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.