EMS contract with the City of Socorro postponed to next county meeting

Socorro County Commissioners postponed both the approval of the EMS services contract with the City of Socorro and the county manager’s employment contract for a special meeting.

Also during the regular July 8 county meeting, Western New Mexico (WNM) presented a $25 million fiber optic project. WNM representatives stated that the project aims to deliver affordable, high-speed internet to underserved areas, benefiting schools, businesses, and residents.

According to WNM, the project will be constructed in two stages, spanning from south of San Antonio to north of San Acacia, and will serve approximately 2,700 locations. Completion is expected by August 2026. Residents will be contacted through direct mail, and there will also be booths at community events where individuals can sign up.

Items approved at the meeting included:

A new policy to provide funding to student groups in exchange for community service, with a $5,000 annual limit and $1,000 per organization per year.

A memorandum of understanding with Rymarc Construction to use a state price agreement for the detention center yard construction.

A government-to-government trade with the City of Socorro that would allow the county to dispose of old tires in the city landfill. In exchange for the city handling the tire disposal, the county will give the city the tire-cutting equipment that has not been used for five years.

A letter to the US Fish and Wildlife Service for cooperating agency status for the Mexican Wolf recovery program and delegation. The status would give the county a voice in potential litigation.

Authorization for the County Manager to delegate authority for opioid settlement agreements to a designated individual for faster processing. It was clarified that the funds must be applied for and are not directly received by the county.

The direction to work with Commissioner Craig Secatero on using grading equipment and the continuation of maintenance on county roads in Alamo.

The special meeting will be held on July 22 at 10 a.m. in the Socorro County Annex.