Ortega tapped for water authority administrator role

PORTALES - Orlando Ortega will assume the responsibilities of "administrator of project advancement, planning and communication" for the Eastern New Mexico Water Utility Authority on April 2.

The water authority named the former Portales mayor to the position at its meeting Monday.

Ortega received a three-year contract with an annual base salary of $89,000, with benefits.

The position was vacated Oct. 1 when Justin Howalt left to become Clovis' new city manager.

Ortega was Portales' mayor from 2002 to 2010 and since 2015 has been the economic development director for the Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation, a position he said Monday he would vacate next month.

"I'm excited for this opportunity," he said. "I look forward to working with the water authority and its member communities."

According to the position description, the administrator "will oversee the development and operation of the (Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System) in collaboration with the Director of Engineering and Project Management," and provide oversight for design engineering consultants and program and construction management.

Although the title is different, the job responsibilities are much the same as when Howalt held the role in the name of executive director, said Maggie Chapman, who served as interim executive director since October and will continue next month in her previous role as office manager.

Authority board members returned from an executive session to discuss the personnel matter during their regular meeting in Portales Monday afternoon and then voted unanimously to award Ortega the contract.

In recent weeks the board had met in executive session to continue conversations with two finalist candidates, then Ortega and Jason Burns, Carlsbad's city projects engineer.

Ortega attended the meeting Monday but Burns was not present.

"I have tremendous confidence in his leadership," said water authority Chairman David Lansford, noting he's known Ortega since 1996. "I can't think of a person that I admire and respect more than him."

The board is scheduled to next meet April 19 in Clovis.

Also at Monday's ENMWUA board meeting:

n The board voted unanimously to appoint Clovis City Commissioner Ladona Clayton to serve as the authority's representative on the City of Clovis Request For Information Water Banking Committee. The RFI committee also includes representatives from EPCOR and the Clovis and Curry County commissions.

Lansford declined an earlier nomination from Clayton to the position, noting he had family in farming business and wanted to avoid "any perceived conflicts of interest."

n Chapman announced no findings from the annual integrity audit of the authority, and said the quarterly update to ENMWUA member communities was postponed to next month, when Ortega would have the reins.

n John Ryan, the authority's consultant on federal financial activities, said Congress would vote by Friday on an "omnibus appropriation bill" that would allow the authority to compete with other rural water projects in the nation for a portion of some additional $50 million. The project currently has $1.87 million guaranteed in federal funds for Fiscal Year 2018, he said.