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County Connections - February 2023 |
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 San Juan County Recognized for Audit Accountability
San Juan County Manager Mike Stark
New Mexico Counties and the State Auditor’s Office selected San Juan County as a recipient for the annual Audit and Accountability Award. The award was presented at the NMC Legislative Conference on Thursday, January 19, 2023. The award was given in recognition for outstanding and timely work on our audit, and sustaining financial excellence with the highest audit opinion. An unmodified opinion is the best opinion that can be given and means that the financial statements are presented fairly by following generally accepted accounting principles.
This marks the sixth consecutive Audit and Accountability award. Your county government also received the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement, marking 16 consecutive years for excellence in financial programming. Ultimately, these awards certify the highest level of achievement in governmental finance and strong evidence to our citizens of fiscally sound, transparent, and accountable management of public funds. A big thanks to our Finance department, Treasurer’s Office, elected officials, and county management in continuing to make financial accountability a cornerstone of San Juan County government operations.
 Additionally, the Adult Misdemeanor Compliance Accreditation Professional Standards Council awarded San Juan County a third three-year re-accreditation certificate for the Misdemeanor Compliance Program. New Mexico Counties recognized San Juan County during the 2023 New Mexico Counties Legislative Conference on January 19, 2023, in Santa Fe, NM. San Juan County achieved its first accreditation in 2015.
An initiative of New Mexico Counties, the Adult Misdemeanor Compliance Accreditation Professional Standards Council serves as the professional organization to develop and ensure a system of uniform standards for the statewide Misdemeanor Compliance Program. This program holds the gold standard in the state with valid, reliable research, and exemplary correctional practices. It promotes socially responsible and humane correctional supervision policies and practices, sound public policies, adherence to ethics within the justice profession, excellence in professional development, innovation, and education; and fostering integral relationships with the communities served. To date, five counties have attained accreditation status.
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February 14- Valentine's Day
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February 20- President's Day (County Offices are closed)
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February 21 @4:00 pm- San Juan County Commission Meeting
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 Rowing Update
via Guardian Initiatives Facebook page- as of 6:00 am MST, Jan. 31, 2023.
Just a few days and nautical miles to go for the Guardian team! As of January 31, only 63.8 nautical miles left and the crew is still 7th in the race trio class!
The crew is expected to make landfall on Thursday, February 2, between 3:30 and 4:30 am Atlantic Standard Time (That's about 12:30-1:30 am Thursday for us on MST and subject to change, of course) and their family and friends are all there to meet them!
The fundraising goal is very close too, but there is still time to donate. Learn more or donate:
Meet New San Juan County Commissioner for District 2, Gary McDaniel
Gary McDaniel, a life-long resident of San Juan County NM, was elected in 2022 to his first term on the San Juan County Commission in District 2, beginning in 2023. Gary is a graduate of Bloomfield High School and New Mexico State University.
He served more than 33 years in area law enforcement, having retired from the San Juan County Sheriff's Office in 2017. Gary has also served as an alternate municipal judge in Aztec NM and as a magistrate judge for San Juan County.
He has an agricultural background and continues to farm and ranch in District 2. He also has experience in the local oil and gas industry.
Gary believes in the goodness of people and looks forward to continuing his nearly 40 years of public service to the citizens of San Juan County.
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San Juan County Fire & Rescue
Division Chief Ian Rutter
Say hello to the newest firefighters to join the ranks of San Juan County Fire & Rescue!
Whether career or volunteer, the fire service requires all of us to be professionals. As part of the SJCFR team, we hold both groups to a higher standard when it comes to patient care or preservation of property. The point where that interest is turned into education and truly put into practice is when members begin their training in the various specialties of the fire service. The fire academy is a jumping off point for future fire fighters, and covers a wide array of topics like hazardous materials, fire fighter 1 and 2, vehicle extrication and other technical rescue, and more. This often includes the opportunity to test at the state level for IFSAC and Pro Board certification in topics presented.
Congratulations to the graduates of the 2022-2 fire academy, and to prospective future members, we look forward to meeting you and showing you how fulfilling the fire service can be.
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 Back row, left to right: Micheal Joe, Jonathan Theisen, Ryan Briggs
Front row, left to right: Leisha Yazzie, Bryttnie Clenin, Mackenzie Bateman.
Not pictured: Noah Garrison
San Juan County Sheriff's Office
 On January 13, 2023, the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office held their annual employee awards banquet. This is a time where we celebrate the great work of our staff. For the year of 2022, we recognized 2 retirees, 6 San Juan County Criminal Justice Training Authority Academy graduates, 20 new hires, 9 promotions, 16 employees that hit a years of service milestone, 4 military service awards, 1 expert firearms award, 1 Certificate of Exceptional Service, 1 Exceptional Service Award (which goes to a non-sworn member of the Sheriff’s Office), 1 Exceptional Service Medal, 2 Certificates of Merit, 3 Medals of Commendation, and 11 Lifesaving Medals. We also recognized our DWI Deputy of the year (Deputy Gabriel Salazar), Reserve Deputy of the Year (Late Reserve Deputy Jeff Manning), and Deputy of the Year (Deputy Mike Nelson). We are proud of our agency and all the accomplishments of these individuals.
San Juan County is Hiring!
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Are you looking for a fulfilling career where you can Build A Stronger Community?
See our current openings at SJCounty.net/jobs |
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"Local Government Excellence Supports Economic Development Attractiveness"
The following from the Four Corners Economic Development Newsletter:
Economic development professionals and site locators tell us that quality of local community government is a critical indicator of a region’s attractiveness to developers and for development. This criteria is an indicator of a community’s openness to development and welcoming of new residents and industry.
It’s also certainly true that not all counties are created equal especially when it comes to the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. One test of the quality of the stewardship of taxpayer dollars is how a local government is perceived to be performing by the standards and tests applied by an outside auditing firm.
At the January 3, 2023 San Juan County Commission meeting, Commissioners were briefed on the County’s annual audit report findings. The audit results were exemplary. No findings or compliance issues related to internal controls or compliance with the administration of grant funds were reported by the auditing firm of Pattillo, Brown & Hill, L.L.P.
Over and beyond the audit findings, San Juan County was awarded for the 16th year in a row the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting.
San Juan County is in elite company by meeting the requirements to earn this prestigious award. The County is just one of eighteen New Mexico governmental entities to earn the award for the most recent year reported. (There are approximately 700 governmental entities in the State of New Mexico.) The County is also one of just 4 of New Mexico’s 33 counties to earn the award.
In reflecting on the results, County Commission Chairman Steve Lanier said, “These audit findings, continued growth in the County’s cash balances and strong balance sheet and the intentional transparency and openness of San Juan County’s financial reporting systems as is recognized by the GFOA are exactly what we as citizens should expect of our County Management Team.”
Look for more of the same good work ahead by San Juan County and the cities and towns in San Juan County. We’re open and ready for business!
Subscribe to the 4CED newsletter for more!
If you found something in this newsletter interesting, please feel free to forward it to someone who might find it interesting and encourage them to subscribe!
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