Thompson named emergency manager

Lisa Thompson is now serving as the Eddy County Emergency Manager. She began her new role on Jan. 1.

Tax Director Kristy O'Connor, who held the emergency manager position as recently as a few years ago, will assist Thompson with the transition. There are grants to close out, reports to be submitted and other items requiring Thompson's attention in the very near future, according to Commissioner Glenda Collier.

Right now, her office hours at the courthouse are not set. She has worked part-time at Eddy County Public Health since August, so COVID-19 vaccine rollout will be her top priority for the time being. Thompson is available by phone at (701) 302-8279 or by email at [email protected].

Sale of the former Mill Pump property was again discussed. State's Attorney Ashley Lies reported that area realtors charge 6% commission for commercial property listed for under $100,000. The commission agreed to place the property on the market through a nonexclusive listing agreement and passed a resolution to that effect. The minimum sales price is set at $93,500. All licensed realtors in the area have the opportunity to show the property to prospective buyers, and the realtor who successfully sells the property will collect the 6% commission at closing. If the property is not sold by October, it will be placed on the sheriff's delinquent tax sale in November. The full resolution can be read on our website, http://www.newrockfordtranscript.com.

After a two-month continuance due to COVID-19, in-person jury trials in Southeast District Court will resume on Feb. 1. Lies said that holding court appearances via Zoom continues to be successful, with better participation rates for hearings. The county will again have several additional master calendar dates in 2021.

Lies conducted two interviews for the vacant assistant position in the state's attorney's office. She said she hopes to get someone hired in the near future and requested that the county activate a new phone line in preparation. Since the assistant will be working full-time for the county, he or she will have an extension through the county's main courthouse line. Lies also plans to switch mail delivery for the state's attorney's office to either the courthouse or a P.O. Box so that important official correspondence will go to the proper office.

Auditor Patty Williams completed the Court Facilities Grant application for improvements to the basement of the courthouse. The estimated total cost of the renovations is $83,000, which includes abatement of asbestos in the floor tiles and pipes.

Property owners can pay their Eddy County real estate taxes by credit card online without going into the courthouse. The link to the payment system is https://www.officialpayments.com/index.jsp. Click on the "local payments" link and choose the state and county. Make sure you have your real estate tax statement on hand, as the parcel number and amount of tax to pay are necessary fields for processing payment. A convenience fee does apply, which is paid by the property owner.

Officials plan to add offices to the Official Payments system so other fees can be paid online as well. Treasurer Kathy Anderson will be asked to add the recorder and sheriff to Official Payments. Sheriff Paul Lies was called into the meeting, and he noted that such a system could be useful when apprehending suspects with outstanding warrants, as they could pay their appearance bonds via credit card rather than being transported to jail. SCRAM bracelets and 24/7 program fees could also be paid via the system. Lies said having the credit card payment mechanism could cut down on transportation costs and result in more timely fee payment.

The courthouse is again open to the public. Masks and hand sanitizer are available at the door. Williams said they will continue to evaluate both COVID-19 case numbers and compliance with mitigation measures among visitors.

Brady Martz completed the annual Audit and Management Report for the county. Auditors noted two areas of concern, which are easily rectified. First, the Eddy County Water Resource District was directed to record a certificate of deposit on their general ledger that was previously omitted. They also recommended that Auditor Patty Williams' journal entries be reviewed independently. Williams said she will report any journal entries she posts to the commission, which will be reviewed and approved during commission meetings.

The next regular meeting is set for Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 8:30 a.m.