Board Openings, Police Updates, and More at a Full Village Meeting
Hires, promotions, a new Planning and Zoning Clerk/Code Enforcement Officer position, plus, at the July 14 Cloudcroft Village Council meeting
Last night’s July 14 Cloudcroft Village Council Meeting began with a packed agenda of department reports, public hearings, and nine discussion/action items, including hires, new positions, and lease renewals—all with a dozen of the usual village watchdogs in the audience.
Trustee Matt Willett joined by phone and video from out of town; Trustees Keith Hamilton, Gail McCoy, and Danny Hardwick sat behind the dais with Mayor Dusty Wiley, Clerk Jini Turri, and Attorney Zach Cook.
The Safety Report
Police Chief Roger Schoolcraft told the council that calls for service have climbed with the summer crowds: “We have taken almost 800 calls for service or public contacts… with traffic stops as well.”
He addressed a recent call in Mayhill:
“The significant arrest we had was a couple about a week ago, we had what was called in as a possible barricaded hostage crisis situation.”
“I went down to Mayhill and assisted the sheriff’s office and state police. My former employment was as a negotiator for about 15 years with the SWAT team, so we had a peaceful resolution of that.”
“We were able to get the young lady out of the vehicle and get [a man] taken into custody without anybody getting hurt. I think that was a real godsend,” he said.
The suspect was arrested on felony charges of making a shooting threat, DWI (driving while under the influence of liquor), negligent use of a deadly weapon (intoxication), and negligent use of a deadly weapon (discharge).
Schoolcraft credited the otherwise low incident count, despite record tourist numbers, to residents, law enforcement, and well-behaved visitors alike.
Library Numbers, Hire, and Open Seats
Library Director Sandra Barr reported daily patron counts in the high 30s and seven to eight new library cards per week.
Barr said 200-plus people passed through on the Fourth of July alone.
Trustees Hamilton, Hardwick, and Willett voted to formalize Trustee and Library Aide Gail McCoy’s role as a permanent part-time position. McCoy left the room and recused herself from the discussion and vote due to the conflict of her position on the council and her employment with the village.
Separately, Mayor Wiley announced four open seats on the Library Advisory Board, plus one each on the Lodger’s Tax Advisory Board and the Planning & Zoning Commission.
Residents interested in any of the three should contact the village and submit a letter of interest.
Promotions, New Positions
Barbara Garcia was appointed Deputy Clerk.
The council also approved a long-discussed Planning & Zoning Clerk and Code Enforcement Officer position at $19 per hour, to handle permits, non-compliance letters, and follow-up work, which Clerk Turri said has fallen through the cracks for years.
Propriety, Formalized
The council adopted its annual rules-of-procedure resolution, a housekeeping item made newly relevant by this year’s legislative session, according to Turri.
The same careful procedural process was followed in both variance hearings, including sworn testimony, cross-examination, and no ex parte contact, keeping neighbor-to-neighbor discussions on the record and out of the parking lot.
Tentative July 28 Special Meeting
The Cloudcroft Light Opera Company and Cloudcroft Fitness lease renewals both got pushed to the next scheduled meeting.
The council wants clean redlines in hand, not verbal edits, before it votes. Also on that agenda: the year-end budget. Turri is racing to get everything into the state’s system by the end of the month.
The next council meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, July 28.
See you there.
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