we are talking to the municipalities about. I believe it will make all the communities safer,” Gallagher states, noting that the LCCA is a “model agency for the state” and that bringing the four communities into the LCCA would provide substantial savings to each municipality.  “I believe that the county doing that will certainly save each municipality a great amount, if the county takes on the dispatching responsibilities.” 

Gallagher also mentioned that if adding the four communities becomes a reality, the county will need to hire 10 to 12 new dispatchers. He assures that the county will attempt to hire these new dispatchers from the four involved municipalities.

Further, Gallagher pointed out that regardless of where a person is in Lea County when 911 is dialed, the call goes to the LCCA Dispatch Center. For all Lea County communities to belong to the LCCA makes perfect sense. 

Lea County Cactus Cowbells 

At the October 21 meeting Lea County’ commissioners also approved Vice Chairman and District 1 County Commissioner Dean Jackson’s proclamation to declare November Lea County Cactus Cowbelles Month. This band of women have served the county, and especially the beef industry, with dedication for many, many years. They do a great deal to support the area’s agricultural and ranching communities and their programs, said Gallagher.

County Commissioners Meet Again on November 4

The next meeting of the Lea County Board of Commissioners is on November 4, at 9:00 am, in the Commission Chambers (first floor), at the Lea County Courthouse, in Lovington.

Lea County Manager Mike Gallagher welcomes questions, comments and concerns from the public. He is happy to talk with anyone. Call him on his cell at 575-605-6567 or send an email to him at leacounty@leacounty.net. 

Additional information is available at the Lea County website.