OCTOBER 18, 2013
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED • SERVING THE SAN JUAN BASIN
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Little Texas in concert tonight
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Airport manager resigns
State rejects plan
Move will cause gross receipts hike coming in January LAUREN DUFF Tri-City Tribune San Juan County residents will see a gross receipts tax increase in January, after the state of New Mexico rejected a plan to restructure the tax. The county moved to restructure a 1/8 percent gross receipts tax and share the proceeds with San Juan Regional Medical Center. County Commissioners sought approval from the state’s Taxation and Revenue Department. The plan, however, was denied in an Aug. 15 letter from Taxation and Revenue Secretary Demesia Padilla, who wrote, the county “will not be allowed the tax rate adjustment.” The county made the decision to request a tax restructuring process to address potential budget constraints in the next few years. There are projected
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VOL. 4 NO. 3
Flights down 500 compared to 2012 stats DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune Flights at Farmington’s Four Corner’s Regional Airport are down 500 compared to 2012 numbers, and the only commercial airlines operating out of the facility has a pilot shortage. In addition to that, Airport Manager Todd Gressick tendered his resignation to the city after accepting the position a little more than a year ago. This makes him the third airport manager to leave in less than five years. Farmington City Councilor Jason Sandel said the trend is “alarming” as enplanements are near a three-year low and the flight cancellations have climbed by nearly 8 percent. Other lows include the fuel flowage, which is down by approximately 100,000 gal-
The Four Corners Regional Airport in Farmington continues to be plagued with decreasing passenger enplanements, cancelled flights and financial losses for the city.– Tony Bennett photo
lons; and Zebra’s Sports Grill also has experienced a significant decrease in revenue. “I have been asking for two months for a report on
Shelter director search continues
the status of the airport,” Sandel said during the Oct. 15 Council meeting. “When are we going to be able to seriously look at the operation
of the airport considering these reports get worse and worse every month.”
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Annexation analysis
Candidate turns down post; update on Oct. 22 city agenda Council refers project to Planning, DEBRA MAYEUX Zoning for feasibility report Tri-City Tribune DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune
The Farmington Animal Shelter is set to open later this month without a director at the helm. The man with whom the city was in negotiations for the position of director has decided to turn down the job. Bob Citrullo, who works for Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption, in an Oct. 16 telephone interview, said he was not accepting the position. While Citrullo said he was looking forward to working at the Farmington Shelter, it would be difficult for his wife to find work in Farmington. Citrullo was one of three candidates for the position who were brought to Farmington for interviews. The other two were Kate Rindy, director of the Mount Holyoke Fund at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts; and Stacie Voss, director of veterinary services at the Ne-
braska Humane Society. These three were selected from a list of 28 candidates, of which local veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Raichel did not make the cut to fill out the questionnaire or to be forwarded on to the city for interviews. Raichel contacted the search firm, Strategic Government Re-
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Get Pinked event Saturday in Bloomfield
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Annexation was the topic of a Farmington City Council work session on Oct. 15 at city hall. The Council agreed to move three areas of the county forward for more study and ultimately annexation into the city limits, but much of the discussion was
about what portion of U.S. 64 east would be included in an annexation, including Tommy Bolack’s land along the San Juan River. There is a potential for the city to pick up 2,446.48 acres along U.S. 64 east. The city began this process in
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Not running again Area residents and animal advocates toured the newly constructed Farmington Animal Shelter in June. The shelter is slated to open the end of October. – File photo
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sources, to ask if her resume was sent forward to the city of Farmington. The response from Tommy Ingram, senior vice president, executive search of Strategic Government Resources, was that Raichel did not make the cut. “As part of our contract with
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Sandel won’t seek reelection to Farmington City Council DEBRA MAYEUX Tri-City Tribune Farmington City Councilor Jason Sandel has decided he will not seek a third term as councilor for Farmington’s District 4. Sandel, who was first elected in 2006, enjoyed serving on the Council and Sandel
representing the people of his hometown of Farmington, but he is disenchanted with the Council’s makeup and lack of progress. “I have become increasingly frustrated with the direction of the city and the fact that there is a
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City of Farmington Carnival Real Estate.................................A17 Advice You Can Grow With ........A18 Business.....................................A19 Classifieds/Nosey Nellie.............A20 Games ........................................A22 Movies........................................A23
Proceeds to Cathy Lincoln Cancer Fund Today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at City Hall