Hidalgo County sets April 8 meeting, public safety items featured

The Hidalgo County Board of County Commissioners met in the Commission Chambers at 305 Pyramid Street, Lordsburg, and on its April 8 agenda moved to consider approval of an Operation Stonegarden EMW-2023-SS-00015 de-obligated funds grant agreement and a related memorandum of understanding with the Lordsburg Police Department, items that would direct federal homeland-security grant dollars into local law-enforcement overtime, equipment, or joint operations. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.08-Agenda-Hidalgo-Final-1.docx))

County staff posted the public agenda to the county documents page on or about April 6; the downloadable file carries the title "2026.04.08 Agenda Hidalgo Final" and identifies Bob Sroka as the posting official. The meeting was scheduled for 5:30 p.m. with Zoom access listed on the agenda, and the packet shows a three-minute public-comment period and scheduled presentations including a legislative update from state Representative Jenifer Jones. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/documents/regular-meeting-agenda-april-8-2026/))

Also on the April 8 agenda was consideration of Amendment No. 5 to the county’s inmate medical contract with Roadrunner Health Services, the Albuquerque-headquartered provider that says it has served New Mexico correctional facilities for more than 25 years. Changes to the Roadrunner contract carry recurring fiscal and liability implications for the Hidalgo County Detention Center; the agenda lists the amendment for action but does not include an amount in the public agenda summary, meaning final dollar figures and specific contract language must be confirmed in the formal minutes or the full meeting packet. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.08-Agenda-Hidalgo-Final-1.docx))

A separate but related capital item moved forward in the county’s procurement timeline: a Notice of Bids calling for sealed proposals for a fire-station addition and remodel, with sealed bids to be accepted in the County Manager’s Office until 4:00 p.m. on April 20, 2026. Specifications are available by emailing Yasmin Olivas or Miriam Jacquez or by visiting the County Manager’s Office at 305 Pyramid Street; the RFB is attested by Commission Chairwoman Kelly Peterson and County Clerk Alyssa Esquivel and states the board reserves the right to reject any and all bids. That April 20 deadline is the immediate decision point for which contractors can still affect cost outcomes through competitive bids. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/documents/rfb-hidalgo-fire-addition-2026/))

The agenda also schedules routine approvals — payroll and registers for March — and executive-session items tied to real-property matters on Cloverdale Road, Foster Draw Road, and Horse Camp Road, all listed under the closed-session authority of New Mexico’s Open Meetings Act. For residents seeking accountability on the substance and dollar totals of the Stonegarden award, Amendment No. 5 to Roadrunner, or any eventual fire-station contract, the next concrete records are the meeting minutes and any post-meeting resolutions or contract documents posted by the county clerk; those materials will show roll-call votes, contract exhibits and any redirection of federal OPSG dollars into local expenditures. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.08-Agenda-Hidalgo-Final-1.docx))

Because FEMA administers Operation Stonegarden within the Homeland Security Grant Program and OPSG nationwide funding totaled roughly $90 million in fiscal year 2023 and about $81 million in FY 2024 and FY 2025, the county’s acceptance of de-obligated OPSG funds places Hidalgo County decisions into a traceable federal grant stream; the precise local award or de-obligation amount was not listed on the public agenda and must be requested via the county clerk’s office for full fiscal transparency. ([dhs.gov](dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/2024_1217_fema_operation_stonegarden.pdf))

The practical decision points remain: commissioners could vote to accept and allocate the de-obligated OPSG funds and approve the MOU with Lordsburg Police, vote on Amendment No. 5 with Roadrunner Health Services, or take direction on the fire-station procurement after April 20 bid receipts. Those votes, the recorded contract exhibits, and the commission’s minutes are the public documents that will show who benefits, who bears cost, and how county public-safety priorities will change. ([hidalgocounty.org](hidalgocounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026.04.08-Agenda-Hidalgo-Final-1.docx))