Town Council Brings Municipal Law Enforcement Back to Mountainair

Gabriel Reynolds Hired as New Officer

The August 15, 2023 meeting of the Mountainair Town Council was primarily focused on an executive session and council action on hiring police officer Gabriel Reynolds at the patrol officer rank for the town. Following an executive session in which Reynolds spoke with the council members (Councilor Richard Torres was not present for this session of the town council), the council unanimously approved hiring Reynolds. According to Mayor Peter Nieto, Reynolds is the son of a former Mountainair municipal judge and was previously employed as a member of the Mountainair Police Department. Since working for Mountainair, Reynolds has been on the Belen Police Department. It is unknown at this time whether Reynolds has worked for any other law enforcement agencies. It is also unknown at this time whether Reynolds has any history of disciplinary action. IPRA requests have been submitted to the relevant agencies.

Mountainair's Legal Counsel

Mountainair's contract with Robles, Rael & Anaya, PC, expired on June 30, 2023. Mayor Nieto, who provided this information to the town council, suggested the town "comparison shop" by publishing a request for proposal for legal services. The town council unanimously approved this proposal.

Speed Bumps at the 300 Block of Hanlon Ave.

Mountainair resident Alan Warren came before the town council to request that they authorize placing speed bumps at the 300 block of Hanlon Avenue near Mountainair High School. Hanlon Avenue is two blocks west of the main entrance to Mountainair High School and Limit Avenue and runs perpendicular to 3rd Street south from the Mountainair Football Field to US-60. The council debated whether to emplace a temporary plastic and rubber speed bump or a permanent speed bump, although the consensus was that the speed bump would be best placed near the stop sign at the intersection of 5th Street and Hanlon Avenue. The council unanimously voted to investigate further the appropriate type and placement of the speed bump.

Adjustment to Public Works Schedule

Mountainair Public Works Supervisor Carl Archuleta and Mayor Nieto discussed with the town council moving the Public Works Department from a schedule of five eight-hour days with a public works employee on call during the weekends to a schedule of four ten-hour days. A so-called four-ten schedule is increasingly popular with workers across the globe and is practiced by some employees at major corporations such as The Boeing Company. Archuleta confirmed that this schedule was sought by workers and said it could attract new workers to apply for public works positions. The schedule would include an on-call public works employee from Friday through Sunday. The town council unanimously approved the proposed schedule change on a temporary basis so that it could be changed back if necessary.

MFD Purchase Request

Mountainair Fire Department Chief Phillip Nelson appeared before the town council requesting approval for the purchase of items for the new fire truck. Carryover funds from the FY 2023 budget would cover the cost of this purchase. The town council unanimously approved this purchase request.

The next meeting of the Mountainair Town Council will be September 5, 2023, at 6:00 PM.