T or C audit for fiscal year 2024, some thoughts
It was a banner year for gross receipts tax revenues, which nicely fattened the bottom line. Lean years behind and ahead though.
Kathleen Sloan
Kathleen Sloan has been a local-government reporter for 17 years, covering counties and cities in three states—New Mexico, Iowa and Florida. She has also covered the arts for various publications in Virginia, New Mexico and Iowa. Sloan worked for the Truth or Consequences Herald newspaper from 2006 to 2013; it closed December 2019. She returned to T or C in 2019 and founded the online newspaper, the Sierra County Sun, with Diana Tittle taking the helm as editor during the last year and a half of operation. The Sun closed December 2021, concurrent with Sloan retiring. SierraCountySun.org is still an open website, with hundreds of past articles still available. Sloan is now a board member of the not-for-profit organization, the Sierra County Public-Interest Journalism Project, which supported the Sun and is currently sponsoring the Sierra County Citizen, another free and open website. Sloan is volunteering as a citizen journalist, covering the T or C beat. She can be reached at kathleen.sloan@gmail.com or 575-297-4146.
Copper Flat Mine to use much less water
After 15 years of trying to get massive amounts of water to process low-grade copper ore, the company is turning to a "dry" processing method.
Downtown drainage plan–hard, unimaginative, anti-environment
"Green" infrastructure is the thing forward-thinking cities put in to address storm-water runoff. Nowhere in sight in T or C's master downtown drainage plan.
Trump’s targeting of immigrants prompts classical music quartet to cancel performance at downtown T or C venue
Trump's disdain for the woke and immigrants, in combination with his professed unlimited executive powers, has unleashed ICE to target dissidents, intellectuals, artists, scientists, educators and journalists. Border Patrol check stations are to be avoided.
Where has the G. O. bond money gone so far and where will it go? The answer is complicated
Spending the $3 million in bond revenues, to be done right--to leverage grant and loan money by providing required cash matches the city wouldn't have on hand otherwise--requires a lot of planning and coordination.
“Road Diet” in downtown T or C is a misnomer for elaborate pictogram that must be decoded while driving
Could our city commission make it any harder to drive the I-25 business loop? First the three-ring-circus roundabouts and now a “road diet” obstacle course downtown.
Don’t call them tiny homes
Want to put a single-family dwelling less than 500 square feet on your lot? The city commission just made it a lot easier, even though it's not allowed in city code.
Whitehead explains next four water projects
Over the next three years the city will take on about $45 million in water projects.
Water report : “losing 35 to 40 percent compared to 59 percent this time last year”
Hooray for concise and honest reporting by new interim water department supervisor, Jamie Foreman, as scary as the stats are.
T or C applying for $190,000 grant/loan to do preliminary engineering study on whole wastewater system
With Trump cutting federal funding, T or C's usual go-to source, Colonias funding, may dry up. What if we have to pay for critical repairs ourselves, with no grant money?
T or C city commission meetings: time change, public comment change, better audio/visual
Hooray! It's been nearly five years since the city cancelled a contract with an IT company that streamed city commission meetings on a city YouTube channel, which was the only format one could hear what was said. Hopefully new equipment will fix onsite and streaming communications problems.
Love’s Travel Stop coming to Truth or Consequences
About 40 jobs will come with Love's arrival, along with more gross receipts tax and fuel-tax revenue. Free education to employees!