The August 29 city commission meeting was the most substantive of the 110 or so I have attended in the last five years.
There were real reports, with real financial figures from three engineering firms.
There were real reports from city staff—Chief of Police Luis Tavizon, Streets Director Buster Smith and Water and Wastewater Director Arnie Castaneda.
And when Electric Department Director Bo Easley asked for $500,000, he wasn’t cajoled or treated with kid gloves, but given real talk.
Easley, after four years of pursuing the construction of a city-owned electric charging station downtown (while the two 60-year old transformers rotted, one since replaced as an emergency purchase), was finally told—by Mayor Rolf Hechler and Mayor Pro Tem Amanda Forrister—that the private sector should handle the demand, not the city.
Easley had applied for the second time for Biden’s infrastructure grant. He was turned down the first time (application and turndown all behind closed doors) but the city has a shot in this second round. Thing is, a 20 percent or $500,000 match from the city is required. That was common knowledge two years ago. Easley is just now figuring that out?
Too bad Easley didn’t have to get the city commission’s approval before hiring an engineering firm and wasting staff time and public money. Could we do that next? Make directors ask permission to start projects?
But hey, I’m surprised and pleased that the city commission turned the project down after four years. .
Easley’s charging stations had traction before. The city commission saw it as another means to service and attract tourists and historically our governing body has chased gross receipts, businesses and tourists to the detriment of operations, maintenance and infrastructure.
City Commissioner Ingo Hoeppner still sang that old tune, but his vote didn’t carry. Shoppers would spend 45 minutes downtown while their car charged—it would be good for downtown, he said.
Hechler pointed out it would take a long time for the city to pay itself back the $500,000. Yes! Actual cost/benefit thinking!
And Biden’s electric-car push may vanish, Hechler said, depending on who is elected. Thinking ahead!
Forrister gave her most thoughtful comment in her five-year tenure and she reversed herself! “At first I thought this was a good idea,” she said, but the city would have “upkeep” costs in addition to the $500,000 grant match. “We have other issues. I’d rather spend that money on out citizenry, not tourists passing through.”
Hechler similarly told Easley the city only has so much money and city staff only has so much time and that there are more important projects that should be pursued.
Hechler had told Easley about a month ago he needed to come up with a plan for how he is going to spend the excess cash the increased electric rates are bringing in. The increases were imposed to make up for the years of neglected maintenance and upgrades, Hechler reminded Easley—for the second time. Easley—for the second time—said he thought the increased rates were to get cash up in the electric fund. Hechler’s second request for a plan will probably again go unheeded by Easley. Can we do that next? Require annual asset-management and capital projects reports/plans from city directors? Still, this is an improvement. Hechler is putting Easley on notice that he’s supposed to be planning and setting priorities.
Real talk, not cosplay, during a public meeting, where policy direction and decisions are supposed to happen in a democratic republic.
Water and Wastewater Director Arnie Castaneda was given similar direction. Hechler said he’s still receiving calls about low water pressure from the school system and the hospital.
The school system’s water-pressure problems started last spring and the hospital’s at least two years ago, so Hechler gets no points on response time, but still, his leadership is welcome.
Castaneda said he thought the problem was fixed—by yet another valve adjustment. Nope, pressure has dropped again, as it did the other times. Hechler told Castaneda to call the school and hospital, not wait for them to complain, to ensure the issues are resolve. And didn’t the city hire Wilson and Company engineering firm to find a permanent solution to the problem? Yes, Castaneda admitted, but he dropped that, because he thought it was fixed. What was Wilson’s solution? Castaneda mumbled something about a design to “bypass” something or other. Pursue that, Hechler said, and report back.
Leading, instead of rubber-stamping whatever city staff comes up with?
Not having “faith” in city staff, but checking to see they are doing their jobs? A city commissioner who knows what the course is? And telling a department director they are off course?
Could the no-accountability good old guys and gals club be breaking up?
Could the people, not staff, become the top priority?
Hechler gave me that hope at the Aug. 28 meeting. Long may it last.
Wow Arnie came to town? Amazing.
I doubt that the legislation funding grants for EV charging stations will be repealed in the future no matter which way the election goes. I think it would take time and enough votes in Congress to do that, and even people who voted against the bill are taking credit for the infrastructure improvements in their districts. A president trying to stop the spending of money already appropriated by Congress would run into some hurdles, and this wouldn’t be a top priority even if such an attempt were to be made.
However, the fact that the city can’t afford its portion of funding that goes with the grant for an EV charging station is a more realistic concern. Will encouraging private enterprise to make the effort to install fast chargers here be our only hope? Sometimes the two charging stations at the Fast Stop in Elephant Butte are both busy, and you have to wait. Those chargers are in a really boring place, too, though you can at least clean your windshield and buy coffee. (By the way, Francis Energy does a great job of maintaining the chargers.) If one pulls off the highway to charge where there’s nothing to do, one charges while reading a book and drives on. But if one pulls off in a fascinating place, one might charge, move the car, and shop, soak, etc. I hope a business will look into expanding EV charging infrastructure in T or C. As an EV driver, I know how the presence –or absence—of functioning and convenient fast chargers affects my behavior. EV sales have quadrupled in recent years, and drivers need to able to charge. Local people can plug in at home if they own their homes, but renters and travelers need public charging. Projects like the ones below make drivers more confident in travel to those places, but south of Albuquerque, it’s still hard to travel and charge in NM.
From: https://highways.dot.gov/sites/fhwa.dot.gov/files/CFI%20Grant%20Awards%20Project%20Descriptions%20FY22-23.pdf
The County of Santa Fe will receive $3.3 million to build an EV charging network of 33 fast chargers and Level 2 charging stations at 13 sites that include underserved communities, multi-family affordable housing and county transportation hubs. $3,371,200
The Town of Taos will receive $500,000 to install the first six publicly available fast EV chargers in the parking lots of three community buildings. One of the locations is the Taos Visitor Center which serves the Taos Pueblo, designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. $500,000
Maybe T or C will do something in the future, even if not right now.
💗
“Could the no-accountability good old guys and gals club be breaking up?”
OMG, I hope so.