It's amazing how little money the city is spending on making the prior PNC Bank into a police building. That is largely thanks to City Manager Gary Whitehead, who digs out the best price using the design-build procurement method.
I wrongly assumed T or C had about 1,000 acre feet a year to parlay to attract development. The state lost a decade-long lawsuit to Texas and the city's unused water rights could be reclaimed, especially since it's wasting up to 47 percent of its water due to infrastructure neglect.
Basic New Mexico water law will help you understand how the Settlement Agreement which ended the Texas v. New Mexico and Colorado lawsuit will affect your water use and your taxes.
The closure of the Hot Springs Basin three years ago has made Mark Twain's words even more applicable: "Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over." The city is not using about 1,000 acre feet a year of its water rights, making it a heavy weight.
Can the village afford to take on so many capital projects? My analysis says "no," but the budget documents provided are scant.
Residents approved $3 million in general obligation bonds in November 2022 that resulted in a new property tax of 3.50 mills. According to the city's website, interest and other charges will add $550,000 or 18.33 percent "interest." That's an expensive way to borrow, if correct.
Looks like the public is supporting a 21 year-old spaceport and still hoping it will reach adulthood, although it will likely take another 20 years to gain self-sufficiency, if ever. Does the public want to pay for a 41-year gestation period?
It's serious, but City Manager Gary Whitehead, with his forthrightness and depth of detail in reporting foibles and fixes and fund raising efforts, instills confidence that the city can handle the problems.
Nepotism requires that city staff pretend the city is an equal opportunity employer while muzzling criticism of leaders. Real talk about the mayor's relations and their fitness to hold their city positions is a fireable offense.
Local and state cooperation will be key in delivering help and recovering from disaster–and a brand new hazard mitigation plan lays out what’s needed.
A new airport layout plan is needed, but nearly $600,000 worth? Why spend time and money on future growth and development if there is no water out there and new water appropriations are limited due to a closed basin? Shouldn't water availability be studied first?
The city commission hasn't bothered to pass an ordinance on tiny homes. Now it's granted an owner a variance to have one in the special Riverside neighborhood, making zero findings of fact, leaving the field wide open for others who want a tiny home.