I don’t know about you, but I am feeling more and more like a medieval serf, exploited by the gentry. The people are the serfs and the gentry are Truth or Consequences department heads, the assistant city manager and city manager. The city commissioners are like disinterested royalty who rubber stamp whatever is put in front of them as long as their special interests and pleasures are not disturbed.
Exemplifying the willy-nilly expenditure of the serfs’ resources by the gentry and nobility is the July 26 approval of the Infrastructure Capital Improvements Projects.
You should care about capital projects because they comprise way more than half of our city budget, which is estimated to extract an astounding $51 million from us serfs this fiscal year. By extension you should care about who controls capital projects. It appears Assistant Manager Traci Alvarez does.
Alvarez is paid the same salary as the new city manager—$85,000 a year. I was afraid the city commission was going to make Alvarez the city manager last April. But Alvarez actually has much more power as the assistant city manager. I think, based on current appearances of the balance of power, the city was split into two parts during the March/April city-manager hiring process, which occurred entirely behind closed doors. It appears Alvarez controls capital projects and Gonzales controls daily operations. The capital projects budget is about $30 million and the operations budget about $21 million, therefore Alvarez holds more sway over us serfs.
Alvarez’ once-a-year capital projects report was in April. She said about $30 million in capital projects was underway, with another $45 million “in the pipeline.” The report was brief, not in complete sentences, covered over two dozen projects in 20 minutes and was verbal, not written.
Gonzales praised the report, making me wonder if she had any critical-thinking skills or if this was a conditioned response heightened under City Manager Bruce Swingle, whom she was shadowing at the time. Swingle required about an hour of all city meetings be dedicated to cheerleading. The first half hour is awards for staying employed with the city, followed by cheery news about new businesses, children in 4-H, Fiesta and the county fair. Gonzales is continuing the cheerleading requirement.
I initiated an email exchange with Gonzales in an effort to once again pierce the veil shrouding how capital projects are initiated and thus get put on the ICIP list. The ICIP update is an annual event required by the state. It is one of the rare times a serf may get a glimpse behind the scenes at power wheels turning.
The email exchange was painful. I never got my answers, not because Gonzales was withholding the information from me, but because her grasp and understanding of capital projects in general and the city’s capital projects in specifics is trite and superficial, as you will see from her emails. I therefore predict Alvarez’ ascendency and serfs being ruled by such as them who are hidden city-staff demagogues will continue
The email exchange follows below.
July 31
Dear Ms. Gonzales,
I have long wondered about the following and will incorporate this information into an article on the recently updated ICIP:
- Who has authority to initiate a capital project? In my close observation over the last 4.5 years, many capital projects are first presented to the city commission via a grant application from Asst. City Manager Alvarez seeking. approval of the grant application, usually with no grant application in the city packet.
- Who has authority to hire an engineering firm to help author the grant application? And who writes the scope of work for the engineering firm, and why are engineering hirings not included in the purchases over $20,000 approval request presented to the city commission?
- Why do we never hear regular reports from department heads on operations, maintenance, capital projects within those departments and asset management plans for each of those departments, especially water, sewer, electric, solid waste?
I have been a local government reporter for 18 years and have covered a dozen municipalities and three counties in three states. All but T or C have regular written reports presented orally by department heads that include asset management plans that give statistics and condition reports on equipment and assets and what upgrades and replacements are needed, when and why.
City Manager Swingle, last January, during the yearly legislative request session, told legislators, but not the public during a regular city commission meeting, that $20 million in emergency funding was needed for the water infrastructure. No documents. He also requested $1.5 million for emergency repairs to the wastewater infrastructure, which had to do with barely meeting EPA effluent standards. No documents.
Only the $20 million emergency water infrastructure repairs made it onto the top 10 ICIP projects, updated to over $21 million.
Swingle gave as his primary reason for the water emergency repairs that 43 percent of our water is leaking, water already treated and pumped at an untold cost to the public. I reported that same figure given in 2015 engineering report, which was denied and vaguely, not factually, refuted by then-City Manager Morris Madrid.
Electric Department Director Bo Easley asked for smart meters, the public paying over $1 million (the exact figure unreported or given by Madrid or Easley) in 2019. Then we are forced to make an emergency purchase for a $1.3 to $1.6 million transformer, having to borrow the money to acquire the equipment.
We are doing a nearly $10 million downtown water project, yet we face $21 million in emergency repairs that has been an emergency since 2015.
Clearly priorities are not being set correctly and are being set by who knows who with no asset management plans in evidence to make priority setting possible.
Now you are suggesting we hire a lobbyist.
But getting the word out that T or C has water problems is not the problem. Senator Diamond said, “Everyone knows about the city’s water problems,” during the January request session.
The problem is demonstrating that the city will carefully manage its grants monies.
We don’t plan with any rhyme or reason I can determine. No governmental entity, especially a federal governmental entity, will give grant money to a municipality that has raided its utility funds and not churned it back into the utility, has set no money aside for repairs, has no asset management plan.
The money for a lobbyist would be better spent on a city engineer/planner to oversee our infrastructure crises and to present reports that give the why and wherefores for needed capital projects and in what priority they should be done..
Representative Jaramillo told Swingle during the legislative request session that the $20 million ask was not rational, since the city could not spend $20 million in a year.
When Diamond carried a bill to the legislature, the senate committee report was similar. $20 million couldn’t be spent in a year and there was no phasing or engineering presented. The state Environment Department was asked to weigh in on the bill, and they said they would need the city to pay for their engineering expertise if they were expected to provide the work.
The city has to prove it can manage its money and infrastructure. The fact that they are in crisis demonstrates it has been managed badly. We have made two emergency purchases in the last two years for an electrical transformer and to conduct well repairs (no report, no cost given to the public.) And then we ask for $20 million and $1.5 million in emergency repairs.
These emergencies send massive red flags to the Department of Finance and Administration and other state departments.
We won’t get any money until we admit we managed things badly and then present a plan for correcting past bad management.
Instead, we continue this mysterious and ill advised capital projects process.
I hope you can answer the questions in the first portion of this email soon.
Any other comments are welcome.
Kathleen Sloan
Sierra County Citizen
575.297.4146
August 1
Kathleen,
I have attached the ICIP guideline booklet for your review and reference as a resource guide. I will answer the rest of your questions by the end of the week.
Angie
Angie Gonzales
City Manager
Office: 575-894-6681
Cell: 575-740-7649
August 1
Thanks Angie.
Kathleen
August 7
I really hope you can answer the questions today.
Thanks,
Kathleen
August 7
Kathleen
I have just finished staff meetings for today and I did want to address the rest of your concerns:
1. Who has authority to initiate a capital project? In my close observation over the last 4.5 years, many capital projects are first presented to the city commission via a grant application from Asst. City Manager Alvarez seeking. approval of the grant application, usually with no grant application in the city packet.
I have sent you the ICIP process- so you see that the capital improvement process is a state process and we follow the mandates as set by the State.
2. Who has authority to hire an engineering firm to help author the grant application? And who writes the scope of work for the engineering firm, and why are engineering hirings not included in the purchases over $20,000 approval request presented to the city commission?
The Board of Commissioners hired the engineering firm as recommended by City Staff as the process through the procurement process. I am not sure when that happened but procurement could answer those questions.
3. Why do we never hear regular reports from department heads on operations, maintenance, capital projects within those departments and asset management plans for each of those departments, especially water, sewer, electric, solid waste?
I don’t require the department heads to report to the Board as it would add about 2 hours to the meeting. If there is something specific that is brought up as a question I will take it to the appropriate department head and return with the answer at another Commission meeting.
Sincerely,
Angie
Angie Gonzales
City Manager
Office: 575-894-6681
Cell: 575-740-7649
August 8
Angela,
This doesn’t answer what I really want to know. Let me try to be more specific.
For each individual capital project, who has authority to start that project, define its scope and hire an engineering firm to do a preliminary engineering report.
I read the document you sent me on the ICIP process. The city is not following it.
In the many other municipalities I have covered as a reporter, the city staff, in their regular reports, makes it clear each time who hired them for how much and what their scope of work is. In T or C it appears Alfredo Holguin of Wilson and Co. appears to hire himself, define his own scope of work, do any project he likes–for profit for his company, which the people pay and pay and pay for. There is no accountability. Please, therefore, tell me how it is determined who gets to start a capital project, and hire an engineering firm.
I know of no other city that does not require department heads to report regularly. Indeed, their reports are the focus of the meeting. This lack of accountability and reporting is one of the leading causes of the poor management in the city.
Please answer No. 2. Please answer as soon as possible.
Thank you,
Kathleen Sloan
August 8
- The city is following the ICIP process. The public meeting and the ranking of the projects was done at the July 26th meeting after the break.
- The Board of Commissioners approves the engineering request for bid procurement process. The City went out for request for proposals for engineering services in January 2021.
Angie
Angie Gonzales
City Manager
Office: 575-894-6681
Cell: 575-740-7649
August 8
That still doesn’t answer my question. Who has the authority to initiate projects and to hire engineers? It seems like anyone can, although it is not stated. For example, on this week’s agenda is an expenditure over $20,000 for work on wells. I bet if I do an IPRA, an engineering/well specialist firm was hired, probably by ww/w director Castaneda. I have seen Asst. City Manager Alvarez bring numerous grants to the city commission that were preceded by hidden hirings of engineers. Who gives them permission???
Kathleen
August 8
The Board of Commissioners
Angie
Angie Gonzales
City Manager
Office: 575-894-6681
Cell: 575-740-7649
August 8
The board of commissioners doesn’t know about the project until it is already in the pipeline. For example, they were only informed of the downtown water project via a request to approve a grant application–and the grant application wasn’t in the packet. An engineer had already been hired at that point to help with the grant application.
The board of commissioners, in a second and more current example, won’t know about what well work was done, and probably will never ask or be told what the well work was, which is on the over-$20,000- purchases agenda item.
The public was never told why the downtown water project was put in the project pipeline. It didn’t learn many details about it until a year later, when the grant was received, and the three or four times the construction bids were cut down because prices rose was never detailed. Yet our water rates were increased about 50 percent in Oct. 2020 and then another 5.4 percent in July 2020, and over 9 percent in July 2021. I’m not sure, since it has gone unreported, how much rates went up last and this July.
Third example: City Manager Swingle, verbally, during his report, some time in 2021, and with no detail, said he was seeking $45 million from state and federal governments, in part for water repairs. He didn’t ask permission. He didn’t get approval for the projects.
Fourth example: I attended the session in which local governments made their requests to state representatives last January. For the first time I learned the city was requesting $20 m for water and $1.5 m for wastewater EMERGENCY funding. This never came up in a city meeting; therefore city commissioners never approved the projects.
Again, do you know how projects get in the pipeline? It’s not with city commission approval. Again, it appears that anybody can start a project and spend money on it. Is there some protocol by city staff?? Is someone giving approvals that are not happening during city meetings?
Kathleen
August 8
The Board of Commissioners DO know about the well work as I reported on it in June that we were going to repair well #8 to compliment well #6 that had just been repaired. The expenses are in the Commission packets.
I cannot help how things were in the past all I can do is look forward. The Board of Commissioners have to approve project funding be it by grant or loan.
Angie
August 8
But the commissioners are being told, they are not approving a new capital project, in reference to the wells being repaired. And it’s public money and we have no reports, especially written, about what is wrong with the wells. We don’t even know how many wells are working out of the eight.
And you have been in control of this ICIP. I did an IPRA for the engineering report(s) related to the $21 million for water repairs and was sent a 2019 or 2020 engineering report that used data 4 years old or older that has nothing to do with emergency repairs and doesn’t match up with the $21 million.
That project has never come before the city commission, nor has the $1.5 million emergency funding request for wastewater.
We need a staff member, a city planner/engineer, who presents projects to the city commission and explains why they are a priority. The ICIP was essentially rubber-stamped by the city commission and was put in priority by department heads, from what I can gather looking at the document.
Neither the city commission nor the public are being informed enough to have an informed opinion or choice.
I have never seen a government entity spend so much money with no reporting, no evidence, no planning. This is poor city management and this is why the city made two emergency purchases during Swingle’s tenure and is asking for many millions in emergency funding. This is why the utilities are falling apart. This is why we are buying smart meters instead of addressing emergencies.
No one is planning or directing planning. You are supposed to be a check and balance, a financial overseer on department directors. And the city commission is supposed to be your check and balance and fiduciary overseer for the people. This is not happening. Instead, behind closed doors, department heads or city managers are simply declaring certain projects will be done with no engineering, fact finding, evidence, reporting to back up the massive expenditures.
Kathleen
August 8
Thank you for your opinion
Angie
Angie Gonzales
City Manager
City of Truth or Consequences
Cell. 575-740-7649
August 8
It is not opinion. It is fact. And reducing the information I have stated to “opinion,” just like thinking a lobbyist will help our infrastructure problems instead of mending our bad management is part of the problem. While the people pay and pay and pay for this bad management.
Kathleen
Clearly there are no qualified citizens willing to step up into this mess. 85K???each??? How about taking some of that to get them educated, trained and up to speed. No truth, but plenty of consequences. For the serfs, that is.
Upon further reflection, my comment about qualified citizens willing to step up was unfair. Qualified citizens have been and are actively thwarted from serving.
You go Kathleen! Way to nail the problem as well as the solution. Hire the necessary competent people and follow the rules so we see how the money is spent
Your analysis is well reasoned and from my tenure in this community, directly on point.
The lack of management reporting is fundamental to poor operation. As a management consultant for government business and industry I see little hope of improving this community with the current status quo. Serfs we are as our governing and municipal workforce cannot or will not grasp the concept that they are here for the sole benefit of the People and not the ruling monarchy that they delude themselves unto believing. But until the city’s populace wake up to the cost of poor management on their quality of life they will either drown under the weight of fiscal irresponsibility or move on to seemingly better locations. A word to the City establishment… Ghost Towns have No Need of government or workers.
Contacting the the County attorney and the Attorney General multiple times with evidence of fraud and corruption not acted upon, I have come to believe and see with my own eyes the economic, physical, and spiritual disaster taking place.
Wilson and Company runs the money and direction of these big projects – why is there no planning and zoning commission? Does anyone care what the community is becoming? – apartments built on a flood plane with no building permits (just get your wallet out and go talk to Tracy). More pot shops than restaurants, no recognition of the Hot water and its desecration, so many refugees with money who bring what ever it is that made them leave there – here!
When the Last Tree Is Cut Down, the Last Fish Eaten, and the Last Stream Poisoned, You Will Realize That You Cannot Eat Money – Alanis Obomsawin
I served on the Town Council in Carrizozo and as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission of both Carrizozo and Lincoln County. I can tell you that Town Department Heads made written reports at EVERY monthly meeting of the Council. I can also attest that Planning and Zoning Commission members did site visits for every request for zoning change or building permit or challenge brought by either citizens or other commissioners. I signed up for the P&Z Commission here in TorC after I moved here. I asked why we were not doing any site visits and was told that “oh, the city staff does that. You guys just approve (rubber stamp) their findings.” I immediately resigned. Trying to figure out how this town has managed to continue has been a constant source of dismay, anger and powerless amusement for the past 6 years. Your reference to a medieval ruling class/serfdom is very apt.
Thank you, Kathleen.
Kathleen, you have well described some of the problems we face here. I’ve been on the airport advisory board for a few years but recognized after one meeting with the new city manager, which was actually run by Traci, that things aren’t going to get better. And the manager had resorted to looking at messages on her phone in the middle of the meeting. Made me feel real important. If anything, I project only worse times to come. I gave up and resigned since advisory boards have become of little value, as pointed out by Traci in her presentation to the commissioners. And of course it is the board members’ fault. We obviously have a problem of poor management but how do we inform the voters of what an inadequate job their elected officials are doing? And do they care?
thank you for trying to shine a light on how our resources are directed & spent… it’s stunning how little the folks who “manage” this town seem to care for the quality of life of the citizens of the town… don’t they realize that they too would benefit from a more community-minded set of priorities? & somehow many of the residents have been convinced that they don’t deserve basic amenities~
Thank You Kathleen!
Not only do we need a planner here in Truth or Consequences, but we also desperately need the city to hire a building inspector.
Wow! Are you really that misinformed and uneducated? Or maybe one enjoys printing mistruths and lies? I was unable to attend the meeting to discuss the Capital Plan for the City so I made a simple phone call after reading your article. My problem started with the way I worded my request. I called the main City number and asked to speak with the person in charge of the Utility Plan – which caused me to transferred to the utility office. I must say I can fully understand the frustrations of one trying to reach that office.. it just rang and rang as usual, have had multiple dealings with this office and either the Manager doesn’t answer her phone or she is out and those in the front office are rude and of no help.. but I digress, that is not the reason for my response. Once I was directed to the correct office, I had the pleasure of speaking with Tracy. She was preparing to leave the office for a board meeting but was more than happy to schedule a call with me for the next day. I received that call right on time and we had a great discussion about the Capital Projects list. First off – if there is any chance of grant funding being available, it is either required or scores higher if the project is on this list. Her process is to meet with the various departments and see what their immediate and future needs are and discuss the priorities of these needs. She than seeks for public input, which is either very little or focus on the same concerns/needs: water repair, streets, and better pool or recreation facility. From this information, she and the city manager prepare a top project list to present to the commissioners along with a list of all projects the various departments request. This list is long – I obtained last years list from the website that is available to anyone in the public – just do your research! The choice of what items to place on the top of the list is well thought out in my opinion. She focuses on critical needs like the water and streets, and projects that have already received some funding and are ready to move into the next stage or are short of funds, and projects that may qualify for “off the cuff funding” – meaning they are very specific like parks, facilities, etc. The idea is to have a good mix – makes sense to me. The commissioners are asked to rank the top 10 but have the ability to add or delete projects and rank them anywhere within the list. There is a large variety of available projects within the top 10, and my opinion is they are satisfied with the priorities and that is why they approve what is submitted. She did say that no one showed up to the public hearing so I guess the public was in agreeance as well. Tracy was very pleasant to speak with, and answered all of my questions. She did not make me feel like I was interupting her and never made me feel rushed. I did ask what her work history both past and present was with the city and was suprised at her broad knowledge and current duty list. When asked if she ever felt overwhelmed she was quick to say why it can be alot some days, she is lucky to work with those that are more than happy to jump in and help where needed, and then ended with we all work for the same people, we just work in different areas – I thought that was a great response. I wonder what personal vendetta you have with the City Ms. Sloan? I have read your articles, and then referenced meeting minutes and I really believe you go out of your way to print misinformation and lies for your own personal excitement. I stumbled across this page accidentally and was disheartened to find that it was a one way street with your articles and not true representation at all. I can only hope that those that read your words, take the time to speak with those that are accused and form your own opinion. I for one, will never read your articles again. Peace out. (I can only imagine that since this comment is not in line with your thinking, it will probably go unpublished)
To address your comments about the Utility Office and its Manager, I’ve never had anything but good experiences with that office. The staff is friendly and helpful and always cheerful. And Sonya Renfro, the Manager, is gracious and caring when she deals with her customers, who are sometimes disgruntled for being cut off due to nonpayment. She works hard to help everyone she can and make them feel valuable. And she’s always been available anytimeI had a question or concern.
And how is the Utility Office even involved in this issue? This issue is Abu Capital Spending, not Utility Billing.
I didn’t read the rest of your post. It was too combative and not worth my time.
You are actually confirming what this article and past articles on how capital projects are put in priority in the City of TorC. I thank you for taking the time to go to Alvarez and to report back. You confirm that the process for getting on the capital projects list is essentially Alvarez and Gonzales meeting with city department heads behind closed doors and asking them what they want and need. The department heads do not have to write asset management plans, do not have to keep track of replacement schedules, do not have to justify what they want or “need” to the public and evidently not to Alvarez or Gonzales either.
You are ok with that? You think that is good city planning, management, accountability?
I appreciate the insight you also gave….Alvarez gives more priority to projects that are likely to get grants. This explains why water, wastewater and electric crisis-level repairs and replacement stay lower down on the list. The feds and state know that a well managed city sets utility rates so it can pay for asset-management replacement schedules. Well run utilities plan ahead. They are supposed to be self-sustaining. The utility grants we have gotten in the last five years or so, about $7 m for sewer and $10 million for downtown water project, are 60/40 loan grant. 40 percent is the most you could expect–until Biden’s infrastructure bill passed.
I contend we haven’t yet gotten any of that infrastructure money because we just go with our hand out. Again, with no asset management plan, no engineering plan, no written report.
You also gave another insight into how Alvarez puts projects in priority. She spreads it around the departments.
You said that “makes sense.” Sounds utterly arbitrary to me. Especially when the grid almost went down, we’re leaking at least 43 percent of our water, our wells are breaking down.
You also confirm for me that my use of the term demagoguery was correct. You, as a citizen, are not insisting on city staff reports, on city commissioner fiduciary oversight, on any accountability and reporting.
You said the people must be in “agreeance” with Alvarez’ capital projects priority list since they were asked what they wanted. You said roads and a swimming complex. Yes, with utterly no information, no overview, no reporting, the people are going to note there are pot holes and it would be nice to have a better pool.
You obviously have never seen how other cities are managed. It is not by taking a survey, “what do you want,” and then spreading the money around to the various departments or by the likelihood of getting grant.
You have confirmed that citizens such as you don’t like or don’t care about holding their government accountable, don’t care if there is no planning or fact finding before millions and millions are spent on capital projects. Calling me uninformed and a liar is far easier.
i think you said yourself that you were directed to the wrong office after using the wrong wording to describe your request.
I’m glad you had all your questions answered, but as you initially said, I’m not sure you were wording your questions correctly, or asking the correct questions.
From experience, the reason nobody shows up to these meetings is because of the blatant condescension shown to us when we do.
The reason the turnover is so high in the city is because the city is unable to listen to city employees.
When I say the ‘city’, I don’t really mean all the people that work for it. Many are trying their best. The utility office you speak of ? It’s like one of the few departments that isn’t in a state of constant chaos. Have no idea why you brought that department up.
But- the people (person) that really does set the priorities for town, well-
I don’t think you worded your question correctly, or knew what you were asking.