“Vacuum” sewer breakdown, stop-gap fix, wasted money—rinse and repeat
A leadership vacuum at the top trickles down to the people having to pay repeatedly for emergency and then long-term repairs.
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.
Local state representatives and senator give verbal confirmation that T or C is to receive $20.4 million for emergency waterline repairs
The state was very good to the city this legislative session, obviously recognizing its waterline crisis.
Open house to gather input for Spaceport America’s master plan
A great exchange occurred among residents, Spaceport America staff and the company working on its master plan.
Solid-waste rate study proves polycart customers overpaid
Solid waste rates are wildly unfair. It will take years to make them equitable.
T or C’s legislative request for $20 million in emergency waterline repairs—the engineering plan
I submitted an IPRA for the engineering document that relates to the city's legislative request last year and this year. Finally, I received a relevant document this year; only three pages long, but enlightening.
City commissioners claim they don’t have the electric-sale studies
“You can fool all of the people some of time; you can fool some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time.” Attributed to Abraham Lincoln in The New York Times, August 27, 1887.
Read ballot language carefully before you vote “for” or “against” the $4.5-million bond issue
What the city commission and chief of police say and what the ballot language says differs. And whether the people can afford to pay for emergency and long-term repairs to the water infrastructure, as well as pay for a "public safety building" has never been asked or answered.
T or C City Commission approves $4.8 M three-year bond debt for water project
The city received a $7.5-million grant/loan from USDA for a water project, but it comes with interim-financing requirements that are complicated and expensive. The USDA waits until after construction is completed before it gives the grant or loan. The grant is for $2.7 million and the loan for $4.8 million.
Weighing the likelihood of getting $20M and $16M from legislature for water system failures
We, the poor rate payers whose water rates have gone up about 80 percent in the last five years, hope the city gets both of these legislative requests, otherwise rates are going to go up even more, according to T or C Mayor Rolf Hechler.
New Mexico Dept. of Homeland Security and Emergency Management deems city “ineligible” for disaster funds for waterlines
No disaster relief will be forthcoming from the state, which also precludes any federal disaster relief.
Sale of T or C electric facility ends in a whimper
Three years and the city commission can't figure out whether it's a good idea to sell the electric facility. What they said about the three-year evaluation process is fatuous beyond belief.
“Mean Girls” politics almost usurps peoples’ right to referendum the $4.5-million bond issue for a new police station
March 19 we will see if the "Mean Girls" or the "CAVERS" win.