closing its doors

Marathon Petroleum’s Gallup refinery is heading into its last days. The company expects to begin a phased reduction of staffing at the plant next month.

Sid Barth at Marathon’s home office in Findlay, Ohio told the Gallup Sun Sept. 2 that there are approximately 220 employees at the refinery and with the decision to indefinitely idle the refinery, and terminal, those positions will no longer be necessary.

“The decision is based on the company’s ongoing assessment of our operating costs and the competitive position of our assets, as well as our continued evaluation of the broader economic and financial impacts of COVID-19,” Barth stated in an...

Another look at CARES Act funding

The application form for CARES Act funds for local governments in New Mexico has 15 questions. Those 15 questions have caused confusion, even consternation among Gallup leaders.

The Gallup Sun talked to Mayor Louis Bonaguidi (Sept. 1), Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup (Sept. 2), Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, D-Gallup (Sept. 9) and they all agreed that they were disappointed with the CARES Act funding Gallup received.

Mayor Bonaguidi expressed confusion about the questions themselves, saying the finance committee didn’t know what the criteria was.

“We filled it out as best we could and we were as truthful as we could [be],” he said.

Sen. Muñoz...

Plans for small business help, COVID response costs

The City of Gallup was recently awarded two grants from CARES Act funds by the State of New Mexico as part of the federal act that was passed earlier this year.

City Manager Maryann Ustick presented the two awards for acceptance and approval by the Gallup City Council during their Sept. 8 meeting.

The first award is for funding to local small businesses of $2,130,000. The city will allocate up to five percent or $106,500, for administrative expenses. Ustick said the city may use these funds for staff overtime and to help eligible businesses file their applications to receive part of these funds.

The item states the limit per...

County Commission discusses potential tax deferral

The McKinley County Board of Commissioners held a special meeting Sept. 8 to discuss a potential deferral of employment tax deposits and payments from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31.

This proposal comes from the President’s authorization dated Aug. 8 and the IRS Administrative Procedure Notice 2020-65, where employers can elect to defer the deposit and payment of employees’ share of Social Security Taxes.

County Attorney Doug Decker said this deferral would essentially be a “tax holiday.”

“This is from a Presidential Directive through the Secretary of Treasury to find ways to give employees an extra boosted income,” Decker...