Jess Williams is the Doña Ana County Director of Public Information & Special Projects. A native of Las Cruces, he holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in communication studies, both from New Mexico State University. He is a former newspaper editor (The Raton [NM] Range; the Stephenville [TX] Empire-Tribune; and The Taos [NM] News). He also is a former adjunct faculty member in the Journalism and Communication Studies departments at NMSU, where he taught evening and weekend classes in journalism and public speaking.

Williams supervises a communications specialist in the Doña Ana County Sheriff's Department, the county’s main-lobby receptionist, the mailroom clerk and the social media coordinator.  In addition, he assists elected officials and department heads with both internal and external communications and serves as an appointed member on the Board of Directors of the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley.

Duties

This office oversees media relations, social media outreach, event coordination, mail services, the front desk reception area, interagency cooperation, and support for the Doña Ana County Commissioners. We coordinate art exhibits for the Government Center and groundbreaking ceremonies for various other county initiatives. We also maintain the Kitty Condo adoption facility, which has garnered international attention as a working partnership between a local shelter and a governing body without the use of taxpayer funds. Watch the nationally televised report here: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cat-library-offers-purrfect-solution-to-stress/

REQUESTING PUBLIC RECORDS

Notice of Right to Inspect Public Records

By law, under the Inspection of Public Records Act, every person has the right to inspect public records of Doña Ana County. The act also makes compliance with requests to inspect public records an integral part of the routine duties of the officers and employees of Doña Ana County.

A person desiring to inspect public records may submit a request to the records custodian orally or in writing. However, the procedures and penalties prescribed by the act apply only to written requests. A written request must contain the name, address and telephone number of the person making the request. The request must describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable the records custodian to identify and locate the requested records.

The records custodian must permit the inspection immediately or as soon as practicable, but no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian receives the inspection request. If inspection is not permitted within three (3) business days, the person making the request will receive a written response explaining when the records will be available for inspection or when the public body will respond to the request. If any of the records sought are not available for public inspection, the person making the request is entitled to a written response from the records custodian explaining the reasons inspection has been denied. The written denial shall be delivered or mailed within fifteen (15) calendar days after the records custodian received the request for inspection.

If a person requesting inspection would like a copy of public record, a reasonable fee may be charged. The fee for copies is $1.00 per single sided page for standard copies up to a paper size of 11x 17 inches.  The County will charge a reasonable rate for copies that are larger than 11 x 17, or which require special machinery or supplies, and for records other than documents, that are stored on other media, e.g. photographs, tape recordings, computer tapes or discs. Additional charges may apply for records or information contained in a computer database. The records custodian may request that applicable fees for copying public records be paid in advance, before the copies are made. A receipt indicating that the fees have been paid for making copies of public records will be provided upon request to the person requesting the copies.

Requests for Inspection of Public Records may be addressed directly to the “Records Custodian” for the particular County Government Department to which the requested records relate, if known.  If the records sought pertain to more than one County Department, or the appropriate County Department is not known, requests may be addressed to:

Jess C. Williams
Records Custodian
Director of Public Information/Special Projects
845 N. Motel Blvd.
Las Cruces, NM 88007
Voice: (575) 525-5801
Fax: (575) 525-5948
TDD: (575) 525-5951