
County Manager Kelly Kuenstler said under the current terms, HELP-NM will pay Luna County $300 a month to lease the facility just west of the learning center, and will waive fees for clients in lieu of payment to the county.
Kuenstler credited previous county manager Scott Vinson with the idea of providing the child care service in lieu of a fee.
She said she simply put the lease together and presented it to the State Board of Finance in an effort to protect the parents who rely on the service and the center providing the service.
HELP-NM currently serves 48 children ages six-months to nine-years.
HELP-NM Center Manager Crystal Pena thanked the county for legitimizing the lease, which Commission Chairman Jay Spivey described as “innovative.”