Where’s The Money? Catron County ranchers complain County Livestock Loss Authority isn’t paying out depredation payments in timely manner

The County Livestock Loss Authority (CLLA) board heard several complaints regarding depredation payments during the public comment of their meeting last Friday in Reserve.

Bill Powel, Catron County rancher told the board he has yet to receive half of his payments from 2023 or any from 2024.

“What’s going on? I don’t understand,” Powell said.

Rancher Billy McCarty also said he wasn’t getting paid and read CLLA emails to the board confirming that his claims were being processed, and they were waiting for funding.

“I wanted to take this opportunity to read emails back and forth between CCLA and myself showing inefficiencies and how they are not getting their claims processed,” McCarty said.

Shawn Menges, the investigator for Catron County, told the board that while he is out in the field investigating wolf kills, many ranchers tell him they are being promised payments but aren’t getting them.

He said it was unfortunate that people weren’t receiving payments, “Some of these folks rely on this because they’re not able to replace what they’ve lost until they have reimbursements.”

Vice Chair, Nelson Shirley apologized to Mr. Powell and Mr. McCarty.

“Being a board member of the CLLA, and as such, I’m responsible for getting producers paid in the 14 days in which the CLLA has committed to do we are trying to do everything that we can,” Shirley said. “The two issues we’re trying to solve is an issue with the New Mexico Ethics Commission, and we’re having to deal with the fact that Sierra County will not do its job, but come hell or high water, one way or the other, before the end of this year, my commitment is to get this thing right and it’s been a struggle. But just to clarify also, there’s no lack of money that’s a complete lie by Sierra County,”

Shirley said the reason Catron County has not taken over to make the payments is that Sierra County is specified as the fiscal agent in the original Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between Sierra, Catron and Socorro counties. He said Sierra County has not signed the new JPA that would make Catron responsible for processing payments.

Shirley claimed Jim Paxon, a CLLA board member and Sierra County commissioner, who was absent, did not want the JPA signed.

“If you gentlemen, could you have the time, I’d request that you call Travis Day, who is the chairman of Sierra County Board, and tell him that the board of directors Sierra county need to get off dead center and sign a new JPA that gives the authority for writing the checks to Catron County and we can get this show on the road.” Shirley said.

Patterson said he believed Paxon consistently voted against the amended JPA in Sierra County.

“My understanding is he said repeatedly that he will never agree to sign amended JPA as long as Mr. Shirley and I sit on the board of the CLLA,” Patterson said “It’s at a stalemate right now. What is it going to take to get Sierra County to do its job, to pay our livestock producers in Catron, Socorro and Sierra?”

On Monday Sierra, Catron and Socorro Counties individually confirmed an amended JPA that named Catron County as the fiscal agent has been passed by their board of commissioners at their respective October meetings.

The JPA of Sierra and Socorro County included a conflict-of-interest provision recommended by the NMEC that does not allow board members to receive any funding and states that any board member who receives funding from the authority shall immediately forfeit their position on the board. The Catron County JPA did not include the provision.

Sierra County Manager, Amber Vaughn also confirmed payments to livestock producers have been mailed out and they are processing depredations as they are provided.

New Mexico Ethics Commission

Patterson said that he, Shirley and Chair Audrey McQueen, retained counsel when the New Mexico State Ethics Commission (NMSEC) threatened to sue them. He said the three are paying out of pocket to represent themselves.

Shirley said the NMSEC wants the board to be composed of government agency people and academics instead of ranchers.

“New Mexico Ethics Commission does not want Ranchers on this board, which will be tantamount to saying that if you have a school board, you can’t have any school board members that have children going to the school,” Shirley said “So that is, unfortunately, the absurdity of the New Mexico Ethics Commission’s position and stance, but that’s what we’re dealing with,”

In an email from the New Mexico State Ethics Commission, Amelia Bierle, deputy director of the NMSEC, confirmed Friday afternoon the Commission was seeking voluntary compliance with the Governmental Conduct Act and has not filed a civil action against the CLLA board members.

“It is important to emphasize that the Commission does not seek to remove any CLLA board member from their position. Rather, our efforts are aimed at ensuring compliance with Section 10-16-4(B) of the Governmental Conduct Act. This statute requires public officials to recuse themselves from participating in official acts that directly affect their financial interest. The Commission, therefore, is seeking that CLLA members do not vote on matters that directly affect their financial interests, as the public trust and New Mexico law requires.” Bierle wrote.

The next meeting was tentatively scheduled for January 10 in Socorro at the Annex.