Clovis City Commission Meeting Summary - January 8, 2026
Clovis City Commission Meeting Summary - January 8, 2026
The City Commission of Clovis held its meeting on January 8, 2026, at 12:15 PM, beginning with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance. The session featured the recognition of distinguished employees, holiday decorations, and MLK Day activities, followed by public comments, the adoption of several ordinances and resolutions, and committee reports.
Consent Calendar
- Unanimously approved seven items: a $60,000 New Mexico Forestry Division grant for Hillcrest Park, reappointment of Amy Mates to the Clovis Housing and Redevelopment Agency Board, appointment of Alexis Hobbes to the Clovis Carver Library Board, award of ITB 251010-003 to J and H Services for waste facility closure, a dry farmland lease agreement with Randy Mike O'Hare, a budget transfer for library fire sprinkler repairs, and Change Order One with WWRC for the Friendship Center remodel.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Clovis Action Team (Sherry Wilson): Presented on the "Clovis Landmarks Treasure Hunt" initiative, noting that 10 participants engaged in an educational tour of local histories. The winners, Christina and Grace Tatum, were awarded a custom sign; they expressed that the event was extremely well-organized and fun.
- MLK Celebration Organizers (Miss Pollard, Ms. Williams, Constant): Invited the public to the 35th annual MLK scholarship breakfast (Jan 17) and the City's MLK Day proclamation ceremony (Jan 19). They highlighted the 2026 theme as "nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice and evil, not people," and announced upcoming state commission open office hours and the "It Starts with Me" initiative launch.
- Commissioner Zamora: Expressed concern regarding the late passing of Mr. Joe Sanchez (District 3 award recipient in a family business), noting that the award was accepted by his daughter in his absence, while the commissioner praised the family for continuing the tradition.
- Commissioner Porter: Acknowledged the Oscar and Kathleen Viannis (District 2) for their rooftop decorations, noting the visual appeal of their display.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance 2253-2026 (Camping on Private Property): Discussed the final adoption of a new code chapter regulating camping on private property, requiring written permission from the owner and occurring only in enclosed areas. The proposal aims to address concerns while respecting property rights.
- Resolutions 3350 and 3351 (Demolition of Unsafe Buildings): Discussed resolutions authorizing the abatement by demolition of unsafe structures at 404 Tennessee (Julio Navelos) and 217 John Doe. The Building Safety Department confirmed attempts to work with owners, who were given 15 days to submit a plan; if no acceptable plan is provided, city action will follow. The Attorney noted that since the ordinance's adoption 3-4 years ago, no impasse has yet been reached where the Commission had to intervene after a plan was rejected.
- Armed Forces Support Committee Report: Commissioner Garza and Mayor Morris reported on the morning's meeting, highlighting the start of the "Mirror" grant project with Matrix Design and the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC). The grant will fund a readiness review for Canon Air Force Base's 27th Special Operations Wing, focusing on water, land use, energy, infrastructure, and tabletop exercises. A resolution supporting the New Mexico Military Base Planning Commission's 2026 legislative priorities was also approved.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous Approval (8-0): Passed final adoption of Ordinance 2253-2026 regarding camping on private property.
- Unanimous Approval (8-0): Passed adoption of Resolutions 3350 and 3351-2026 authorizing demolition of unsafe buildings at 404 Tennessee and 217 John Doe.
- Unanimous Approval: Signed Proclamation 2026-02 proclaiming January 19, 2026, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Clovis.
- Unanimous Approval: Adopted the Clovis Landmarks Treasure Hunt winners' recognition and the MLK Day event invitations.
- Next Steps: The Armed Forces Support Committee will continue work on the Mirror grant deliverables. Upcoming public meetings for the Parks, Recreation and Beautification Committee, Civic Center Policy Board, and others were scheduled for mid-January.
- Discrepancy Note: The transcript initially notes a vote count issue where the system indicated a motion failed despite an affirmative response, but the Mayor and Clerk subsequently clarified that the record should show the motion carried unanimously (8-0) for both the ordinance and resolutions.
Meeting Transcript
I can't wait. I can't very good. Right. Well, good evening, everyone. We'll begin the meeting in just a moment. But first, we'll have a prayer, and we'll say the pledge to our flag and the salute to the state flag. If you'd like to join me in that, let's let's please pray. Father, thank you for the goodness and mercy that you show us each day. Thank you for our wonderful community. God, we pray for for each of our residents and each of our families and our homes, and ask that uh you would bless our community, make our homes uh full of your spirit, our our streets, our neighborhoods, our our marketplace, our workplaces, and God uh have your way in Clovis. And Lord, we pray you would you'd bless especially our young people coming up here, uh, that they would know the meaning and value and purpose of their life, and as us uh adults, uh, Lord, may we speak that life into them as we support them in the the good things that they do in the community. Lord, thank you for the celebrations that we have this evening, and all of the members of the public gathered so that we can uh celebrate good going on in the community up at the top of the agenda. And as we get into the uh decision making uh uh portions of the agenda, I pray for wisdom and good judgment on the part of uh the commission, and we thank you for these commissioners and their service. I ask these things in the name of Jesus, amen. Commissioner Porter. Here. Commissioner Jones. Here. Commissioner Cassaus here. Commissioner Garza. Commissioner Paula. Here. Commissioner Zamora. Here. Commissioner Tarsen. Here. Mayor Pro Tem Bryant. Here. Mayor Morris. Here. Thank you, Ms. Foster. Appreciate that. Next, I would have you consider approval of the agenda. Are there any objections to how the agenda has been published? Hearing and seeing none. The agenda is adopted and we'll record yes votes for each of the members of the commission. We have the minutes from the December 18th meeting for your consideration. Any objections? Next we reserve space in the agenda to recognize visitors. We'll do that briefly because we're going to get right into presentations and and hopefully uh be uh sharing with many of you that are here. But thank you for your attendance this evening for uh coming out to celebrate with us, or if you're here for an agenda item. We're looking forward to hearing from you when we reach that point. We'll move next into proclamations, awards, and presentations. And we have um first up presentation of clock to Distinguished Supervisor of the Quarter, Mercedes Robinson. And Ms. Malonson is going to handle uh this presentation. Thank you, Mayor Mayor Pro Tim and Commissioners. You know it's big if I'm on this side of the podium now. So Mercedes Robinson has been with me as my assistant finance director since January 10th of 22.
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