The city of Tucumcari is making preparations and bankrolling funds to receive its allocation of water from Ute Lake.

At Thursday night's city commission meeting, city manager John Sutherland reported that the city had almost $900,000 set aside from gross receipt taxes earmarked  to fund a project to bring water to the city from Ute Lake.

To keep the city's uranium levels at acceptable levels, the city could, in the future, need to rely on additional water from Ute Lake, especially if development continues to make demands on the water supply.

In other business before the commmission:
• An option agreement and a development agreement were approved with Coronado Partners, the investor group seeking to apply to the state for a race track and casino license.
The option agreement gives the city 1.5 percent ownership, at no cost, in the racino project.
Earlier this year, it was agreed that the city would reduce its ownership share so that Coronado Partners could bring in other investors and so that the city would not have to, on a continual basis, obtain a certain licensing as required by the state for owners who had a 5 percent or more ownership share.
The development agreement calls for the city's support in such issues as water and sewer, financing through IRBs, industrial revenue bonds, and other related matters, said Warren Frost, executive director of the Quay County Gaming Authority. It doesn't call for the city to fund any of these items, but to show its support, Frost said.

• Robert Lumpkin was appointed to take the lead in advocating for RETA to consider building transmission lines in Quay County so that additional wind farm development could occur in the county. RETA is the state's recently created Renewable Energy Transmission Authority, which has financing powers to build transmission lines.
Lumpkin suggested that RETA be invited to have one of its regular meetings in Tucumcari or that the commissioners attend one of its meetings.
In related events, Lumpkin also suggested that as many as possible attend the upcoming Renew New Mexico Renewable Energy Conference on Wednesday and Thursday in Tucumcari.

• Mayor Antonio Apodaca also appointed commissioners to serve as liaisons on various city and regional boards and commissions.