Pubdate: Mon, 08 Aug 2005
Source: Farmington Daily Times (NM)
Copyright: 2005 NorthWest New Mexico Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.daily-times.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/951
Author: Nathan Gonzalez
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

LOCAL OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO DEFEND HAWAII TRIP

A San Juan County commissioner and the county's chief executive officer 
continue to defend their recent trip to the National Association of 
Counties Conference in Hawaii last month.

County Commissioner Keith Johnson, who is also the mayor of Bloomfield, 
along with County Chief Executive Officer Keith Johns, say they brought 
back vital information from the association's annual meeting, which took 
place from July 15 to July 19.

"It was a busy time. We were tired when we left," Johns said. County 
Commissioner Wallace Charley had planned to attend the trip, but pulled out 
shortly before the conference.

Charley, who is also a Navajo Nation Council delegate from Shiprock, 
attended the council's weeklong summer session in Window Rock, Ariz., from 
July 18 to July 27.

Charley said he sponsored an education amendment that was introduced on the 
first day of the Navajo Nation Council meeting.

"I had no choice. I had to stay because of the education law," he said. 
Johns said one thing the county hopes to implement is a prescription drug 
discount card offered to all of the association's county members. 
Cardholders would receive a discount up to 25 percent toward their 
prescription drugs. The card program would be open to all county residents. 
"All they would have to do is share it with their pharmacists and they will 
give them the discount," Johns said. "Thousands of dollars can be saved. 
There would be no cost to the citizens and not cost to the county." 
However, the program may not be available to those who already have some 
sort of prescription discount. But for others, the card "won't be hard to 
get," Johns added.

County officials must first apply with the National Association of Counties 
to participate. Once accepted, the county's population could benefit. "We 
have completed the application to the contract," he said. Johnson said he 
participated in a town hall meeting with other county leaders, centering on 
how methamphetamine addiction has plagued their areas. "Nationwide, the use 
of marijuana and other drugs is down, but meth use is on the rise," he 
said. "We got to see how other communities are working on that problem. 
It's more than just a police issue, it has to be a community effort." U.S. 
Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, visited with area law enforcement and city 
officials Thursday who spoke about the problems the drug has caused in the 
county. Johnson, who was in that meeting, told Bingaman that meth has 
caused an increase in gang activity and has limited the local work force 
because many workers cannot pass a drug screening.

He said Friday that many states have limited the amount of over-the-counter 
drugs a customer can purchase.

Bingaman is co-sponsor to a federal bill that would require that 
pseudoephedrine-containing drugs - main ingredients in meth - be kept 
behind the counter.

"Now drugs are being mass produced in Mexico. We need to tighten our 
borders," Johnson said. "We are all facing the same issues." San Juan 
County, Farmington, Aztec and Bloomfield officials have begun to coordinate 
their efforts in combating the meth problems facing each entity, Johnson noted.

In other workshops, Johns participated in managerial classes that offered 
tips to make county government more efficient; others illustrated budgeting 
techniques.

The budget portion of the conference was helpful because the county is 
constantly attempting to streamline its operation, he added. That 
information could prove to be very useful to the county as a hiring freeze 
continues.

Johns has said that despite the freeze, the county's finances are not in 
jeopardy. He added that the Hawaii trip was included in the 2004-2005 
budget. The approved trip cost $2,595 each for Johns and Johnson. The 
National Association of Counties is an organization made up of about 
two-thirds of the nation's counties.
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MAP posted-by: Beth