The July 23 Edgewood Town Commission got heated as the commission was expecting to welcome the new town clerk and discuss road repairs on I-40 between Sedillo Hill and the Edgewood exit.
Newly appointed Town Clerk and Treasurer Michelle Jones joined the Town of Edgewood staff, providing some relief to Town Manager Nina McCracken who had been taking on clerical duties while the position was vacant.
“I am very glad we have a clerk,” McCracken said. “She showed up and said, ‘What can I get done first?’ and she hit the ground running. I know I was starting to fall very behind and just trying to do everything is very hard. So I have been very glad to have a full staff.”
During her presentation of the Fourth Quarterly Financial Report for Fiscal Year 2024, Jones faced some pointed questions from Commissioner Filandro Anaya about missing data from the report.
Jones also questioned why Anaya and the commission approved financial reports prior to her hiring if there were discrepancies in the numbers.
“I know that you all have already had a very in depth meeting because you finalized a FY25 budget,” Jones said. “You finalized it, and this number was on there. I think you know there should have been some questions at that meeting about what is this? What is this for? And that’s going to be my question.”
Jones said she need the previously finalized budget approved before tackling past issues with previous budgets. “It’s transparency, every day,” Jones said. “This is what I have today. This is what I’m looking at today. This is what I would like you to approve today so that we are in compliance with our audit.”
After Jones’ presentation of the quarterly financial report, community members attending the commission meeting gave her a round of applause.
One community member said, “She is just what this town needs.”
Planning and Zoning Manager Brad Hill made a presentation to the commission explaining residents’ concerns about the I-40 road project and how the town, the DOT and the contractors will work together to address these concerns.
According to Hill, during previous road projects, trucks hauling building materials at night caused a disruption to residents. Hill says the town has made an agreement with contractors that roadwork during the construction project will end at 9 p.m. and that there will be no late night deliveries of building materials. During his presentation, Hill also said that the DOT will set up their headquarters at the Edgewood Town Hall building, a location he says will reduce construction vehicle traffic through locations in Edgewood where residents may be bothered by noise.
“We’ve entered into a five month agreement,” Hill said. “They really love having that office available to them, it’s much better than being in a little construction trailer. And so they’ve expressed a lot of gratitude about being able to utilize that office. So intergovernmental cooperation, whenever it can occur, I think is always beneficial.”
The commission also voted unanimously to approve the town’s commission vacancy policy which included a motion to hold an emergency election in the event that a commissioner is unable to serve their appointed term.
Commissioner Jerry Powers announced that he was stepping down at a July 9 commission meeting. Powers was first elected to his seat on the Town Commission in November 2021 and re-elected in November 2023. A new commissioner will be appointed at a later date and will serve until December 2025.