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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Hobbs City Commission Regular Meeting - October 19, 2026

City Commission — Monday, October 19, 2026
BodyHobbs, New Mexico
SessionCity Commission
DateMonday, October 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:00

Stick of butter with them.

0:07

That guy standing here.

Speaker 2

0:09

What's up, Mills?

0:11

How are you doing, sir?

0:13

Well, survive.

0:14

And yes, sir.

Speaker 3

0:15

Surviving.

0:16

So then it's Mondays.

0:17

You know, I'm not a fan.

0:21

No, it's just

Speaker 1

0:24

only the group.

0:27

I know.

0:28

Seriously.

0:33

I got one.

0:34

I put it back here.

0:35

I played with me and gone.

Speaker 4

0:39

All right.

0:40

We're grateful for everybody here tonight.

0:42

Thank you for joining us.

0:43

We even he even have uh Mayor Sam Cobb.

0:46

It's like Chronicles of Narnia, always a king in Narnia.

0:48

Once a king in Narnia, always a king in Narnia, right?

0:51

So we're honored to have you.

0:52

Thank you everyone for being here this evening.

0:54

We'll have a call to order here and uh roll call by City Clerk Fletcher.

Speaker 5

1:04

Mayor Sena.

Speaker 4

1:05

Here.

Speaker 5

1:05

Commissioner Smith?

1:06

Here.

1:07

Commissioner Mills.

1:08

Here.

1:08

Commissioner Fields.

Speaker 4

1:09

Here.

Speaker 5

1:10

Commissioner Caldado.

1:11

Here.

1:11

Commissioner Pennick?

Speaker 4

1:12

Here.

Speaker 5

1:12

Commissioner Garth.

Speaker 4

1:14

Here.

1:15

Thank you so much.

1:16

We'll have our invocation by Commissioner Fields, followed by our Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Pennick.

Speaker 2

1:27

Eternal God, our Father, we come before you this evening once again, thanking your father for all that our eyes have looked upon and even that our ears have heard.

1:37

Oh mighty God, we come with a humble heart.

1:44

We come, oh God, as a servant, to do not only your will but the will of the people.

1:52

We come now, God, asking for your guidance.

1:55

You said in your holy divine word that if we would seek you first in your righteousness, and then you would add.

2:03

We ask now, God, that you would come and be with us on tonight as we make decisions pertaining to the city of Hobbes.

2:10

Bless these commissioners, bless the staff.

2:14

Bless the citizens of this great city.

2:17

We ask that you just be with us as we make these decisions tonight.

2:21

Yes, all these many blessings is in your son Jesus' name.

2:26

Amen.

2:26

Amen.

Unassigned speaker

2:27

You

Speaker 2

2:28

join me the pledge.

Unassigned speaker

2:29

I

Speaker 2

2:30

pledge allegiance to the flag

Unassigned speaker

2:32

of

Speaker 2

2:32

the

Speaker 1

2:32

United States

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████████████████37%
Procedural██████████████████18%
Parks and Recreation████████████12%
Economic Development█████████9%
Public Safety█████5%
Cemetery Management████4%
Fiscal Sustainability████4%
Animal Welfare████4%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Hobbs City Commission Regular Meeting - October 19, 2026

The Hobbs City Commission held its regular meeting on Monday, October 19, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the City Commission Chamber. Mayor Jonathan Sena presided, and all commissioners were present. The meeting featured employee service awards, public comments, and action on several resolutions and an ordinance.

Awards and Recognitions

  • City Manager Manny Gomez recognized eight employees for milestone service anniversaries, totaling 120 years of combined service: Deangelo Zaragoza (5 years, Fire Department), Selena Estrada (5 years, Human Resources), David Najera (5 years, Fire Department), Audrey Likins (20 years, Public Transportation), Julia Henry (20 years, Planning), Barbara Dunford (20 years, Recreation), Matt Hughes (20 years, Golf Course Superintendent), and Adrian Enriquez (25 years, Fire Department). Adrian Enriquez was noted for retiring that week. (The agenda listed only seven employees, but an additional 20-year recipient, Matt Hughes, was recognized during the meeting.)

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Lou Maldonado invited the community to upcoming cemetery events: a Day of the Dead event on October 31 and a remembrance ceremony on December 10.
  • Sam Cobb, former mayor, spoke in strong support of the proposed gross receipts tax increase. He explained that the state's switch to destination-based taxation had reduced local revenue significantly, and that the increase was necessary to maintain services and infrastructure. He urged the commission to adopt the ordinance.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution No. 7846 – Approving a development agreement with Angelina Leyba for market-rate single-family housing. Passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance No. 1178 (Final Adoption) – Increased the municipal gross receipts tax from 6.5625% to 7.175%, effective July 1, 2027, estimated to generate $14.7 million annually for general municipal purposes. Passed 6-1.
  • Resolution No. 7847 – Renewed 2027 benefit plan offerings with no increase to employee medical premiums; dental plan switched to Delta Dental with a slight increase (about $2 per paycheck). Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7848 – Approved an affordable housing development agreement with Habitat for Humanity of Hobbs for three homes in the Albertson subdivision, funded by a $285,000 state grant; 15-year affordability period. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7849 – Closed a portion of Shipp Street at Taylor Street to vehicular traffic for plaza improvements; property remains a public right-of-way. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7850 – Approved budgetary adjustment #1 for FY 2026-2027, increasing revenues by $19.5 million and expenditures by $20.7 million, primarily due to grant funding; general fund reserve decreased from 45% to 44%. Passed 7-0.
  • Item 10 (Contract) – Approved a $186,845 contract with Mountain West Golf Scapes for pampas grass removal along Lovington Highway Health Walk, funded by the Maddox Foundation. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7851 – Established a new recreation fee for use of the Hobbs Industrial Air Park runway and tarmac: $500/day use fee and $2,500 deposit, with a pilot program for single, multi-day, and weekend events. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7852 – Accepted a $250,000 NM GRO grant for programmatic operational costs at the Hobbs Senior Center, funded by Senator Larry Scott, reducing general fund burden over two years. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7853 – Accepted a $180,000 grant to purchase a mobile adoption unit for the Animal Adoption Center, featuring 17 kennels and a surgery suite; sponsored by Representative Elaine Sena Cortez. Passed 7-0.
  • Resolution No. 7854 – Approved a related-party contract with Watson Truck & Supply for $68,253 for a replacement engine for Fire Engine 513. Passed 6-0 (one commissioner abstained).

Commissioner and City Manager Comments

  • Commissioner Fields invited the community to the NAACP state conference.
  • City Manager Gomez announced the permanent selection of Jimmy Jones as Police Chief, with a meet-and-greet on October 20; he also promoted upcoming events: Battle of the Badges and the Core event.

Meeting Transcript

Stick of butter with them. That guy standing here. What's up, Mills? How are you doing, sir? Well, survive. And yes, sir. Surviving. So then it's Mondays. You know, I'm not a fan. No, it's just only the group. I know. Seriously. I got one. I put it back here. I played with me and gone. All right. We're grateful for everybody here tonight. Thank you for joining us. We even he even have uh Mayor Sam Cobb. It's like Chronicles of Narnia, always a king in Narnia. Once a king in Narnia, always a king in Narnia, right? So we're honored to have you. Thank you everyone for being here this evening. We'll have a call to order here and uh roll call by City Clerk Fletcher. Mayor Sena. Here. Commissioner Smith? Here. Commissioner Mills. Here. Commissioner Fields. Here. Commissioner Caldado. Here. Commissioner Pennick? Here. Commissioner Garth. Here. Thank you so much. We'll have our invocation by Commissioner Fields, followed by our Pledge of Allegiance by Commissioner Pennick. Eternal God, our Father, we come before you this evening once again, thanking your father for all that our eyes have looked upon and even that our ears have heard. Oh mighty God, we come with a humble heart. We come, oh God, as a servant, to do not only your will but the will of the people. We come now, God, asking for your guidance. You said in your holy divine word that if we would seek you first in your righteousness, and then you would add. We ask now, God, that you would come and be with us on tonight as we make decisions pertaining to the city of Hobbes. Bless these commissioners, bless the staff. Bless the citizens of this great city. We ask that you just be with us as we make these decisions tonight.

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