
Charles “Tink” Jackson said he was appointed to the committee while he and Commissioner Javier Diaz attended the Western Interstate Region 2014 Conference in May in Anchorage, Alaska.
Jackson was hired at the end of April and said the Alaska conference came up just after contract negotiations.
Travel and conference fees for the Alaska trip for Jackson and Diaz totaled nearly $9,000 and occurred just before all county departments were told they had to absorb a five-percent across-the-board budget cut.
But Jackson said the conference was worth the expenditure because the sessions addressed numerous areas of importance to Luna County, including PILT – or Payment in Lieu of Taxes – funding stability, as well as environmental and endangered species issues.
The Western Interstate Region is affiliated with the National Association of Counties and reportedly serves as an advocate for public policy issues affecting the west.
Jackson also attended the National Association of Counties annual meeting last month in New Orleans, Louisiana.